It was an uncharacteristically quiet Saturday afternoon on the athletic fields on the University of New Haven campus with only the women's lacrosse program playing at home. However, it was anything but an uneventful week for New Haven's female student-athletes.
Three home events including the lacrosse showdown with Southern New Hampshire along with a Women's in the Workplace networking event were part of the Women's Empowerment festivities.

With the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX just two months away, the ode to the challenges faced by past, current, and future women student-athletes ended up on so many minds during each of these events.

None of the competitors had to deal with the roadblocks faced by women a couple of generations ago before the Title IX portion of the Higher Education Act was passed which promised equal access for all students. It had a huge impact on the plight of females in the world of sports.

There weren't opportunities to play collegiate basketball, field hockey, rugby, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball as well as cross country and track and field that female athletes get to compete in at UNH.

The coaches of the women's sports, many of whom faced their own struggles during their playing days, made certain that their student-athletes understood the true impact of Title IX.

"It is crazy that 50 years ago that our aunts, uncles, and grandparents weren't given that same opportunity that I am today," said Mya Case who leads the New Haven softball team in batting average and home runs. "I don't think about it because it didn't happen in my lifetime, but it is an unbelievable thought to have that they weren't given that same opportunity."

New Haven women's lacrosse head coach Jen Fallon, who grew up in nearby Milford, didn't have a female head coach until she arrived on the Sacred Heart University campus. When she got to Sacred Heart, it didn't take long for Fallon to have female role models to help her navigate the transition from high school to college.

"I played boys baseball, I played boys soccer until seventh grade so there weren't a lot of female role models or even opportunities," Fallon said. "I was one of the first females to play Milford Little League, it was myself and one other girl. For soccer, I played on a really competitive boys' team.

"When you look at all the opportunities and as female leaders, coaches, administrators, these kids are really lucky to have that and to be able to see what is possible. 

"When you got to college, you kind of latched onto those female role models. [Former Sacred Heart softball coach] Bippie Luckie is still there, she was one of those administrators that all the female athletes looked up to and really was a great mentor for a lot of people. My lacrosse coach [Robin Schwartz] was a great mentor and somebody that you aspire to be like. 

"Everybody used to give her a hard time because she would fight for our field time and when other teams would try to creep onto the field early or take half of the field, she would have to stand up and make sure that wasn't happening. From our perspective as student-athletes, we had great respect for that and you learned a lot from that. We were fortunate to have somebody like that to be our coach and our leader."

There are no such battles that have to be fought by the coaches at New Haven. One of the faces of the UNH athletic department for years was Debbie Chin, who was a groundbreaking figure, first as an incredibly successful coach for the Chargers and then as the school's athletic director.

Fallon and Shaunnaya Williams, the Director of Cross Country and Track and Field at New Haven, are two of the longest-tenured coaches at the university and can vouch for how women's sports are treated by the administration. Williams is the first woman to serve as the director of the men's and women's cross country and track and field programs.

"I've been here for 13 years and I have seen the growth and the support," Williams said. "It starts with leadership, to be able to see the women's coaches that coach women's sports, for that to be something that has never been done before, that is a step up."

While the changes by the institution of Title IX were in place before either Fallon or Williams began their athletic careers, they are joining the other coaches of the women's sports at New Haven in relaying the importance of the landmark legislation.

"Title IX to me is affirmation as a woman and as a human being to fully be able to live, dream and achieve anything I want to do in life," Williams said. "It is empowering to know you aren't being restricted or held back because of your gender. We are strong, we are just as fast and as athletic as our male counterparts and this is allowing us to embrace who we are and what we want to be in life. The door is open and we know we want to take a seat at that table."