The Bryn Mawr basketball team honored National Girls and Women in Sports Day in an intense game against Ursinus College. To celebrate, Bryn Mawr Athletics hosted two Mainline Girls Basketball youth teams for a halftime scrimmage and invited local Girl Scouts to sell cookies.
Sponsored by the Women’s Sports Foundation, National Girls and Women in Sports Day honors the accomplishments and progress of women in sports and advocates for gender equity in athletics. Katie Tarr, Bryn Mawr’s interim athletic director, emphasized the importance of this celebration at a historically women’s college, saying the college provides unique “experiences where women can take risks, challenge themselves, and learn from failures.”
The Owls brought out a large crowd of more than 200 fans in the Wednesday night game, according to players. Recently winning their first conference game in 18 years in a thriller against Washington College, the Owls have maintained their competitive spirit, though they ultimately fell to the Ursinus Bears 61–44.
Jenna Vollor, a freshman who earned a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds in the Owls’ tough match explained that the game represented a larger movement within women’s sports.
“Going from an empty stadium to selling out Xfinity Arena has been an amazing moment for women’s sports in general,” Vollor said.
Junior teammate Cameron Richter agreed, citing WNBA role models Sabrina Ionescu and Paige Bueckers as important to the growth of women’s basketball, inspiring both young girls and college players alike.
Acting as role models themselves, the Owls cheered on two fourth grade teams from the Mainline Girls Basketball Association during halftime. The short scrimmage resulted in a contested 2-0 win for the green team, who defeated their purple opposition. Youth players stayed for the rest of the game, cheering on the Owls.
“Our players have the opportunity to show the next generation what strong looks like,” Tarr said. She emphasized that Bryn Mawr Athletics strives to show young girls in athletics possibilities for their futures, without limitations.
Richter and Vollor, who have been playing basketball since kindergarten and ten years old, respectively, felt honored to have this opportunity. The two players provided their advice to young girls in sports.
“Basketball is like a family. Surround yourself with people like that, and that matter. Shoot for the stars, and the sky’s the limit,” Richter said.
“Nothing is going to be given to you, but if you try hard enough, the work is going to show. It’s all going to work out,” Vollor added.
