Title IX 50th Anniversary Celebration

Honoring the Past, Present, and Future

2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which was signed in 1972. The law changed the landscape of college athletics, creating equal opportunities for female athletes at the collegiate level. This year, we celebrate the impact of Title IX on Falcon Athletics and honor the women who paved the way and the incredible success and achievements of female athletes and women's sports at UW-River Falls.

UWRF Athletics Title IX 50th Anniversary Celebration Events

Upcoming Events

Feb. 7-8, 2023 - National Girls & Women in Sports Day Celebration
- In conjunction with UWRF women's hockey and UWRF women's basketball home events.
- Youth (18 & under) will receive free admission for Feb. 7 women's hockey and Feb. 8 women's basketball home events.
- Pink Falcon beanies will be available for purchase for $10.
- Autographed team posters.

Past Events

June 23, 2022 - UWRF Athletics Social Event (Belle Vinez Winery - River Falls, Wis.)
- Join Falcon Athletics as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX legislation and raise funds to support UWRF women's athletic programs
- Social event is $20/person and includes brick oven pizza and appetizers (cash bar available)
- Donations to support UWRF women's athletics also accepted
Sept. 6, 2022 - UWRF Athletics Social Luncheon (The Falcon's Nest - UWRF University Center)
- Event will include featured speaker Kathy DeBoer: Title IX advocate, hall of fame coach and athlete, and current Executive Director of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA)
- Luncheon event is $20/person and includes build your own salad buffet with two types of lettuce, choice of chicken or steak, vegetables, dinner roll, and dessert
- Donations to support UWRF women's athletics also accepted

UW-River Falls has a history of success in women's sports, combining for over 40 conference championships, 80 national championship appearances, and more than 120 All-Americans. Off the field, the Falcons have garnered 35 WIAC Scholar-Athletes and nine Academic All-Americans.

UWRF Women's Athletics Legacy

83 National Tournament/Championship Appearances
7 Individual National Champions
1 Team National Championship
123 Individual Conference Champions
43 Team Conference Titles
128 All-Americans
3 National Players of the Year
26 Conference Players of the Year
35 WIAC Scholar-Athletes
10 Academic All-Americans

Gallery: (6-23-2022) UWRF Title IX 50th Anniversary Legacy

UWRF Women's Athletics Timeline

1958 – Wisconsin Athletic & Recreation Federation formed to coordinate athletic activities among Wisconsin Colleges
1969 – Limited women's sports at UWRF were passed
1971 – Member schools of the Wisconsin State University Conference (WSUC), including UWRF, joined to form the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WWIAC)
1972 – On June 23, Title IX is passed, giving women athletes the right to equal opportunity in sports in educational institutions that receive federal funds
1974 – First varsity season of UWRF women's gymnastics
1975 – First varsity season of UWRF women's swimming & diving
1976 – First varsity season of UWRF women's basketball
1977 – First varsity season of UWRF women's track & field
1978 – First varsity season of UWRF women's cross country
1982 – The Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) dissolved and became affiliated with the NAIA and NCAA
1983 – First varsity season of UWRF softball
1986 – First varsity season of UWRF women's tennis
1987 – First varsity season of UWRF women's volleyball
1987 – UWRF softball wins the first conference championship by a women's team in school history (WIAC Champions)
1988 – UWRF women's basketball wins its first WIAC Championship and earns its first trip to the NCAA Tournament appearance
1990 – Mickey Gillespie (Gymnastics) is UWRF's first woman to win an individual national championship, winning an NCGA title in the Uneven Bars
1993 – All UWRF women's athletic teams became NCAA Division III members
1993 – UWRF softball wins both the WIAC regular season and tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history
1992 – First varsity season of UWRF women's soccer
1996 – UWRF men's and women's athletics combined into one athletic department, with Connie Foster named first athletic director of the combined department
1996 – First varsity season of UWRF women's golf
1996 – UWRF volleyball wins its first WIAC regular season and tournament titles
1996 – Jen Ponthius becomes the first UWRF women's track & field individual national champion, winning the outdoor discus throw
1999 – First varsity season of UWRF women's hockey
2001 – UWRF women's hockey earns its first conference title, winning the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) Playoff Tournament
2003 – UWRF women's soccer wins its first WIAC Championship
2003 – UWRF women's hockey earns its first trip to the NCAA Tournament and reaches the "Frozen Four"
2007 – Jill Crandall wins the NCAA outdoor high jump national championship, and is named the National Field Performer of the Meet
2008 – UWRF Women's Outdoor Track & Field wins National Championship, totaling 35 team points in Oshkosh, Wis., to become the first women's team to win a national championship
2008 – Becca Jordahl earns her third consecutive All-American finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships
2015 – UWRF women's hockey takes third place at the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year
2016 – UWRF women's hockey reaches the NCAA National Championship game, falling to Plattsburgh State for a runner-up finish
2017 – Dani Sibley becomes the first UWRF women's hockey player to be named the AHCA Laura Hurd National Player of the Year
2019 – First varsity season of UWRF women's lacrosse
2021 – UWRF women's lacrosse earns its first at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament