CHESTER, Pa. – For the first edition of Widener Athletics' Women's History Month series, entitled "Women's History Mondays," the Pride previews the 1972 field hockey team.

Widener field hockey debuted in 1972. Months earlier, on June 23, 1972, then-president Richard Nixon signed Title IX into law. Title IX states, "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."

Widener had 14 student-athletes on the 1972 roster. The team co-captains at the time were Susan Mangan and Dorothy M. McCullion. Jacquelyn Mertz was the head coach.

Not too long after field hockey and basketball were added to Widener Athletics, the college debuted softball, women's swimming, track, and tennis.

Women began to enroll at Widener in 1966, then called PMC Colleges. The name was a mix of Pennsylvania Military College, and the civilian campus, Penn Morton College.

For more background behind Widener's integration of women's sports, click the "Widener Women's Sports History" link above.