COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- The two-day boys' and girls' Track and Field State Tournament officially wrapped up Saturday at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. This year marks the 50th anniversary since girls have been able to compete.
One local woman has watched the sport evolve since the very beginning in 1975. Cindy Noble Hauserman competed at the first girls' state track and field tournament 50 years ago at Ohio Stadium. She was a sophomore at Adena High School in Ross County at the time and a member of the winning 1975 mile relay team.
"Title IX started when I was right in high school and that was just a foot in the door, and we still played second fiddle to the men," Hauserman said. "Not so much now."
Hauserman was among other female athletes, coaches, administrators and officials who were honored Saturday for their significant contributions in putting Ohio girls' track and field on the map.
"I think it'll continue to grow, maybe not at such a pace that it has, but more power to the women," Hauserman said.
Bishop Watterson boys' lacrosse looks to add to historic school yearThe Bishop Watterson girls' track and field athletes said it's exciting knowing how far women have come in sports.
"I think it's really empowering for us to be able to come out here and run and show the guys that we can go fast too," Makayla Cahill, Bishop Watterson track and field athlete, said.
Hauserman said this milestone is an exciting feat for women's athletics. She said her time competing in the first girls state tournament is one she remembers fondly and wishes everyone could experience.
"Especially in today's world I think that sports for boys or girls is so important," Hauserman said. "They keep you off the streets. They keep you in a disciplined situation and it keeps you driving towards a goal of being better and you want to be more successful and that takes you into the workplace and life."
Other big names recognized Saturday included renowned Ohio State alumni and basketball legend Katie Smith and Nancy Beattie, a retired hall of fame coach who led Thomas Worthington High School to the girls track and field division one state runner-up in the early 1990s.
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