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As young girls, they grew up in New Jersey towns and showed a rare dedication and talent for athletics. Some came of age before or during the 1970s, when girls weren’t allowed or welcomed to play. Others became beneficiaries of Title IX, which provided girls more opportunities to participate.
But with the explosion of girls and women in sports in the late 20th century, each of these New Jersey-reared athletes became the embodiment of little-girl dreams come true. Each has gained acclaim and remarkable success as a world-class athlete, and their personal stories still inspire.
To celebrate and appreciate their legacies, the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center recently opened a new exhibition - “Jersey Girls” – which will run through September 2005. The mixed-media exhibit also includes a special section devoted to women sports pioneers who defied odds to leave a lasting mark in the Garden State.
Among the Jersey Girl athletes featured:
Carol Blazejowski - Born in Elizabeth, attended Cranford High and was three-time All-American basketball player at Montclair State in the late 1970s, twice leading the nation in scoring. Currently VP and general manager of the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
Joetta Clark-Diggs – Graduated Columbia High in Maplewood in 1980 and was 12-time NCAA track champion at Tennessee. Perhaps the premier 800-meter runner in American history and member of three Olympic teams.
Anne Donovan - Born in Ridgewood, attended Paramus Catholic and was arguably the nation’s most dominant collegiate basketball player at Old Dominion University (1979-83). She helped the United States to gold medals in 1984 and 1988 and is one of only three women to be on a trio of Olympic squads.
Carol Lewis – Younger sister of track legend Carl Lewis who also attended Willingboro High where she became the nation’s premier high school long jumper. She won three NCAA long jump titles at the University of Houston, and currently works as a TV track and field commentator.
Debbie Meyer – Began swimming at the Camden YMCA as a little girl before starring at Haddonfield High in the mid-1960s. She became the first woman to win three individual gold medals in a single Olympics, winning the 200, 400 and 800 meter freestyle in the 1968 Mexico City Games despite a stomach infection.
Heather O’Reilly – East Brunswick native and current University of North Carolina student is one of America’s premier soccer players. She is the quickest and youngest player on the U.S. Women’s National team, debuting at age 17, and being hailed as “the next Mia Hamm.”
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Christie Pearce Rampone – An All-State selection in soccer, field hockey and basketball at Point Pleasant Boro High, she starred in soccer at Monmouth College and was a key member of the U.S. National team that won the World Cup in 1999.
Michele Smith – Born in Califon, was three-time All-State softball pitcher at Voorhees High and starred at Oklahoma State before helping the U.S. Olympic team win gold medals in Atlanta (1996) and Sydney (2000).
The Walls triplets - Combining uncommon skill and speed, Ashley, Missy and Lauren Walls of Berlin are three of the nation’s elite scholastic field hockey players. They recently led Eastern Regional High School’s field hockey team to the nation’s No. 1 ranking in 2004, while extending the school’s national-record unbeaten streak to an astounding 138 games.
Donna Weinbrecht - Born in Hoboken on April 23, 1965, the West Milford native is a three-time Olympian, winning a gold medal in 1992 as the first woman to ever win a medal in the moguls. Widely considered the most successful skier ever to compete for the United States Ski Team, she was named “Ski Athlete of the Year” three times by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Elaine Zayak – Taking up skating in her hometown of Paramus after a lawnmower incident claimed two toes, she became most notable child skating prodigy since Sonja Henie. She won the world championship in 1982 at age 16, defeating Katarina Witt, landing six triples in her free skate, a record at that point for ladies skating.
Among the Jersey-related women sports pioneers:
Val Ackerman – Hopewell native and founding president of the WNBA, one of the world’s premier women professional sports leagues.
Althea Gibson – East Orange native who broke the color barrier in professional tennis and first African-American to win Wimbledon, U.S. and French Open championships.
Effa Manley – General manager of Newark Eagles of Negro Leagues and social activist.
Annie Oakley – Legendary sharpshooter who lived in Nutley for many years.
Maria Pepe – Little League player from Hoboken in 1972, who was kicked off team and prompted national legislation to provide girls equal opportunities.
Ernestine (Teeny) Petras – Star shortstop in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), which was formed during World War II.
C. Vivian Stringer – Rutgers women’s basketball coach who recently notched her 700th career victory.
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