The 2005-06 school year marks the 25th anniversary of women’s sports championships in the USA South Conference, which was formerly the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. This milestone coincides with the introduction of women’s sports championships in the NCAA during the 1981-82 academic year. To commemorate this landmark event, the USA South Conference named its most outstanding female athletes to “25th Anniversary Teams.” These teams were honored at the men’s and women’s conference basketball tournament hosted by CNU in February. Five women’s sports were represented: basketball, soccer, softball, tennis and volleyball.

The opportunity for women to compete, and this celebration, were made possible only after a national struggle for equality. That effort culminated in the passage of Title IX, the watershed amendment of 1972 that called for gender equity in education and athletics. Before Title IX, just 30,000 women participated in intercollegiate sports. Last year, more than 150,000 female athletes competed in 20 NCAA sports. At CNU, 172 women competed in nine women’s varsity sports and one coed varsity sport.

And the women of CNU don’t just compete – they win. The Lady Captains rank third in the nation among Division III schools in all-time NCAA championships. The track team alone has claimed 12 national championships. Last year, the ladies brought home five conference championships. This fall, the women’s soccer, volleyball, and cross country teams came away with the conference crown and competed at the national level.

With such a rich tradition, it is no wonder that 19 of the 54 elite athletes named to the 25th Anniversary Teams made their mark as Lady Captains. Among those honored were two current coaches at CNU, Jenny Nuttycombe ’86, and Lindsay Sheppard ’02.

Mrs. Nuttycombe was voted onto the 25th anniversary team for tennis. She played both tennis and basketball for the Lady Captains during the first years of championship competitions at CNU. She is currently the head women’s tennis coach. Ms. Sheppard took over the reins as head volleyball coach just a year after leading the team to its first conference championship as a student-athlete.

“It’s a dream job,” she said. Ms. Sheppard has made the most of the opportunity, earning Coach of the Year honors in two of her four seasons. She is the only person in NCAA history known to have earned conference Player of the Year one year and then Coach of the Year during the following season. She was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine because of this remarkable accomplishment.

Karen Barefoot ’94 is another outstanding Alumna in the coaching business. Ms. Barefoot finished her basketball career with a staggering 2,073 career points and 1,002 career assists. She is now an assistant coach at Old Dominion University, a perennial powerhouse in Division I women’s basketball.

The influence of these extraordinary women stretches far beyond the sports world. They are teachers, nurses, software programmers, military personnel and more. For many, their athletic careers continue to shape their lives.

Oksana Boukhtina ’03 a Russian-born alumna who was named to the volleyball squad, hopes to become a pilot. She heads to Marine Corps Officer Candidate training this summer. Her roots in athletics stick with her today. “The thing I take away from it all is teamwork. You would go through hard times, and the people who pulled you out were your teammates. In the Marine Corps, it’s all about teamwork,” she said.

The pursuit for gender equity in sports continues to be a team effort. “We need to educate people on our history, so they can see how far we’ve come and how much more we can become with the right opportunities,” said Ms. Barefoot. The 25th Anniversary celebration is doing just that.

CNU Athletes on the 25th Anniversary Teams >