Women of Westwood and the Legacy of Title IX at UCLA

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he world’s greatest female athletes have competed for UCLA — Olympic gold medalists, record setters and national champions. This year, UCLA recognizes the 50th anniversary of Title IX and celebrates the legacy of UCLA’s first female athletes to compete at the intercollegiate level, women who blazed a new path and inspired thousands of young girls to dream about following in their footsteps.

• Jackie Joyner-Kersee ʼ86 — One of the greatest athletes of all time, winner of three gold, one silver and two bronze Olympic medals in track and field 

• Ann Meyers Drysdale ʼ79 — UCLA’s first female athletic scholarship recipient and the first woman inducted into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame

• Terry Condon ʼ76 — Winner of two national titles and one of the greatest volleyball players in Bruin history

Before Title IX, contending — and winning — at the championship level would have been out of reach for female athletes. The landmark legislation prohibited sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs and had a huge impact on programs across colleges and universities, transforming women’s sports and creating a future unthinkable even one generation earlier. 

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

– Title IX

Before Title IX, women could join intramural or club teams, which received a fraction of the men’s sports budget and none of the spotlight. Michele Kort ’71, MBA ’75, played basketball at UCLA before Title IX and described her experience: “We didn’t have very good coaching, wore ridiculous stretchy-blue uniforms and never traveled further than Fresno to play another school.” Even with the limitations, Kort loved the experience. She said, “At last I was competing.”

Title IX was signed into law in 1972, but schools had until the 1978-79 school year to comply. The UCLA Student Legislative Council voted in support of the changes, noting that, at the time, women’s sports received $28,000 in funding in comparison to the men’s $275,000. Significantly, UCLA Chancellor Charles Young, M.A. ’57, Ph.D. ’60, supported the new programs and chose not to wait, establishing the UCLA Department of Women’s Intercollegiate Sports in 1974. One of the first of its kind at any university, the program began with 10 women’s varsity teams and a coed badminton squad. 

Jan Palchikoff ’75 competed on the women’s rowing team as it transitioned from a club to a varsity sport. Palchikoff formed the Union of Female Athletes to advocate for better conditions for UCLA women’s teams. She said, "Experience tells me that the only way to get what we want is to demand it, especially where women's rights are concerned." While no changes were made at the time, UCLA established an athlete’s advisory council and Palchikoff received the UCLA Alumni Outstanding Senior Award in recognition of her efforts. In addition, the Daily Bruin agreed to stop referring to UCLA’s women’s teams as “Bruin Dolls.” 

Vice Chancellor Norman Miller, in charge of hiring the program’s new director, stirred up controversy when he told the Daily Bruin, “Fun and physical conditioning should be the end purpose, while education should be the primary goal,” stating that “women do not get the same type of injuries as men” and therefore would not need similar facilities. Many shared similar concerns that the passage of Title IX would strip funds from the men’s sports programs.

Dr. Judith Holland took on the challenging role of director, running the women’s athletics program from a makeshift green trailer outside the Women’s Gym. She made the most of her $263,000 budget, hiring coaches at part-time salaries and allocating the bulk to scholarship support for 188 student-athletes. UCLA became the first university in the country to offer a full-ride athletic scholarship to a woman, recruiting high school basketball star Ann Meyers. Holland retired in 1996 after building one of the best nationally renowned women’s athletics programs in the country. 

All-American outfielder Sue Enquist ’80 was the Softball team’s first scholarship recruit. The NCAA began awarding championships for women’s athletics in 1981-82, and that year, the Softball team won UCLA’s first NCAA championship. Enquist went on to coach the Softball team, winning a total of 11 titles as a player and a coach. The Bruin softball team has dominated the sport, leading all schools with 12 NCAA championships. 

The UCLA Women’s Track and Field team won the other early NCAA championship. The team included a historic trio of world-class athletes, including 100-meter star Jeanette Bolden ʼ83, who went on to coach for UCLA, sprinter Florence Griffith Joyner ʼ83, who still holds the world records in the 100 and 200 meters, and Joyner-Kersee, one of the all-time great long-jumpers and heptathletes.

Successful from the start, the early years of the program were memorialized in the 1983 yearbook: “All of UCLA's ten women's sports — basketball, coed badminton, crew, golf, gymnastics, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, cross-country and volleyball — are nationally recognized. In 1981-82, softball and track and field won the school's first NCAA titles; tennis, volleyball, golf and gymnastics all earned top seven finishes.”

With the NCAA spotlight came a larger audience, increased funding and more recognition as UCLA merged the women’s and men’s teams into the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Bruin excellence inspired others, a story that repeats throughout UCLA history. Joyner-Kersee, the most decorated woman to ever compete in track and field, has said her hero was Evelyn Ashford (1976-78) one of the first women to be offered a UCLA Track and Field scholarship, saying, “It was incredible to see someone who looked similar to me.” 

UCLA’s current generation of student-athletes have benefitted from the brave women who broke new ground in the ʼ70s, and they continue to build a legacy for the generations who will follow. 

UCLA Gymnastics makes headlines with routines that entertain millions of viewers. Katelyn Ohashi ʼ19 went viral with a dazzling perfect 10; Kyla Ross ʼ20 earned a "Gym Slam," a perfect 10 score on all four apparatuses in one season; and Nia Dennis ʼ21 competed with a Black Excellence floor routine that captivated audiences. She has said the routine "definitely reflects everything that I am today as a woman." 

"From our legendary alumni to our current student-athletes; when women are supported, everyone benefits." 

– Martin Jarmond, UCLA AD

Women’s Basketball consistently sends players to the WNBA, among them number four scorer in program history Michaela Onyenwere ʼ21, the 2021 WNBA Rookie of the Year with the New York Liberty; all-time leader in blocks Monique Billings ʼ18, who plays for the Atlanta Dream; and UCLA’s all-time assists leader Jordin Canada ʼ18, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2018 draft and now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks.

UCLA Women’s Volleyball began competing in 1965. Liz Masakayan ʼ84, who still holds career records in the sport, led the team to its first national win in 1984. Masakayan went on to an assistant coach role, helping the Bruins bring home another championship in 1991, their second in back-to-back seasons. 

UCLA’s coaches have contributed to the legacy of Title IX. Women’s Tennis head coach Stella Sampras Webster ʼ91, who enjoyed a successful four-year career as a Bruin player, has since led two teams to NCAA championships. Softball coach Kelly Inouye-Perez ʼ93 played under Coach Enquist and Sharron Backus, and is following in their winning footsteps. Women’s Golf Coach Carrie Forsyth ʼ94 led the Bruins to a pair of NCAA championships, and Cori Close, M.A. ʼ94, uses the lessons she learned from her friend and mentor Coach John Wooden to help her players grow on and off the court.

Today, there are more than 350 female student-athletes at UCLA, and our women’s teams have brought home 56 national championship trophies. During this landmark year, UCLA is celebrating our female student-athletes, alumni and coaches through "Women of Westwood," an endowment to support women's sports. Director of Athletics Martin Jarmond says, "From our legendary alumni to our current student-athletes; when women are supported, everyone benefits." 

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