National Girls and Women in Sports Day at RMU
By. Brenna Murray
 

February 7th was National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD), a day near and dear to many individuals across the country and here at Robert Morris University. NGWSD was founded in 1987, in hopes to bring national attention to the promise and importance of girls and women in athletics. This day also originally served as a remembrance day of Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her accomplishments and dedication to promoting gender equality in sports. Now in the 38th annual NGWSD, celebrations have evolved into acknowledging the history of women in sports, supporting the importance of increased participation for girls in athletics, and the continuing efforts for gender equality within the sports world.

At Robert Morris, the Colonials celebrated NGWSD with their own event the evening of February 6th, sponsored by State Farm Agents Megan Chicone and Jennifer Johnson-Nazareth. The event boasted an all female student-athlete Alumni Panel, a photo booth, and time for networking and interacting with the panelists and other resources for female student-athletes on campus. 

The student-athlete alumni panel featured Katie Regan (Soccer), Nelle Stahura (Rowing), Harley Stuebgen (Track and Field), Nina Augustin (Basketball) and Katie Siegle (Soccer). Abbie Elliot from Women's Lacrosse moderated the panel as they discussed lessons learned from sports, current careers, and how their time as a student-athlete continues to impact them today. Afterwards, student-athletes were able to ask questions and personally meet them. Approximately 80 female student-athletes attended the event and represented the various sports teams on our campus.

After participating in the panel, Katie Regan remarked "A well-organized and executed event, the National Women and Girls in Sports panel was inspiring, engaging and fun. It's always great to visit my alma mater, but it's even better when we get to see old teammates and interact with current students. While I hope they found the panel valuable, I hope the students know how much we admire them and support them. Women can do incredible things, and I can't wait to see how these intelligent and talented young women take on their next challenges!"

Post panel, student-athletes were given the opportunity to mingle with the panelist, partners such as State Farm and EmpwrU, and were given access to information from the RMU Counseling Center, the importance of nutrition, and NGWSD themed photo booth and crafts. 

Teams participated in various prompted videos as well, which are featured on the related team's Instagram pages. Athletes shared what they learned from the panelists, what being a woman in sports means to them, and what playing sports has taught them. 

Overall, the evening encouraged appreciation of NGWSD, allowed for alumni and current student connections and empowered our female athletes to empower themselves and appreciate their experience here at RMU. 

This event was organized by the Student-Athlete Development team of Danny Bonaventura, Associate AD for Student-Athlete Development, and Student-Athlete Experience and Leadership Development Interns Brenna Murray and Becky Adjeiwaah Dwomoh. RMU NGWSD was sponsored by State Farm Agents Megan Chicone and Jennifer Johnson-Nazareth. 

To see more, check out our video recap of the event here. 

Sources: Women's Sports Foundation