GRANVILLE, Ohio (January 9, 2023) – 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 leading up to and during the 2010's.
Allie DeFries '10
Alexandra Leigh DeFries (Allie) graduated from Denison in 2010. While on campus, she not only was on the varsity women's golf team in its inaugural season, but also was an International Studies and Spanish double major. She minored in Vocal Performance and participated in a variety of choirs and musical performances. She pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma and served as New Member Chair. She was also a resident assistant and a Tour Guide for the Office of Undergraduate Admission. Since her time at Denison, she has worked in higher education administration at a variety of higher education institutions. She completed her master's degree in higher education administration at the University of Michigan in 2014. An opportunity brought her back to Denison in 2017 where she worked in the Office of Alumni and Family engagement and also had the pleasure to be an assistant coach for the men and women's golf program. Now, she is the Director of Alumnae Experience at Kappa Kappa Gamma Women's Fraternity at their international headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. She continues to play golf and loves the relationships it continues to bring to her life. She volunteers with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a cause near and dear to her heart as a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor.
Q: As a student-athlete, how did you experience the effects of Title IX?
A: My first year at Denison is when the women's golf team became an official varsity sport (2006) and just a club. So for me, Title IX created an opportunity for me to be able to continue to compete at a high level and participate in varsity athletics. It provided women the opportunity to continue to build bonds, learn skills and represent our university at a higher level.
Q: How would you describe the long-term impact that Title IX has in women's sports?
A: I believe that Title IX has allowed women to have an equal playing field. Women are competitive, talented, driven and resourceful and by providing the opportunities for them to continue to grow through athletics is crucial. The leadership and teamwork skills that participation in sport teaches athletes can't be put into words so through Title IX women are able to hone and grow which has such a profound impact on their lives post-college.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: I know for me, I took for granted the opportunity that I had to continue to be able to compete and grow through sport. It is crucial for us to understand that it wasn't long ago that we would not have been afforded the ability to participate and play our sports. Our options were limited and to be able to learn from history is hugely important.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: In reflecting on these questions, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities that Title IX provided to me. I learned so many valuable lessons in how to handle disappointment, hard work and discipline, team work, time management, leadership and how to navigate difficult conversations and situations. I have been a stronger employee and leader because of the lessons I was able to have through my participation in collegiate athletics.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: My career has been in higher education since I graduated from Denison so I have had the opportunity to work at a variety of other higher education institutions. The difference between other schools and Denison is the relationships formed and nurtured on campus and beyond. I am still in touch with my coach from college and my teammates. We truly become a family and they are there for you during the brightest and darkest days. You learn so many lessons through those relationships about how to handle adversity and to celebrate life's moments.
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: I definitely noticed even during college the disparity at times between men and women's sports in terms of resources/coaching staff/etc. You see it now in the disparity of pay between professional athletes that are men and women. I think the impact this has had on me is that while we have Title IX that doesn't mean that everything is equal. We still have so much work to do to ensure women have the same opportunities, support and resources. It has caused me to reflect on my own privilege and how I can contribute to continuing to improve opportunities for women.
Ali Teopas Spungen '08
Ali Teopas Spungen graduated from Denison with a Bachelor of Arts in sports management and communication in 2008. While at Denison, she was a student-athlete on the softball team and president of both the Denison and the North Coast Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC). She was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a disc jockey for 91.1 WDUB and a student-worker for the Denison Athletics Sports Information Department.
Ali serves as associate director of Division III. She has been with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) since July 2013, working with the championships and alliances and leadership development departments before making the move to Division III in July 2019. She is responsible for oversight and coordination of the Division III Conference Grant program, primary liaison to the national Division III Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), oversees the Gameday the DIII Way sportsmanship and game environment initiative, primary liaison to the Convention Planning Subcommittee, as well as secondary liaison to select governance committees (Presidents, Management Councils and Strategic Planning and Finance Committee), among other assignments. Prior to her time at the NCAA, Spungen was the assistant athletics director of external affairs and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee advisor at Wittenberg University as part of both the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women's Internship Grant and the NCAA Division III Strategic Alliance Matching Grant.
Ali proudly serves as the Vice President of the Denison Alumni Council and member of the Denison Varsity D Association. She resides in Carmel, Indiana with her husband, Adam and son, Evan.
Q: As a student-athlete, how did you experience the effects of Title IX?
A: Title IX has provided me endless opportunities as a student-athlete. By being a student-athlete at Denison, I had the opportunity to participant in the Denison and North Coast Athletic Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC). This leadership opportunity helped me find my voice and enhance my leadership skills during my time at Denison. This opportunity came full circle when I became the primary liaison to the NCAA Division III National SAAC in 2019. I am grateful to now help guide the next generation of student-athlete leaders in Division III.
Q: How would you describe the long-term impact that Title IX has in women's sports?
A: The generations of grandmas, mothers, daughters, and granddaughters that can now all say they had the opportunity to embrace equity in education and specifically through athletics is amazing. In my family, I was the first generation to have the opportunity to play organized sports. My passion for sport can be attributed to my mom that never had the opportunity to participate growing up. She always encouraged me to participate and to step outside my comfort zone which helped a shy young girl become a strong empowered woman.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: Education is vital to continuing the impact of Title IX for the next 50 years and beyond. Thirty-seven words changed everything – it provided a foundation of a more level playing field in academics. Through continued education for generations to come we can build upon the foundation with continued opportunities, access, fairness, equity and the ability for generations to come to follow their dreams.
In addition to education, it is important to continue to lift as we rise for the next generations. Strong women leaders have supported me, and I want to continue to pay it forward.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: Opportunity. Education. Leadership. Growth. Passion. Life Skills. Equity. Access. Strength and most importantly the ability to accomplish your dreams.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: The Denison athletics experience provided benefits that I never expected when choosing a college. Many of those benefits are priceless – leadership opportunities, mentorship ( Lynn Schweizer and her 44 years of dedication to Denison athletics is the epitome of Title IX and its impact), great educational experiences for all and the opportunity to play at an elevated level of competitive excellence in Division III.
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: As I have learned more about Title IX and reflected on my personal journey in sports, one of the inequities that I faced was in high school. Our softball team had no specified locker room space, we practiced and played at a public softball facility we had to drive to while the baseball team had a field on campus of our high school. Even though our field was at a public facility, we took pride in that field and even painted the dugouts ourselves. I can proudly say that my high school alma mater now has a field on campus with field turf too.
Brenna Broadus '12
Brenna Broadus graduated in 2012 from Denison with a B.S. in Psychology. While at Denison, she was on the swim team and served on the Denison Student Athlete Advisory Committee. After graduation, she worked at a law firm and in real estate until she began coaching for the elite year-round youth swim team, Machine Aquatics. During her seven years with Machine, she was one of several head coaches and ran groups with National, Sectional and Junior Olympic swimmers. She is currently the Aquatics Director and Head Swim Coach at the Madeira School, a private day and boarding high school for girls. She lives with her husband, Daniel Clark, in Falls Church, Virginia.
Broadus was a four-time NCAA Qualifier and a 12-time NCAA All-American in the 200 Individual Medley, 100 Butterfly, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Freestyle, 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays and the 200 and 400 Medley Relays. She was a four-time Individual NCAC Champion in the 100 Butterfly, the 200 and 400 Medley Relays, and the 200 Free Relay. She was twice an NCAA Academic All-American and was voted team captain her senior year.
Q: As a student-athlete, how did you experience the effects of Title IX?
A: I am fortunate that I went to Denison at a time when female student-athletes had equal access to all athletic and academic opportunities, without question. I grew up knowing I could swim through high school and for an NCAA DIII collegiate team, which is an enormous privilege. Having women like Lynn Schweizer in leadership positions in Denison Athletics, who advocated for women's sports, laid the groundwork so I could enjoy that privilege.
Q: Why is it important to continue to educate current student-athletes about the impact Title IX has had?
A: It is easy to forget that the rights provided under Title IX were not always protected. I speak with women who grew up without girl's or women's sports, during a time when there were no competitive athletic teams or activities available to them. It is important for current student-athletes to understand how much progress has been made, and that it is something we can only take for granted because of women who came before us.
Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?
A: I appreciate now more the opportunities Title IX provided to me than I did while I was in college. It was easy to take for granted and it was not something that our team thought much about. Working now at an all-girls high school, seeing adult women in athletic and leadership positions around me, and coaching the next generation of young women in swimming, I am more cognizant of how important equal participation in sports is. I love my career in coaching and swimming, which I owe in large part to a culture of greater equality created by Title IX.
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: There is certainly still a disparity between men's and women's sports, including in pay between professional men's and women's athletes. Watching the US National Women's Soccer team fight for and ultimately win their class action equal pay lawsuit in 2022 was an empowering moment. It was exciting to see the girls I work with paying attention to and engaging with that story.
Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?
A: Denison did an incredible job providing equal opportunity and access for me and my fellow student-athletes. I was fortunate to be on a team where the men's and women's teams trained and practiced together. The coaching staff worked with both teams. We all received the same level of dedication in their coaching and they held us to the same expectations. We had equal access to equipment, training, and opportunities. I credit that standard to the culture built by Gregg Parini who could not have been more enthusiastic in his support for the women's team and our successes.
