UNCP Female Athletes Search for Equality

UNCP freshman shortstop Holly Berry swings at an oncoming pitch. Berry is one of 115 female athletes at UNCP.

Male and female athletes may spend their time on different playing fields, but the way athletic budgets are often set up leaves many wondering when female athletes will have a fair shot at succeeding on the field.

At UNCP though, it appears that gender equality is being met and females are leading the way in athletic scholarships, despite the myth that male athletics dominate the athletic department’s budget.

After Title IX was passed in 1972 and fully enforced in the 1980s, it was meant to give female athletes and their sports more control in a male-dominated industry.  Since the 1990s, even more laws have been passed to give female athletes equity in athletic programs, specifically handling female scholarships, facilities, scheduling and other forms of athletic support.

Women lead in scholarships
While there are still many institutions where male athletics still demand the highest priority in the athletic landscape, at UNCP, female athletes are leading the charge.

According to the UNCP Athletic Department’s 2008 budget records, UNCP had 241 males and 115 females participate in 16 total varsity sports.  The school set aside $1,257,323 in aid for all student athletes.

While $712,858 in aid went to male athletes, 57 percent of the total allotment, male athletes were only given on average $2,958 a year in student aid.  Female athletes received $544,464 in total aid, but because of their low roster numbers, each female athlete averaged $4,734 in athletic-based aid.

Black and Gold Spotlight: Shauna Walor

Matt Smith sits down with UNCP women’s golf star Shauna Walor…

What are your expectations of yourself and the team as the season closes?
My expectations for myself are to just go out on the course everyday and do the best I can. I just want to finish every round and know that I gave it my all that day and never gave up. It is so easy to just give up in golf because it is such a frustrating and mental game so to keeping it together when things aren’t going your way shows how strong you are as an athlete.  As for the team, I hope we can make it to Regionals.  There are a couple seniors on the team and I know that is their biggest goal, especially saying it is their last year. I also would like us to beat Newberry. They are one of the best teams we play, and I know we have the talent on our team to beat them. Beating Newberry is our goal going into every tournament.

Describe your experience as a UNCP student athlete.
Being a UNCP student athlete is the best experience I have ever had. It is so much fun going out to tournaments and seeing all the great competition out there. It really gets you motivated to practice as hard as you can every single day. It’s great being part of a team that you see as your family and knowing that they are there for you no matter what. On the other hand, it’s difficult being a student and an athlete. It is very challenging at times, but you learn how to handle both. You really need to have good time management.

What is your most exciting golf moment?
My most exciting golf moment had to be when I shot 73 on my second day of the tournament in Myrtle Beach during the fall season. It was the best performance I had ever had in a tournament round, and it was so exciting because my parents and grandparents were there watching. It made me realize that I can really compete with all these girls, and it gave me a big boost of confidence.

Black and Gold Spotlight: Jessica McDowell

Matt Smith sits down with UNCP track and field star Jessica McDowell…

What are your expectations of yourself and the team this season?
My expectations for myself are to break the long jump and hurdle records this year and to also make it to nationals for at least one of those events. I also want some of my teammates to make it to nationals this year.

Describe your experience as a UNCP student athlete.
It’s really busy being a student athlete. We have to work twice as hard, especially since we travel a lot and have to miss a couple of classes. In the end it’s all worth it because it’s a life changing experience.

Black and Gold Spotlight:Jelena Shaw

Matt Smith sits down with UNCP softball player Jelena Shaw…

What are your expectations for the team as you start out the season?
We always aim big.  We want to dominate the conference and the region. To do that we know we must do the little things well. I expect us to continue what we’re doing and keeping each other motivated and working hard so that we can achieve these goals.

Describe your experience as a UNCP student-athlete.
It has been a wonderful experience.  It is a very tough job balancing schoolwork, practices and games, but I would not change it for anything. Other students acknowledge our lifestyles and come out to games to support and go around our schedules when we have study groups to help us with class work. I just feel like the student community works well together, and I enjoy being here as a student and athlete.

What is your most exciting softball moment?
My most exciting softball moment was defeating North Georgia my sophomore year to clinch the conference title for sure. That was a great year for us, but I want us to make it better this year.

Black and Gold Spotlight: Matt McGovern

The Pine Needle sits down with UNCP baseball player Matt McGovern as the 20010 season comes to a start…

What are your expectations for yourself and the team as you start out the season?
The expectations I have for myself are based on what I can do for my team.  If I can go out and give our team a chance to win every time I step on the mound, then I have accomplished what I need to do. The expectation for our team is to advance to a regional tournament.  I think that if we can have a successful season and play fundamental baseball throughout the postseason, we have a great chance to end up in World Series play.
Describe your experience as a UNCP student-athlete.
Being a student athlete at UNCP has been very rewarding for me. I have learned so much on and off the field that will develop me into a better athlete and person. When I start my life in the working world, I trust in what I’ve been able to accomplish as a student athlete here at UNCP.
What is your most exciting baseball moment?
It is hard to say exactly what my most exciting baseball moment was, but I would have to say when I stepped on the mound my first time in the Junior College World Series.  There were a ton of people there and they were all there for the other team.  It was exciting for me because I hadn’t been put into a situation where I had to actually zone in and focus on the batter in front of me rather than the crowd behind them.

Black and Gold Player Spotlight: Russell Weakley

The Pine Needle sits down with UNCP wrestler Russell Weakley as the 2009 season comes to a close…

What are your expectations for yourself and the team as you both close out the season?
My expectations for the team would be to finish out the season strong, keep working hard in practice and in the classroom. Also, to close out our season with more dual victories than losses and when it’s time for regionals, to go there and kick butt and qualify all 10 men for nationals.  We have the talent to do it and if everyone peaks at the right time and keeps focused, we should have no problem in doing so. As for my own expectations I want to keep winning, keep working hard and bring UNCP back a national title.

Describe your experience as a UNCP student-athlete.
My experience so far at UNCP has been pretty good. I’ve been doing probably the best I ever have in school here and being a part of the team has been great.  Everyone gets along and we all work hard so all in all it’s been a great experience.

What is your most exciting wrestling moment?
My most exciting wrestling moment would have to be when I was a sophomore in high school when I won my first state championship. I made a big improvement that year in wrestling and from that year on I’ve done nothing but get better not only in wrestling but also in life.

Black and Gold Spotlight: Brandon Thomas

What do expect from the team as the 2009 season starts up?
Well I expect a lot out of us because I feel that we are a team with great talent.  I expect everybody to play their role because we all can help each other get better in some way shape or form. I mean I know we are going have our ups and downs, but what team doesn’t?

Describe your experience as a student-athlete at UNCP.
My experience as a college student here at Pembroke is great because I get so much love from everybody, from teachers to students, even when I have a bad game they still show love. I’m just enjoying it as much as possible because I haven’t always been the player that people come to like. Before Coach Miller came I never got to touch the court, so I thank god everyday that I get to play and try to stay humble, but at the same time enjoy it.

What is your most exciting basketball moment in your career?
One of the most exciting moments in my career…that’s a tough one.  It was when we had the sports banquet last year and I got recognized for all my success from last year. I was so happy because I thought people didn’t really recognize all the stuff I did because been working so hard to get where I am today.

Black and Gold Spotlight:Brandon Thomas

What do expect from the team as the 2009 season starts up?
Well I expect a lot out of us because I feel that we are a team with great talent.  I expect everybody to play their role because we all can help each other get better in some way shape or form. I mean I know we are going have our ups and downs, but what team doesn’t?

Describe your experience as a student-athlete at UNCP.
My experience as a college student here at Pembroke is great because I get so much love from everybody, from teachers to students, even when I have a bad game they still show love. I’m just enjoying it as much as possible because I haven’t always been the player that people come to like. Before Coach Miller came I never got to touch the court, so I thank god everyday that I get to play and try to stay humble, but at the same time enjoy it.

What is your most exciting basketball moment in your career?
One of the most exciting moments in my career…that’s a tough one.  It was when we had the sports banquet last year and I got recognized for all my success from last year. I was so happy because I thought people didn’t really recognize all the stuff I did because been working so hard to get where I am today.

Black and Gold Spotlight:Illya Hunt

What do expect from the team as the 2009 season starts up?

Our team is going to do great things this year. I am really excited about what we have been able to do so far in practice and our first scrimmage and what I believe we will do in our conference games to come. We have a lot of great talent on our team and I can’t wait for everyone to come out and support us.

Describe your experience as a student-athlete at UNCP.

My experience so far as a UNCP student-athlete has been great. The professors really help out a lot as far as schedules and such. The faculty here at UNCP are really supportive of athletes and I really appreciate it.

What is your most exciting basketball moment in your career?

The most exciting basketball moment in my career was when my high school won regionals and we went to the state tournament. We were so excited because it had never been done before by our women’s basketball team.

Talk a bit about what the team does before a big game.

Before a big game, we usually run through the scouting report for the other team and “dummy” some offense that they may do against us. We work on how we will defend them. Also, in the locker room, we listen to some upbeat music to make us HYPE before the game.

Black and Gold Spotlight:Faye Corbett

What do you expect from the team as the 2009 season wraps up?
I expect our team to end this season on a good note.  We need to gain our confidence back and start winning some games. We are so talented and I know we can do great things with this team.

Describe your experience as a student-athlete at UNCP.
I’ve had a good experience as a student athlete so far.  It’s hard sometimes balancing academics with such a busy schedule, but at the end of the day, I know it’s worth it.

What is your most exciting soccer moment in your career?
My most exciting soccer moment was probably playing in the Gothia Cup, which is the world cup for youth club teams.  It was amazing to be able to play aganst teams from all over the world such as Brazil and Africa.  We lost in the final, but the long road there was so much fun and I will never forget all the memories it brought.

Talk a bit about what the team does before a big match.
Before a big game we usually don’t do anything special.  We have the same routine before every game.  The players might be extra nervous, but that’s about it.  We say our prayers, have our pre-game speech after warm-up, break it down and we’re ready to go.