Penn State All-Sports Museum - Panel Discussion
November 8, 2014 at 10:30am
Where: The Clemen's Family Theater in the Penn State All-Sports Museum
With special guests: Kathy (Mills) Parker, Jana Angelakis, Sherri (Landes) Borrenson, and Ann (Carr) Tunney
Penn State Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Women in Sport
By Alexis Shelton, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
Sixty women's field hockey alumni gathered between the bleachers of the field hockey complex for a honoring at halftime. Smiles, tears and hugs filled up the atmosphere as former teammates reunited after not seeing each other for years.
"I haven't seen you in so long! I feel like I've just been reunited with my long lost best friend," a voice shouted from the background. The whistle blew for halftime; it' was now their time to be honored for their legacies.
This year, Penn State celebrated its 50th anniversary of women in sports. From September 19-21, more than 200 Penn State alum and former Nittany Lions gathered from all over the country to celebrate the joyous occasion.
"It's so amazing that the university put together such a wonderful weekend for us. Women's sports have come a long way since I was here," said Robin Meyers (field hockey '74).
It kicked off on the 19th, with a 4 p.m. matchup that featured the field hockey team against Michigan. Following that game, women's soccer faced off against Ohio State at 6 p.m., and women's volleyball played in the Penn State classic against Depaul at 7:30. At all three games, a special tribute was given to the alumni at halftime for their respective sports.
"It's lovely," said Meyers. [Tears up] "It's the best place to spend your time is on these fields," she added.
"The thing that I think I treasure the most is the fact that I'm here with my kids and it's carrying tradition," noted Kathy Klein (field hockey '90).
Like Meyers, Klein was one of the 60 field hockey alum to be honored during the halftime ceremony.
"It's just an honor to be here again and amazing to see so many of my former teammates," she added.
Friday's festivities also included a celebration kickoff with a dinner reception at the Nittany Lion Inn. Saturday followed with a tailgate at 1 p.m. at Medlar Field before the Penn State/UMass game at 4 p.m. During the football game, the women all walked onto the field to be honored officially at halftime.
"I think the best memory that I'm going to walk away with at the end of this weekend is standing on the field in Beaver Stadium," said Judith Borso-Paul (basketball '69).
Borso-Paul wasn't the only alum who enjoyed the halftime recognition. When asked what their biggest memory was from the weekend, many alum mentioned that they enjoyed standing on the field.
"Breathtaking," said Ann Carr-Tuney (gymnastics '80). "Just to be down on the football field in front of the large football crowd and to all be together, everybody was so excited. Everybody was involved in the Penn State pride, and I just think it was a tremendous feeling," she added.
Being on the football field during halftime wasn't the only recurring theme during the weekend.
"We always say, play for the ones who played before you," commented Lauren Kramer (women's soccer '97). Kramer was a member of the first women's soccer team at Penn State.
When asked what she thinks about the program at the university now, she went on to add, "I think when we played, our support was our parents and that was a new program so there weren't a whole lot of people. So now to see the fan club and the alumni association and the Booster club, I just think women's sports have come so far and the support for women's soccer is unmatched in this country."
A recent women's soccer graduate, Bri Hovington ('13), talked about how different it was to just be on the field or in the atmosphere of sports without actually playing. She mentioned the transition from being recruited, to actually playing, to graduating and experiencing life after playing on the field.
"It's a different feel when people say you're playing for the ones before you. I say this because now you know that those girls on the field are playing for [you]. You never really know the meaning of it until now. The feeling is just different and great," Hovington said.
She then added, "To have people clap and cheer for you after you've been here and played for four years is just an indescribable feeling. We made a lot of history, so I'm honored to be recognized for so many days of hard work."
Hovington was apart of a Penn State soccer team that made history. In 2012, the women's soccer team posted a 10-0-1 record in the Big Ten while cruising to a 15th consecutive Big Ten championship. On top of that, Head Coach Erica Walsh was named the National Coach of the year.
When asked about the current team today, she lastly added, "This team right here is phenomenal. They're as great of a team that I've ever seen. Their going to go along way and I can only see them doing great things for the program in the future."
The program ended on Sunday with a brunch at the Bryce Jordan Center. Both former and current women's athletes joined together for a wonderful close to such a beautiful weekend.
"What has stood out to me this weekend the most is the joy on everyone's faces. The stories told, the excitement and the euphoria, everyone has just been so excited to come back," said Associate Athletic Director Charmelle Green. "To see how we have transformed from the early years on to now and just the legacy that is noticed is just amazing. We are Penn State and when we do things we do it the right way. Our goal of making this a special weekend for all of our alums, donors, athletes and coaches, we accomplished just that. "
Green noted that to put together such a program had taken about three years; she also mentioned that she had been asked multiple times throughout the weekend if the university could put together a special weekend for alum every weekend.
"That could never happen, it is just simply too much work. But I'm so thankful that I put so many smiles on people's faces this weekend. I just hope to put together another successful weekend when the next anniversary arrives."
For general questions regarding the 50th Anniversary weekend, please contact:
Varsity S at 814-867-1597