GRANVILLE, Ohio (December 9, 2022) – This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a landmark piece of legislation for gender equity.
In recognition of the 50th year of Title IX, Denison University Athletics asks you to join us in our year-long celebration as we recognize and pay tribute to the impact the women of this university have had on the athletic department.
On the ninth of each month from July 2022 to May 2023, Denison Athletics will highlight various female pioneers, former student-athletes, current student-athletes and coaches highlighting their impact on Denison Athletics and their thoughts on Title IX's impact on their lives.
Next up, we have the female student-athletes who competed at Denison during the 2000's.
Sarah Cepeda (Forbus) '03
Sarah Cepeda (Forbus) was a four-year letter winner in basketball at Denison. She currently lives in Tampa, Florida, with her husband and their three boys. She graduated from Denison in 2003 as a Physical Education Major with a concentration in sports management. She was involved in the NCAA student-athlete advisory committee as well as the Denison SAAC. Along with being a student athlete, these experiences helped her get an internship at adidas America during her junior and senior years.
After graduating from Denison, she went to work for adidas America for four years and Nike for seven years. She now spends most of her time on sports fields or courts watching her boys play on their own sports teams.
Q: How did Title IX personally impact your time as a student-athlete?
A: I had the opportunity to be a member of the Denison women's basketball team. Title IX was influential in offering athletic opportunities for women at the collegiate level. In addition, Denison was great at supporting the men's and women's basketball teams. They didn't just offer the sport of basketball, we had equal access to the facilities, athletic training staff, games times, travel opportunities, etc. Even having dedicated coaches was a blessing. I remember talking to my advisor, Lynn Schweizer, and I'm pretty sure she coached every woman's sport when she first came to Denison. People like Lynn and Coach Sara Lee were instrumental in providing amazing experiences for female student athletes.
Q: How would you describe the long-term impact that Title IX has in women's sports?
A: It has definitely opened up opportunities for females in all facets of sport…players and coaches. I think we probably take it for granted how much has changed since 1972. From the NCAA to individual college campuses, Title IX has opened doors and changed mindsets.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: I believe it's always important to remember where things started because it makes us more grateful as people. Life isn't perfect but it's impossible to see progress if you don't realize many things have changed or improved. I'm extra grateful for Lynn Schweizer and Coach Sara Lee. They have so much history at Denison and were intentional at teaching classes, coaching, advising, mentoring and investing in women in sport.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: I think I took it for granted what Title IX has done for me. That's a huge credit to Denison. I never noticed any inequalities and it was never top of my mind.
When I had conversations with both of my grandmothers, I can certainly see how different sports were for them. They didn't participate in organized sports. But they both played "unorganized sports".
As I've grown older, I can now see how fortunate I was to have equal opportunities to play sports. It even led to a career in the corporate sporting goods world. And now as a mom, I can see what sports can do for all people. The life lessons in sports are amazing. I'm grateful for the opportunities I've had because those lessons have carried me into adulthood and motherhood.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: I can't speak for other schools, but Denison was great. I credit that to the people. I worked in the Denison Athletic department during my four years at Denison and had the privilege of working with most of the coaches and staff. Lynn Schweizer, Sara Lee and many others were advocates for sports participation and women's sports. Whether it was intramural sports or the Denison varsity teams, it was never a question if the teams would have equal opportunity. Denison complied with all the NCAA rules but also went above and beyond to create a culture where everyone felt they had the same opportunity.
Meghan Damico '09
Meghan Damico graduated from Denison with her B.A. in Communication in 2009. While at Denison, she was on the varsity tennis team and was also a member of Delta Gamma. She is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Baltimore, Maryland. She is a huge Steelers and Penguins fan and enjoys working out, traveling, and playing competitive tennis in my free time. She is currently the Director of Direct Partnerships at Golden Hippo, and owns her own consulting business which specializes in helping digital entrepreneurs with customer acquisition.
Damico was a three-time ITA All-American in singles (2007, 2008, 2009) as a member of the Big Red tennis team. In 2007 and 2008, she won back-to-back NCAC Player of the Year honors after going 14-4 at No. 1 singles, and in 2009, she was the ITA National Senior Player of the Year. Damico was named first-team All-NCAC in singles all four years (2006, 2007, 2009, 2009) and in doubles three times (2007, 2008, 2009). After graduating as Denison's career leader in singles wins, Damico now ranks second all-time at Denison in career singles wins (74) and is tied for seventh in career doubles wins (71). She played No. 1 singles at Denison for each of her final three seasons (2007, 2008, 2009) and went 20-1 in her rookie year playing at No. 2 singles. In addition to helping her team advance to the NCAA Championship Tournament in all four seasons, Damico led the program to its only NCAA Final Four appearance and third-place national finish in 2008. In addition, she was named to the NCAC's 30th Anniversary All-Decade Team in both singles and doubles.
Q: How did Title IX personally impact your time as a student-athlete?
A: Without Title IX, my Denison experience would have looked very different. I may not have earned a merit scholarship, played tennis, or received personalized attention for my learning disability. All of these were crucial to my academic, athletic, and personal development. Without this support I wouldn't be the person I am today.
Q: How would you describe the long-term impact that Title IX has in women's sports?
A: Before Title IX, women had few athletic opportunities. Equality in college sports has paved the way for gains in professional sports as well. What would the WMBA be without women's basketball programs at Connecticut, Duke, or Tennessee? 17 out of the 18 players on the 2020 U.S. Women's Soccer team played NCAA soccer. Some of them won national championships. Successful collegiate women's sports shows there is a valuable following and market for professional women's sports.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: Title IX is important because it has had a ripple effect outside of just sports. The legislation allowed more women to equally take advantage of any course of study, including more traditionally "male" focused classes like medicine or engineering. This resulted in more women earning scholarships and secondary degrees and ultimately more women joining the workforce.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: Title IX holds a special place in my heart because of my family's background. My grandfather was the Athletic Director of my high school for 24 years. During his tenure, Title IX came into effect. He remembers being at a school event and asking around for who wanted to be the women's coach for each sport at the school. The women's tennis coach he chose ended up being my assistant high school coach. She helped me excel at a junior level and propel my athletic career at Denison.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: I could see how other schools might struggle with the resources and facilities necessary to support both women and men's teams. At Denison, we were blessed with fantastic facilities where we could practice tennis any day of the year. The women's team also had access to an incredible strength training team and a network of other resources, like tutors and athletic trainers, that kept us motivated and healthy. I recently came back to campus and was impressed with Denison's focus on emotional and mental health for student-athletes. You won't see these types of initiatives at every school.
Q: Can you talk about a time in your life where you noticed inequities in sports, how that impacted you and how you handled it?
A: Despite the legislation turning 50 this year, women are still fighting for equity in sports. A perfect example of this is from last year's NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. The tournament was a unique one, due to it being held in a "bubble" because of the pandemic. A player from the University of Oregon shared a video of the athletic room for all athletes. The women's room consisted of some free weights and a few yoga mats, while the men's weight room was a much bigger, fully equipped gym. The men also received better food and swag bags. Although this didn't impact me directly, the best thing we can do is spread awareness of inequity when we see it, correct it, and constantly be asking ourselves and our supporting institutions, "How can we do better?"
Elaine Binkley '07
Elaine Binkley is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Denison in 2007 after majoring in Biology. Binkley was a four-year letter winner and two-time All-American in cross country and track & field.
Binkley's career as a scholar-athlete at Denison is nearly unparalleled. She was the co-valedictorian of the Denison Class of 2017 and was not only a recipient of Denison President's Medal but an NCAA Postgraduate Scholar and a Rhodes Scholar finalist.
In cross country, Binkley logged consecutive top-28 finishes at the NCAA Division III Championships to earn All-American accolades. She was a four-time All-Great Lakes Region performer and was a first-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference selection in each of her four years of competition. In 2003, Binkley was named the NCAC's Newcomer of the Year. As a senior, she earned her third-straight CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition, and prior to graduation, she was named the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for cross country and track & field.
In track & field, Binkley was a four-time NCAC champion, and in 2004, she was named the conference's Distance Runner of the Year. She collected eight All-NCAC honors in track & field and contributed to three NCAC championship teams in 2004 as the Big Red swept league titles in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field.
After Denison, Binkley attended medical school at the Ohio State University College of Medicine and graduated in 2011. She completed a residency in Ophthalmology at the Ohio State Havener Eye Institute at Ohio State in 2015. She then completed a fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery at the University of Iowa in 2017 followed by an additional fellowship and post-graduate training focusing on ocular oncology at the University of Iowa and the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 2019 and is currently an assistant professor practicing vitreoretinal surgery and ocular oncology. She continues to run and has completed 10 marathons since graduating from Denison.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: It is important that people continue to be educated about Title IX so that the opportunities that it has allowed are not taken for granted. The athletes who paved the way for future generations should continue to be recognized and the challenges that they faced acknowledged.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: Title IX gave more women opportunities to not just participate in collegiate sports, but also show that they can achieve excellence in doing so and serve as role models for future generations of student athletes. My mother was a role model for me as a physician and showed me that women can succeed in professional careers, but she did not have opportunities to participate in sports in high school or college. I was fortunate growing up playing soccer to have role models and coaches who played on the women's soccer teams at both Denison and Ohio State and watching other women play collegiate sports showed me that it was possible.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: The emphasis on sport-to-sport equity and not just gender equity is something that was unique and helped to create a really positive environment. On the cross country and track teams, there was strong camaraderie between the men's and women's teams, and a sense that it was really the cross country and track teams rather than focusing on gender. Denison did a great job promoting inclusivity in sports and supporting athletes of all genders for each sport.
Q: Can you talk about a time in your life where you noticed inequities in sports, how that impacted you and how you handled it?
A: In high school, I remember being kicked out of the girls' locker room after getting back from a cold track practice one year in March because the boys' JV basketball needed the space. I remember being really frustrated at the time but not feeling like I had a voice to speak up about it. In my time at Denison, I remember really valuing examples of fairness like having my own locker in the Mitchell Center. Through my career in medicine, I have witnessed and experienced instances of gender bias and feel much more comfortable speaking up and saying something when these instances occur because my time at Denison showed me that being treated fairly should be the norm.
