Nichols College Athletics

DUDLEY, Mass.- On Sunday February 10, Nichols College celebrated the 22^nd Annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The evening featured a dinner, social hour and a presentation from guest speaker Diane Schumacher.

Schumacher came to Nichols College to speak to the female student-athletes of the College about the progress of Title IX. Through first-hand experience, she described to the audience what life was like for a female athlete growing up before Title IX and how things changed drastically after 1972. Schumacher pointed out how there were an average of just 2.5 women’s sports per school before Title IX and today there are 8.65 women’s sports per school and still growing.

A native of West Springfield, Mass., Schumacher was named the Outstanding Alumni of Springfield College in 1985 for her service to softball. In 1987, she coached the Holland team in international competition, including the 1990 World Championship in Normal, Ill. In 1992, she was elected to the Springfield College Hall of Fame, the Connecticut ASA Fast Pitch Hall of Fame and the ASA Hall of Fame. In 1993, she was the first former American player elected to the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame. In 2001, was elected to the Cathedral High School Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Schumacher is currently the Director of Athletics at Howard Community College in Columbia, Md.