Winter 2005, Vol 58, No. 1

In the Game

by Liz Newall

Although Clemson women became full-time degree-seeking students in the 1950s, they didn’t play varsity sports until the 1970s.

In the early 1970s, along with the Equal Rights Amendment, came “Title IX.” As part of 1972 congressional reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, women’s collegiate sports became a required part of the overall sports programs for educational institutions receiving federal funds.

But once they had the opportunity, they embraced the challenge of becoming “Lady Tigers” and quickly made up for lost time.

Varsity athletics for Clemson women began in 1975, starting with swimming. And basketball. And tennis. In other words, 1975 was a huge year for Clemson women athletes.

Kennedy-Dixon’s Clemson jersey was retired at the end of her student-athlete career, and she was later inducted into the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame. She earned a master’s degree in counseling and guidance services and has had a long career with the Clemson Athletic Department. She’s currently the assistant athletic director for women’s basketball operations at Clemson.

Clemson women swimmers competed in their first official meet in 1975, and the Lady Tigers basketball team played its first official game coached by education graduate Mary C. Kennerty ’73, M ’77. Annie Tribble took over as head basketball coach the next year.

The Lady Tigers took up their rackets in their first tennis match in 1976 and quickly began making their mark. Administrative management major Susan Hill Whitson ’81, who joined the team the next year, earned Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year four times in a row — a feat that still stands in ACC women’s tennis. The three-time All-American was later inducted into Clemson’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Next came volleyball in 1977, and women’s track and field in 1978.

’80s Ladies

By the 1980s, Clemson women were competing in basketball, swimming, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; and their skills began attracting national attention.

Basketball

In 1981, the Lady Tigers basketball team won the regular ACC season championship and scored its first top-20 ranking in the final Associated Press (AP) poll.

In 1982, Clemson played in the first women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament, and Clemson’s Barbara Kennedy-Dixon ’85, M ’92 filled up the record book. Kennedy-Dixon led the nation in scoring that season (1981-82) and was named a first-team All-American by Kodak, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and Basketball Weekly. She’s still the ACC’s career-scoring and rebounding leader.

In 1988, the women’s basketball team, coached by Jim Davis, finished 20th in the final USA Today poll, and in 1989, Lady Tigers finished 13th in the same poll.

Swimming

Clemson scored its first top-20 NCAA finish in the 1982 women’s swimming meet. Administrative management major Catherine “Cappy” Craig Waters ’82 became the first Clemson female to be named an NCAA All-American.

Clemson swimmer Michelle Richardson won silver in the 1984 Summer Olympics 800-meter freestyle. In 1987, the Lady Tigers swim team won the ACC championship and finished in the top five at the NCAA meet. Clemson’s Mitzi Kremer won the individual national championship in the 500- and the 200-yard freestyle.

Kremer won bronze the next year in the 1988 Summer Olympics 100 free relay. She was again NCAA champion in the 200 and 500 freestyle events in 1989. A 16-time All-American, Kremer was the first female swimmer to be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame. She’s now an aquatics director and coordinator at the New Tampa YMCA in Tampa Springs, Fla.

The Lady Tigers again won the ACC championship in 1989 and finished fifth in the NCAA.

Tennis

In the 1982 inaugural NCAA women’s tennis tournament, Clemson’s Jane Forman was named an All-American. She repeated the feat the next year, and the Lady Tigers tennis team reached the quarterfinals of the 1983 NCAA tournament. Clemson’s Gigi Fernandez was a finalist in the women’s singles tournament. Fernandez went on to win gold medals in doubles competition in both the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics.

Track and Field

Clemson women’s track and field also had an outstanding decade. In 1981, English major Cindy Duarte Brakman ’84 became Clemson’s first women’s track All-American.

In 1983, Tina Krebs ’88, M ’90, a design major, made University history as Clemson’s first female national champion. She won the title in the 1,000-yard run at the NCAA women’s indoor track championship. The women’s cross-country team also had a stellar year, finishing in the top five in 1984.

In 1985, Krebs won the 1500m run in the NCAA indoor meet and the team finished 12th. In 1986, Krebs won the national championship in the mile indoor.

Volleyball

In 1986, Linda Edwards White M ’88 became Clemson’s first full-time volleyball coach and, later, the first female in athletic administration. Today, she’s senior women’s administrator for Clemson Athletics.

Volleyball players Denise Murphy Stadelmeir ’87, a zoology major, and Chris Sherman Mullens ’88, an industrial engineering major, made history as Clemson’s first two Academic All-Americans on the same team.

Gigi Fernandez Fernandez became a world-class professional tennis player, one of the best doubles players ever to play the game. She won 17 Grand Slam doubles championships and two Olympic gold medals, as well as being ranked in the top 30 in singles for most of her career. She’s currently coaching at the University of South Florida.

Tina Krebs After Krebs ended her spectacular athletic career at Clemson and earned a bachelor’s degree, she went on to complete a master’s degree in architecture and taught in Clemson’s School of Architecture. She became the first track student athlete to be inducted into Clemson’s Ring of Honor. She now lives in Hyllinge, Denmark.

Kim Graham After graduation, Kim Graham continued competing as a world-class athlete. She became a 1996 Summer Olympics gold medalist, a 1995 World Outdoor Championships gold medalist, a 1998 U.S. Outdoor champion, 1999 U.S. Indoor runner-up and a 1997 World Outdoor silver medalist. She was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1998.

Mighty ’90s

In the 1990s, Clemson women continued to excel in their established sports and added two new ones — soccer and rowing. The Lady Tigers completed the decade at the top of their game with seven ACC championships.

Basketball

Clemson women’s basketball scored its first win over a No. 1-ranked team in 1991, and the Lady Tigers were ranked eighth in the final USA Today poll. Early in the next season, elementary education major Shandy Bryan ’94, M ’95 was named National Player of the Week by Sports Illustrated.

The Lady Tigers won their first ACC basketball championship in 1996; and in 1999, they won their second ACC title. Sociology major Amy Geren ’99 not only won the national women’s three-point shooting contest, she also beat out the men’s three-point champion in the ESPN “Battle of the Sexes.”

Speech and communication studies major Itoro Umoh-Coleman ’00 played in the Pan-Am games in 1999. She went on to compete in the 2004 Summer Olympics as captain of the Nigerian team. She’s currently an assistant coach with the Lady Tigers.

Rowing

In 1998, Clemson added rowing as another women’s varsity sport and went after the best coach available — West Coast Conference Coach of the Year — Susie Lueck. The team began competing during the 1998-99 season.

Soccer

Clemson established women’s soccer in 1994 with one goal in mind — the winning goal. Coached by Tracey Leone, a former U.S. National player, the team quickly reached national standings. By 1996, they were 11th in the nation. Marketing major Sara Burkett became Clemson’s first women’s soccer All-American.

Clemson women’s soccer finished the decade as sixth in the nation, and goalkeeper Katie Carson ’02, a special education major, was No. 1 in the nation for most solo shutouts in 1999.

Swimming

Women’s swimming was ranked around the top 20 at the beginning and end of the 1990s. In 1999, microbiology major Jennifer Mihalik set new records in the 100m and 200m backstroke events at the ACC championships. She and financial management major Ginny Kirouac ’02 were named Academic All-Americans.

Tennis

The women’s tennis team ranked in the top 25 during the early 1990s and moved up to 12th in the 1993 final ITA poll. The team had five All-Americans with majors ranging from language and international trade to microbiology.

Track and Field

Clemson began the decade by finishing third at the 1990 NCAA women’s cross-country meet. The 1991 Clemson women’s track team won its first ACC outdoor championship, and seven Lady Tigers finished with All-America honors, including sociology major Kim Graham ’93. Graham would go on to win gold medals in the 4x400m relay in the World Championship and 1996 Summer Olympics 4x400m relay.

In 1992 the Lady Tigers also won their first ACC indoor track championship. In 1999, the women’s track and field team again won the ACC outdoor championship.

Volleyball

In 1993, Clemson named Jolene Jordan Hoover M ’97 head volleyball coach. Clemson volleyball won its first ACC tournament championship in 1997. The Tigers won the ACC regular season championship in 1999. Their 91 percent winning record was the top winning percentage for any Clemson sport in the decade of the 1990s. And the team held a perfect 12-0 record on the opponents’ home floor.

Speech and communication studies major Cindy Stern Demartino ’00 became the ACC’s first AVAC All-American in 1999. After graduation she competed in the U.S. Professional Volleyball League.

Winning momentum

By the year 2000, Clemson women didn’t stop to marvel at how far they’d come — they just kept on going. And studying. Clemson women athletes gathered honors in the classroom and on the playing field.

Basketball

In the early 2000s, basketball Lady Tigers continued to attract national attention. Psychology major Erin Batth ’01 was drafted by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) in 2001.

Marketing major Chrissy Floyd ’03, who played from 2000 through 2003, was named All-American three seasons and 2003 Female Co-Amateur Athlete of the Year by the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame. She, too, was drafted by the WNBA.

Last season, PRTM major Lakeia Stokes was named to the Region 2 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and Eastman Kodak Co. All-America team. She was the only player in the ACC to be ranked in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, assists, blocked shots and steals.

Rowing

Clemson rowing hit the water with a vengeance in the new millennium. In 2001, psychology major Lucy Doolittle earned a stack of honors including being Clemson’s first rowing All-American. Katherine Sloan and graphic communications major Lauren Henne became Clemson’s first women to receive Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association National Scholar-Athlete awards.

The next year, the rowing team claimed the 2002 South Region. During 2003 and 2004, seven Clemson rowers were named National Scholar Athletes.

Soccer

The Clemson women’s soccer team won the 2000 ACC regular season championship and finished fifth in the nation. They reached the NCAA Tournament’s “final eight,” and Lindsay Browne ’02, a health science major, was named Soccer America’s 2000 Women’s Freshman Player of the Year.

Biological sciences major Julie Augustyniak ’02 and health science major Nancy Augustyniak ’03, twin teammates, were both named All-Americans in 2000. They were drafted by the Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) along with Clemson women Amy Gray, Beth Keller and Lindsay Massengale.

The next year (2001), Clemson made its fifth straight NCAA “sweet 16” appearance.

In 2002, Deliah Arrington was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American, the first Clemson women’s player to receive this award. She and Heather Beem were drafted by the WUSA.

Swimming

Clemson swimmer Ginny Kirouac ’02, a business administration major with a 4.0 GPA, was named a 2000 GTE Academic All-American. She also earned All-America status. Psychology major Jenna Burtch ’03 was named a Verizon Academic All-American, also maintaining a 4.0 GPA during her student career. Clemson women’s swimming and diving team was named a 2003 Academic All-America team by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America.

Tennis

Women’s tennis, coached by Nancy Harris, began the new millennium with three players winning the 2000 ACC Flight championships. Psychology major Cynthia Clausen was named a 2000 National Scholar Athlete All-American.

In 2002 and 2003, Clemson women’s tennis team was back in the top 20 nationally and an ITA All-Academic team with six individual Scholar Athletes. In 2004, mathematical sciences major Julie Coin was named ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year and All-American.

The 2004 Lady Tigers tennis team won the ACC championship, both the regular season and the tournament. They reached the NCAA’s “final four” and made Clemson history by becoming the first of any Clemson women’s athletic team to do so.

Track and Field

Women’s track began 2000 with two students, both All-Americans, representing Clemson and their individual countries in the Summer Olympics — psychology major Michelle Burgher ’01 of Jamaica and Cydonie Mothersill of the Cayman Islands. Burgher won silver. Mothersill became the 200-meter indoor national champion in 2001.

In 2001, Lady Tigers finished third at the NCAA indoor championships, under head coach and former Lady Tiger Marcia Fletcher Noad ’90, M ’92, a computer information systems graduate with a master’s in industrial management. Clemson women also won the national title in the 4x400m relay at the 2001 NCAA outdoor championships.

The next year (2002), sociology major Jamine Moton ’02, a six-time All-American, won the 2002 NCAA championship in the hammer throw. She became Clemson’s first individual outdoor national champion in women’s track and field and the ACC’s first national champion in a throwing event.

Management major Gisele Oliveira was named to the U.S. Track and Field Coaches Association 2002 All-Academic team. The next year Oliveira became the first jumper in Lady Tigers history to earn All-America accolades in the long jump and triple jump in the same year.

Volleyball

Clemson’s volleyball team continues to develop winning student athletes. In 2001, elementary education major Jodi Steffes ’02 became the first Tiger volleyball player to earn all-region honors four times. She’s now an assistant volleyball coach at Clemson.

Marketing major Marija Zoric was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III team. She also received Clemson’s 2003 Outstanding Woman Award in the undergraduate student category and the Susan Delony Student Academic Achievement Award.

We can only wonder what the next 30 years will bring and what new female student athletes will become a part of the proud Lady Tigers legacy. These are merely highlights of the past 30 years’ accomplishments. For more on Clemson women’s athletics, visit the Web at clemsontigers.com.