The Franklin Pierce University Department of Athletics is proud to announce that it will host the inaugural Women in Sports Banquet on Friday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. in Spagnuolo Hall on the Rindge campus.

The event is being held to honor the 40^th Anniversary of Title IX (1972-2012), which was created to bring about more opportunities for women in athletics. The evening will honor not just the female student-athletes at Franklin Pierce University for their achievements on and off the field, but also the pioneers who fought through discrimination in sports throughout the years.

Franklin Pierce Athletics has a rich history of female sports, as women’s varsity teams have combined to win five NCAA Division II National Championships, appear in three other national title games, win 22 conference titles and make 30 trips to various NCAA Tournaments.

There will be two highlights of the evening, including two Franklin Pierce female student-athletes being awarded a pair of $500 scholarships for displaying outstanding traits such as leadership, passion and a strong work ethic.

The other highlight of the evening for everyone in attendance will be getting the chance to hear the words of keynote speaker, Tara Mounsey, a native of New Hampshire who starred for the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team in both the 1998 and 2002 winter Olympics and claimed a gold and silver medal.

Mounsey played on the high school boy’s hockey team at Concord H.S. and became the first female player to win New Hampshire (Class L) Player-of-the-Year honors. She led Concord to the 1996 state championship. She graduated from Brown University and received her master’s degree from Boston College. Mounsey helped guide the women’s national team to a gold medal at the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, while then leading the team to a silver medal in 2002 in Salt Lake City.

Fans wishing to attend this special evening can purchase tickets for $25 and can contact Ashton Whidden at elizwhidden@gmail.com(.)

Franklin Pierce Athletics would also like to thank the following sponsors for their generous contributions to the event.

BILLIE JEAN KING SPONSORS ($5,000)

JUDY SWET SPONSORS ($2,500)

CHRISTINE GRANT SPONSORS ($1,000)

DONNA LOPIANO SPONSORS ($500)
**Elizabeth Travis
**Eastbay Insurance 

KEEP HER IN THE GAME SPONSORS ($200)
**Barbara Whidden
**Jim Cardello - Play the Game LLC

SUPPORTERS
**National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA)