Elite female athletes often make headlines for their achievements, but women in sports have long fought for the recognition they deserve. Each year, National Girls and Women in Sports Day (Feb. 5) celebrates their impact and accomplishments while highlighting the ongoing push for gender equity in athletics.
The day also emphasizes the many benefits of sports participation, from building lifelong friendships to strengthening physical and mental well-being. At Case Western Reserve University, women student-athletes experience these benefits firsthand—while also making their mark on history.
The Daily sat down with five such Spartans to discover what inspired them to become athletes, and how their experiences have shaped their time at CWRU.
Lauren Iagnemma
A third-year psychology and Spanish student, Lauren Iagnemma is a two-time All-American for the women’s cross country team. She is also the third runner in program history to earn multiple All-American honors.
1. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
Being an athlete at CWRU was one of the best decisions I made when committing to college. I’ve met some of my best friends through the team, and I’ve even been able to meet athletes from other schools. It has also helped me work on skills like teamwork, collaboration, and leadership.
Academically, I appreciate the structure participating in a sport gives. It’s a great way for me to relieve stress from hard classes and life’s difficulties. I know that even if I have a lot going on, I can relax and let off steam at practice.
2. What does being part of a team mean to you?
I believe that being part of a team means supporting and motivating your teammates. It means caring for them as you know they would care for you, listening to their joys and difficulties, and struggling and celebrating together. I see my teammates come in to practice every day and work incredibly hard, so I am honored to get to cheer them on and celebrate the pay-off during the season.
3. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
The best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU is getting to spend time with my teammates. We get to travel for meets, cheer each other on, hang out and have fun at practice together. I’m so glad I’m able to spend time with them! I also love the [Division 3] aspect of athletics at CWRU. All of the athletes participate because it is something they are passionate about, and I can tell that my coaches respect and care about the student-athletes who make up their teams.
4. Why do you think it’s so valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Our bodies are incredible machines. They are unbelievably strong and capable of so much! Our minds are as well. If running has taught me anything, it’s how mentally tough an athlete can be. With each workout, practice, or competition, sports give us opportunities to build pride and confidence in ourselves. It’s also a great opportunity to build a community and make friends with other athletes.
5. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
Celebrating this day helps call attention to the great things that women athletes have been able to achieve. There has been so much progress in encouraging athletic participation and moving sports forward. I hope that this day inspires those who are maybe thinking of participating in a sport or getting back into one to take the first step. It’s such a positive life-changing decision!
Rea Marfatia
A fourth-year biomedical engineering and pre-med student, Rea Marfatia’s athletic accomplishments include being named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region First Team in 2024.
1. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
Most of the skills I learned through being on the volleyball team at CWRU have translated to academic endeavors. I learned how my contribution can be valuable, and that gave me confidence to succeed in my research lab. Volleyball has [also] given me lifelong friends and supporters in my teammates, as we have overcome countless challenges and gone through so much together. My coaches have given me confidence in myself and relationships that will last far beyond my time at CWRU.
2. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Being a part of a team, to me, means leaving behind personal deterrents and applying myself to the team’s goals, as well as embracing my teammates’ contributions. Having the mindset that each teammate’s experience is unique and everyone can teach me something new makes teamwork meaningful for me. The two-way relationship of giving yourself to a team and receiving benefits (like relationships, athletic success, and personal growth) from it is another aspect of a team that I value.
3. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
I think CWRU is especially unique because it is one of the few schools in this country where a student can achieve academic excellence, be a varsity athlete, and wholeheartedly pursue other personal and professional goals, like jobs and Greek life. I have so many diverse experiences and relationships at CWRU and at other [University Athletic Association (UAA)] schools because of this.
4. Why do you think it’s so valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Speaking from personal experience, being involved in sports from a young age is the reason I found my voice and my confidence. Aside from the technical skills or wins and losses, sports can give women confidence that their contributions matter and that they can achieve their goals, in and out of the athletic space. Sports also have the ability to unite and create relationships. The bonds created between players and coaches are unique and transformational. Leadership and teamwork skills are learned from sports, and learning to work with others toward a common set of goals is an invaluable skill.
5. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
Amongst the inevitable unknowns and identity crises that girls and women experience, sports gives us an opportunity to simplify problems and contribute to something greater than ourselves. There are a lot of sacrifices a girl or woman in sports has to make to achieve its benefits, and I think it’s important to raise awareness for the instrumental role sports has in shaping identity positively.
Maya Roberts
Maya Roberts, a third-year nursing student, is the starting shooting guard for the women’s basketball team. Career highs include scoring 14 points against the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg and receiving eight rebounds during the ‘24-25 season.
1. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
I met many of my closest friends through being on the team and an athlete in general. The athletes on campus, especially the female athletes, have a good community and it’s nice to feel supported. I have met so many amazing people that I don’t know I would have the chance to meet if I wasn’t part of this team or this community.
Academically, sports gives me a reason to create better relationships with my professors, which has turned out to be extremely beneficial. When I introduce myself and let them know that I’m an athlete, they immediately are able to match a face with my name and are much more willing to help me out when I miss class. It also helps out when I am applying to internships and need letters of recommendation.
2. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Being part of a team is probably one of the things in my life that I value the most. My teammates are guaranteed friends—sisters almost. It’s so nice knowing that I have 13 people that are always going to support me in all that I do, especially [after] moving to a new city all alone.
When someone is having a tough day or going through something, we are always going to be there for each other. They have my best interest at heart, they’re my biggest cheerleaders, and I love them for it. I would genuinely do anything for them. They’re my people.
3. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
The best part about being a student-athlete at CWRU is the experiences. Being part of this team accounts for many of my favorite memories of college so far. Specifically, being in the UAA conference is an experience like no other, especially at the Division 3 level. Not only that, but I get to play against some of the best athletic competition in the country as well. You can never be comfortable because it can be any team’s game in this league. Everyone is good at everything and it’s really fun trying to come up with a plan and strategizing the best approach to win games.
4. Why do you think it’s so valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
I think it’s valuable for women to compete in sports because there are so many athletic and talented women who work so hard and deserve everything that they have worked for. Some of the best athletes in the world are women and they deserve more recognition. Women are extremely unique and do things in a way that is so inspiring. Little girls deserve to grow up watching people that they can see themselves in.
5. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
Celebrating this day is a reminder to everyone that women are awesome. Everyday women are continuing to break down barriers that are stacked against us, inspiring the next generations to do the same.
Ailean Duffie (CWR ’24)
A first-year juris doctor student at the School of Law, Ailean Duffie is a thrower on the women’s track and field team and has previously earned UAA Winter and Spring All-Academic honors and an All-UAA recognition in Outdoor Hammer Throw.
1. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
My academic career has been much reflected by my passion for advocating for women in sports. Luckily with my undergraduate majors in history and political science, I was able to constantly explore this passion, especially with my History of Sports in America class taught by John Grabowski and my political science capstone, A League That’s Not Their Own: The Politics of Women in Sports, advised by Karen Beckwith.
In both classes, I researched how the definitions of women in athletics contribute to gender discrimination within sports. My research made me incredibly passionate about creating an equitable athletic realm for women, transgender, and other athletes who face discrimination, and I hope to turn this passion into a career by pursuing sports law to advocate for these people.
2. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Track and field is an individual sport at heart, with everything riding on individual performance, talent, and work ethic. However, none of these things would be possible without the people that surround me everyday. My coaching staff and teammates push me to be the best athlete I can be. I think it is the truest reflection of what a team actually is because while you are independent in your own capabilities, you only really blossom when you surround yourself with people who make you better.
3. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
I firmly believe that being a student-athlete at CWRU has let me truly emphasize the “student” aspect of the word. I really felt the student aspect come to life when I told my head coach, Eric Schmuhl, that I was coming back for my fifth year while attending law school. He was aware of the demands that came with law school, but ensured me that he would do whatever I needed to excel both academically and athletically. Without my coaches’ support, I doubt I would be excelling in the capacity that I am now.
4. Why do you think it’s so valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Women belong in every room that they step into, and this does not stop at the athletic level. It’s valuable for women to compete in sports because they are showing that it is okay to take up space, even in something that is traditionally seen to be a man’s place. I think this further expands the idea that women belong in every space and are capable of excelling in ways never imagined. This idea also translates to the ultimate benefit of being a woman athlete and making history every time we compete.
5. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
My little sister, who is 12-years-old, has followed in her older siblings’ footsteps and has been doing sports since she could walk. I hope that this day serves as a reminder and testament to her and other young girls starting their athletic journey that they are important and respected in sports.
Sydney Schenk
A fourth-year mechanical engineering student, Sydney Schenk is a midfielder on the women’s soccer team who received an All-UAA honorable mention and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors in 2024.
1. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
I’ve really enjoyed being in classes with other female student-athletes who quickly became amazing friends. Being in athletics has also shaped my academic life, as I plan to focus my career in mechanical engineering with sports related topics. I’ve been so lucky to have incredible role models on the team to advise me in classes, internships, and opportunities!
2. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Being part of a team means that you give your all for the greater good. This may look different each day, but there is an expectation that you show up for your teammates. Building relationships with those around you is imperative, and a true team trusts and respects each other.
3. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
The best part about being a student-athlete at CWRU is the great people that I surround myself with each day. The athletics community is full of truly inspiring people and I’m lucky to be part of it. It’s been awesome to see my friends achieve great successes in and out of their sports.
4. Why do you think it’s so valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Competing in sports has developed who I am as a person. Sports give me a competitive outlet, a structure for movement, and a community of like-minded people. Playing sports is also a great way to improve leadership and teamwork skills, as well as grow resilience. Sports have taught me how to work hard for my goals and that small improvements daily equal large improvements over time.
5. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day is important to show younger girls everything that they can be. Women’s sports are growing, and new sports are being open to girls at every level. I think it is also important for younger girls to see that there is not just one way to be an athlete, and while sports can be a big part of your life, there is always more to being an athlete.