In 1896 the University of Illinois hosted the first organized women's athletic event. The event was a basketball game played in Military Hall. The Illini beat Wesleyan 28-14, setting the stage for the future of women's athletics.

However, while the men's programs moved forward, the women's programs were stagnant and nonprogressive. Until Title IX, a 1972 amendment which barred sexist discrimination in education, spread to the realm of athletics, women were not given the equal opportunity.

This weekend the University of Illinois will welcome back some superb female athletes from its past to share glory that they rightfully deserved while they were here. There will be ceremonies throughout the weekend for the female athletes from 10 different sports who graduated before 1974.

The women have traveled from all across the United States and even overseas to take part in the festivities. The alumni coming back this weekend include members of the Women's Sports Hall of Fame, National High School Sports Hall of Fame and a number of Olympians from the sports of gymnastics and track and field.

These women helped pave the way for the female athletes of today. When they attended the University, the women's sports budget was just a few hundred dollars. By 1974 the women's athletic program had seven varsity sports and had a budget of $83,500.

The women of the past fought for the privileges that the women of today now enjoy: 10 varsity sports and a budget that is nearly $6 million.

"I am real excited for this weekend," head women's basketball coach Theresa Grentz said. "Ron Guenther and his entire staff have done such a great job, and they have such a great weekend planned. We have had a tremendous response; we have over 200 women coming back to celebrate the great history in Illinois women's athletics, and a lot has to do with their contributions."

On this campus, Illinois now has 204 female varsity athletes averaging a GPA of 3.259. Eight of the 10 women's sports teams have a "B" average or better and 80 percent of female athletes graduate, as compared with 77 percent of all female students on campus. The women of the past were not given these opportunities and the women of today are taking full advantage of them.

"Over the years a lot has changed; one of the most important changes has been opportunity," Grentz said. "All of my women's basketball scholarships are endowed; it's a great thing for the University, but there are still teams whose scholarships are not endowed. We still have a ways to go."

Diane Shimmon, one of the women returning to Illinois for the weekend, competed in the 1976 Olympic Trials and was selected for the USA long jump squad in track and field. Along with being a University of Illinois alumna, both of her children decided to come here, sophomore Kyle and junior Lauren Shimmon. Lauren is currently a student-athlete. She is a Heptathlete for the Illini.

"It's nice to see how our pre-Title IX efforts have paved the way for my daughter," Diane Shimmon said. "To see all the support she gets that wasn't there when I went to U of I is nice."

"A lot has changed since my mom has been here," Lauren Shimmon said. "When she was here the track was inside Memorial Stadium. Now we have our own track for both practice and competition. She never had her own facilities or even team sponsorship like we do now. Overall, I have more opportunities then she did when she was here."