GRANVILLE, Ohio (March 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 honor the female student-athletes who have earned the title of National Champion during their time at Denison.

Nancy Dunn Grune '85
Nancy Dunn Grune was a varsity swimmer at Denison from 1981-1985. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology, was a Psi Chi National Honor Student, a member of the Tri Delta sorority, and studied abroad at the University of Sydney, in a self-designed program, for Australia's full school year from March-December of 1984 1984. 

Nancy was in the first class of Denison women swimmers to qualify for NCAA Division III nationals and the first woman to win an individual event, the 50 yard butterfly, in 1983 – establishing a new national record. She was a state champion in five events, earned 18 All-Ohio honors and was a six-time All American. She was inducted into the Denison Varsity D Hall of Fame and the Denison Swimming & Diving Hall of Fame.

Nancy and her husband, Steven Grune ('85), raised three children (two boys and one girl) who all swam competitively as well as played several other sports when growing up. Nancy was an active volunteer in their schools and sports, including serving as a USA Swimming official for over a decade. She has taught water fitness classes for over 25 years at the local YMCA and was the assistant swim coach for both the Darien High School, Connecticut, girls' team and boys' team. Nancy and Steve now enjoy retirement, spending time in Darien, Connecticut, and Ponte Vedra Beach, Florda.

Q: As a student-athlete, how did you experience the effects of Title IX first-hand? How did Title IX impact your championship result or experience?

A: I was fortunate to be a freshman at Denison in 1981 and qualify for DIII Nationals in the Spring of 1982, the first year the NCAA held the national meet for women. Getting to compete in that meet with my teammates, and ultimately winning an event my sophomore year, was a highlight of my life.  Without Title IX, that opportunity to compete at a national level would not have been possible. 

I was also fortunate to be swimming at Denison while coaches and administrators were forming the North Coast Athletic Conference. The NCAC not only brought equity to women's sports but also shined a spotlight on more minor sports, including swimming. Lynn Schweizer did an incredible job promoting women's swimming, making certain we had the advantages and opportunities available to us through Title IX. It gave me the ability to focus on doing what I loved to the best of my ability. As a new college student, little did I realize just how much was going on behind the scenes to progress women in sports.

Q: Why is it important to continue to learn about Title IX?

A: It is crucial that we understand where we have come from in society and appreciate those who fought for positive change and improvement. Participation in sports and physical activity is a huge part of growing up, regardless of gender. It teaches how to be part of a team, improve individual goals, and establish lifelong skills. Having equal opportunity and availability of sports for boys and girls allows all youth to benefit from the life lessons and personal growth that sports teach. 

Q: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?

A: I am grateful I was able to compete in a sport I loved at the college level with tremendous support behind me. My entire Denison experience would have been dramatically different were it not for the efforts of those before me who advanced Title IX. I fully appreciate the multitude of athletic opportunities that are now available to young girls.

Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?

A: Denison University was ahead of the curve in terms of supporting female athletes. They hired visionaries and pioneers like Helen Barr, Natalie Shepard, Dr. Mattie Ross, Penny Van Horn and Lynn Schweizer who recognized inequities in women's sports and fought hard for change. After meeting Lynn Schweizer when I was looking at colleges, I knew Denison was the right fit for me. I admired her immediately and knew she would be a great coach and mentor. In looking back and reading more on the history of Lynn's tenure, and other women in the administration, I am now even more appreciative of their efforts. As a coach, Lynn supported each of us as individuals while working tirelessly behind the scenes on our behalf. She didn't share or burden us with any difficulties she faced in getting what she wanted for the women's swim team. She just let us enjoy being on the team and encouraged us as we grew through the college experience. Swimming at Denison was a huge part of my growth in education. Denison allowed sports to be one facet of our college experience, while also recognizing the importance of other pursuits, like going abroad, Greek life, student government, dorm management and more. 

Fortunately, swimming is also a unifying sport between men and women. Even though Denison had separate men's and women's swim teams in the early 1980's, there was always mutual respect. We had camaraderie, support, encouragement, collaboration and friendship between the teams.  Swimmers understand swimmers. I remember getting technique advice, race tips and motivating comments from the men's team. I met my husband at Denison – he was on the men's swim team. 

It is inspiring to see the growth and strength of the current men's and women's swim teams at Denison.  The unity, shared training, enthusiasm and talent is incredible to witness.  I am proud of Denison's commitment and dedication to its student-athletes.

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 am fortunate in that I did not notice, or maybe just didn't pay attention to personal inequities in sports as I was growing up. I was the youngest of five children (three girls and two boys), raised by parents who encouraged all of our pursuits, athletic and academic. I started swimming on our local YMCA team and a summer team when I was six years old. It was my favorite thing to do, although I participated in other sports and activities as well. Youth swimming seemed to be the same for boys and girls. I may have been a little naïve, but I never felt like there was something I couldn't do because I was a girl. I do remember being thrilled in middle school and high school that metal shop and wood shop classes opened up to girls. Before Title IX, girls were required to take home economics while boys could take shop. I loved both metal shop and wood shop. 

My mother had a lot of athletic prowess and enjoyed an active lifestyle including skiing and tennis. She often voiced gratitude that her daughters (and definitely her grandchildren) had more team sports – as well as academic options and career paths – available to them than she had growing up. She would have excelled on any number of teams if she had the opportunity. I appreciate all of the amazing work done by those before me to increase the opportunities for girls in sports and school. I benefited from their efforts. I appreciate that our daughter had the same opportunities in sports as our sons. I am more grateful than ever to the women who paved the way for gender equality in sports. 

Katie Sprague '01
Katie Sprague was a four-time letter winner in swimming, a two-time individual conference champion and a seven-time All American while at Denison. During her senior year, she helped lead the team to the school's first national title. Katie graduated in 2001 with a B.A. in psychology and went on to earn her doctorate in clinical psychology from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania. She is currently a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Ohio and specializes in leadership development and executive coaching. Katie had the privilege of working with the Denison swimming & diving teams for the past four years as their culture coach and has started working with both the Big Red women's basketball and lacrosse teams as well. 

Q: As a student-athlete, how did you experience the effects of Title IX first-hand? How did Title IX impact your championship result or experience? As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, what does Title IX mean to you?

A: As a female student-athlete and now looking back after college, Title IX paved the way for me to live my passion. I was a very active child and dabbled in a variety of sports including gymnastics, soccer, basketball, swimming, diving, tennis and track and field. My mom signed me up for one ballet class and quickly realized, dance was not my thing. In high school, I was a three-sport athlete competing in field hockey, swimming and lacrosse and the ultimate reason I chose Denison University was to help the women's swimming and diving team win a national championship. Athletics was at the center of my world from day one.

My experience was very different from my mother's childhood. On numerous occasions my mom would state how lucky I was because when she was young girls didn't have the opportunity to play sports. She had the option to be a cheerleader, but that didn't resonate with her, so she filled her days with 4H and theater. Although I was a cheerleader in eighth grade and loved it, not being given the opportunity to choose to participate in sports would have been devasting for me. In 1972 when Title IX was signed into law, only six years before I was born, more women and girls were given access to competitive sports, which opened so many doors for girls like me. Twenty-nine years later, as a member of the Denison women's swimming and diving team, we would go on to win the school's first national title. Title IX laid the foundation for this feat to even be possible. The opportunity to chase a national title challenged us to dream big and through this we learned that when you believe in yourself and in your team, anything can happen.

My 10-year-old daughter, Sloan, who loves soccer, swimming and lacrosse, recently asked my mom why she didn't play sports. My mom shared with her the lack of opportunity for girls "way-back when." The confusion on Sloan's face was not surprising. Sloan's maternal grandfather was a college athlete, her three uncles were college athletes and so were both of her parents. Hearing about her grandmother's lack of opportunity was hard for her to understand. Although I secretly wish one day Sloan too will swim for Denison, what I'm most grateful for is that she will have the opportunity to make that decision.

Q: What do you think Denison did right regarding Title IX that other schools struggled with?

A: Denison hires coaches who are genuinely passionate about the success of their female athletes. For decades, the Denison women's and men's swimming and diving teams have been led by the same coaches.  n my experience these coaches supported us equally regardless of gender. Day in and day out the women's and men's teams swam next to and sometimes in the same lane as each other. Our practice schedule and workouts in and out of the pool were the same. This served as a daily reminder that neither gender was more valuable than the other. Most importantly, the expectation to perform at a high level was consistent across both teams. Striving for a national championship wasn't about gender, it was about student-athletes reaching their dreams.