On June 23, 1972, the United States passed Title IX, which states "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."
One of the many results of the passing of Title IX was laying the foundation of women's athletics in the United States. As Title IX reached its 50th anniversary on June 23, 2022, Title IX was celebrated in collegiate athletics across the country throughout the 2022-23 season.
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) recognized a significant contributor to women's athletics from each member institution of the HCAC. As a pioneer of women's athletics at Anderson University, the HCAC recognizes former coach and administrator Rebecca Hull.
Hull was a long-time coach for the Ravens and an ambassador for women's athletics. She coached the women's volleyball team from 1979 to 1991, winning 247 matches – the second most in program history. She was also the women's basketball coach from 1979 to 1984. From 1985 to 2005, she was the associate athletic director at AU.
A trailblazer for women's sports, Hull helped form the Hoosier Conference for Women's Athletics, operating for seven years before combining with the men's conference. She helped write the constitution, by-laws and sports guidelines for each conference, including the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference – the current home for all AU sports.
Fans can read the full feature for Hull as well as nine other significant contributors to women's athletics in the HCAC here.
