Welcome to the Ivy League's third annual on-line celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day. As the sponsor of more women's teams and sports, and more women athletes, than any college conference in the country, we're extremely proud of our athletes, alumnae and coaches -- as competitors, students and people. And we're very pleased to give website visitors from around the world the chance to meet some of these outstanding people.

It's a special pleasure for me, personally, to introduce this year's celebration, which has as its subjects the alumnae from the 1970s and 80s, and many of our current athletes. As a member of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare team that drafted the initial Title IX regulation in 1972-74, I looked forward to the time when we could recognize not only efforts to provide more equal opportunity, but the results of those efforts as well.

As this remarkable collection of interviews and features demonstrates, we now can see those results: wide and varied opportunities on campus, and significant career and personal success for our graduates as well. The two different generations profiled here show not only the progress we've made, but the continuity from one generation to another that is a key part of the Ivy League athletic and academic tradition.

We hope you will enjoy getting to know the women in these stories, and we welcome your thoughts and reactions.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey H. Orleans
Commissioner
The Ivy League