It was one of the highlights of my time at St. Olaf to become part of the inaugural women’s cross country team in 1975. I had never had the opportunity to participate in women’s sports in high school, as Title IX was just passed when I graduated. After Title IX became reality in 1972, Professor of English David Wee started working diligently on forming a women’s cross country team at St. Olaf. Finally, after three years, St. Olaf approved funding for a women’s team, and the “all comers” call went out my senior year.

I always loved to run, and I joined a team of nine women who committed to train in the fall of 1975. We competed in four meets, including the first St. Olaf Invitational. Our captain, Elizabeth Hartwich Lee ’79, was a freshman and extremely talented runner who knew the ropes of “team.” Together with Liz and Dr. Wee, we learned about the world that mostly men had been privileged to access all these years — the benefits of team sport and competition.

We trained hard. We learned about loyalty, team culture, competition, encouraging each other to reach goals you never thought possible, not giving up, and finishing with excellence. These lessons were emphasized in my rigorous classroom work, but nothing over the years has impressed me more than learning about “being team” in that inaugural athletic year for the women’s sport of cross country running.

Thank you, Dr. David Wee — we’ll never forget the gift you gave us. It has translated and been utilized so well in our lives and careers as women in this world.