October 12, 2012
Even though excellence in athletics has long been a part of the
St. John’s University experience, it wasn’t until the 1974-75
academic year that women student-athletes had the opportunity to
compete in a manner similar to that enjoyed by their male
counterparts. It was during that historic year that St. John’s
women began competing at the varsity level.
Photo gallery
The Golf and Tennis Classic, held at the North Hempstead Country
Club on Long Island to support women’s athletic programs at the
University, honored former women’s athletes:
Nan Doherty ’78C
Women’s Swimming
Kathleen Meehan ’75Ed, ’79GEd
Women’s Basketball
Barbara Perry ’76NDC
Women’s Tennis
Joan Sheridan La Barge ’78SVC
Women’s Fencing
The day offered guests a chance to enjoy 18 holes of golf or
receive tennis or golf instruction from current members of the
women’s teams. The gathering concluded with a cocktail reception
and dinner, during which each honoree was presented with a special
commemorative award.
“Receiving this award is a great honor for each of us,”
said Ms. Sheridan La Barge. “Being recognized by St. John’s is
important, but what’s equally important is that, as students, each
of us was given an opportunity to be part of a varsity women’s
athletic team. Women’s sports have come a long way, and I’m so
proud that I was able to play a part in that process at St.
John’s.”
Whether former players or fans, guests were grateful for the
opportunity to do what they could to ensure that women’s athletics
would not only continue to thrive at the University, but would
achieve even greater success in the future.
“I love firsts, and this is a first,” noted dinner sponsor and
Master of Ceremonies Catherine Robertson Camera ’65CBA. “I’m
delighted to be involved in any way I can, especially for this
inaugural event for Women’s Golf and Tennis...it’s very exciting. I
wasn’t personally involved in sports when I was a student at St.
John’s, but my college sweetheart, who later became my husband, was
on the baseball team, so I was sort of involved with athletics but
didn’t actually play. My hat is off to every woman who was ever
able to play sports at the collegiate level.”
National Basketball Association Hall of Fame Inductee and
former St. John’s star Chris Mullin ’98CBA was a special guest at
the event. He was pleased with the status of women’s
athletics today, noting the increased opportunities for female
athletes to advance from the collegiate to the professional
level.
“I think the changes in women’s sports are great,” he said.
“Athletics has always been a vehicle to teach us the lessons of
life. It’s a great way to learn, especially if you have a great
passion for a sport. Women’s athletics on the collegiate level is
very different today than it’s ever been. There are professional
leagues now for women athletes to aspire to play in, and that’s a
real bonus for the women who are playing college sports today. I
had an opportunity to play for a great coach and to play in front
of my family and friends. It’s nice to know that other
student-athletes, both men and women, will have the same great
experience that I had.”
When
Kitty Prager ’78C came to St. John’s as an English major, she began
her years as a student-athlete on the women’s tennis team. Sports
had always been an important part of her life, and she was grateful
for the opportunity to play in college, even at the club level.
Ultimately participating at the varsity level was a dream come true
for her and her teammates.
“I had very many happy years at St. John’s,” she recalled, “and I
participated in the first season of varsity sports at the
University. It was a very exciting time as we transitioned from a
club to a varsity sport. The students who were on the team with me
were all great, and we had a wonderful team spirit. St. John’s did
such a great job with us. I look at my classmates and my teammates,
and they all still live the values and the spirit that we learned
at St. John’s, even back then. Those values still carry us through,
and I suspect that they always will.”