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More than 150,000 female student-athletes compete in intercollegiate athletics each year, and many go on to compete in 44 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. But it hasn't always been this way. In fact, up until 25 years ago, female student-athletes had no such thing as an NCAA women's championship.

This year, the NCAA celebrates the 25th anniversary of the first women's championships that took place in 1981. That year, competitions were held in 12 different women's sports, a number that has since grown to 20. "This anniversary is extremely important to me," says Lauryn McCalley, a senior and standout diver at the University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN), who was recently honored as the NCAA's Woman of the Year. "Whether you are on scholarship at a D1 school or a walk-on at a D3 school, being involved in female collegiate athletics somewhere--anywhere--is an amazing experience. Without [it] I wouldn't have the education or the opportunities I've been blessed with."

Many of the strides that have been made in female collegiate athletics have been spearheaded by NCAA senior vice president Judith Sweet, who missed out on athletic opportunities during her time at the University of Wisconsin. "My timing was horrible for being an athlete, but my timing has been very opportune for changing the landscape and trying to provide opportunities for young girls and women," says Sweet, who served a term as the NCAA's first female president from 1991-1993. During her time spent as president and in the years following, she has seen many positive changes for female student-athletes and those participating in female collegiate athletics.

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