Today is International Women’s Day. A day to celebrate all of the strong women in our lives and remind each other about how much progress women have made. What better way to celebrate than to look at some women who dominated college athletics.

Kendall Coyne – Northeastern

Kendall completely dominated on the ice during her time at Northeastern. She owns the school record for career points (249) and career goals (141). She also won just about every award imaginable including the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which is given to the best D1 women’s college hockey player in the country. Coyne then went on to play for Team USA in the 2018 winter Olympics where she helped lead the US to a gold medal. She has been an inspiration to women all around the globe and has continued to grow hockey into a men’s and women’s sports.

Maya Moore – UConn

Maya Moore owned the court during her four years at UConn. Like Coyne, she won every award possible including Naismith Player of the Year twice. She was also apart of the Huskie teams that broke the NCAA basketball win streak record with 90 straight wins. During that stretch, she also lead the Huskies to two consecutive national championships. Moore then became the first female athlete to sign a contract with Jordan. She then was drafted #1 overall by the Minnesota Lynx where she has won four championships and a league MVP award. Maya Moore exemplifies perseverance in a sport that is dominated by men and has become one of the best to ever play the game period.

Alex Morgan – California

Alex Morgan took all of America by storm during the 2011 Women’s World Cup. Before she was a Team USA standout, she was a California Golden Bear. She lead the team in goals all four years and lead the Golden Bears to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. She graduated third all time in goals (45) and points (106). As mentioned, she now plays for the USWNT where she has won a World Cup and Olympic Gold. She’s lead the team in goals and assists and has been named a finalist for FIFA Player of the Year. Morgan has done humanitarian work in Tanzania and is a UNICEF global athlete ambassador.

Missy Franklin – California

Missy Franklin was also a California Golden Bear but had already established herself as one of the best female swimmers before she stepped foot on campus. At the 2012 Olympics, she set a world record in the 200m backstroke ( 2:04.06) and helped set another world record in the 400m medley relay ( 3:52.05). She left London in 2012 with four gold medals and one bronze. At Cal, she was the 2015 Pac-12 swimmer of the year as well as the national swimmer of the year. She also won three individual titles and two relay titles at the 2015 NCAA meet. Franklin is one of the best female swimmers Team USA has seen and her success didn’t go unnoticed. She’s been an inspiration to girls across the globe, and although has recently retired from swimming, continues to inspire young girls.

Michelle Wie – Stanford

Michelle Wie is one of the most popular and most recognized members of the LPGA Tour. She turned pro when she was 15, therefore making her ineligible to play college golf. That didn’t stop her from getting her degree though and she enrolled at Stanford in 2007. She continued to play professional golf while she was a student and graduated in 2012. She has five wins on tour including one major championship at the 2014 US Women’s Open. Wie has played a major role in Nike’s female empowerment campaigns.

All of these women excel in and out of their sport and our prime examples how female athletes can be just as good or better as male athletes. All five are amazing women and do a lot to empower women all around the globe. Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Student Union Sports.