National Girls and Women in Sports Day is celebrated annually on the first Wednesday in February, honoring the achievements and highlighting the empowerment of all women and girls involved in sports.
But in a place like Storrs, Conn., the University of Connecticuthas been a long-time community of empowering women’s sports. Of course, UConn women’s basketball takes the crown as one of the most historic programs across the country with 12 national championships. However, UConn has a total of 13 varsity women’s sports teams competing and seeing much success at the NCAA Division I level. Behind all these women’s sports teams are coaches, support staff and an entire athletic department which has many women in high-level positions.
The athletes are always the center of attention, and while they absolutely deserve the recognition, let’s take this opportunity to highlight some of the top tier staff that keeps the athletic program running smoothly at UConn.
Annie Fiorvanti: Deputy Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator
As one of the highest ranked women on the UConn Athletics staff directory following Athletic Director David Benedict, Annie Fiorvanti oversees the overall operations of athletics, providing leadership in many areas to support all student-athletes and staff. She plays a significant role in advancing gender equality and strategic initiatives as Senior Woman Administrator.
Tori Untiet: Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development
A former lacrosse athlete and graduate at UConn, Tori Untiet has spent much of her career with her alma-mater. She oversees fundraising efforts that support the athletic department, working closely with donors to secure financial resources for the programs. Building long-term relationships to strengthen the department for growth is a huge part of Unitet’s everyday role!
Brenna Sarantides: Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing & Digital Media
At all UConn Athletics sporting events, in-game entertainment is key to the game day experience, and all of those efforts are overseen by Brenna Sarantides. She leads the strategy of UConn’s marketing and digital presence, focusing on brand storytelling and fan engagement. Sarantides connects the Huskies to various audiences through content and campaigns on all platforms!
Dr. Allison Schafer: Director of Sports Medicine and Head Team Physician
A lot of the credit for the success of UConn athletics goes to the staff that keeps all the athletes healthy and strong. Dr. Allison Schafer oversees all the medical care of student-athletes, ensuring their health, safety and readiness to compete. She leads the sport medicine staff and coordinates rehabilitation programs, recovery treatment and everything involving athletes’ physical health status.
Ellen Tripp: Associate Director of Athletics/Student-Athlete Success Program (Women’s Basketball)
Now this is where the term “student athlete” really flourishes. Ellen Tripp supports the academic success and personal development of all student-athletes through the Student-Athlete Success Program, specifically focusing on women’s basketball. She plays a large role in helping athletes balance academic responsibilities, preparing them for success in the classroom beyond the sport.
Baillie Boggs: Assistant Athletic Director for Broadcast & Creative Video Services
More on the in-game entertainment, Baillie Boggs manages the production and creative direction of broadcast and video content for the UConn Athletics department. She oversees storytelling and content through live broadcasts, score-board features and digital video on social media to showcase all teams and the fan experience at UConn.
Beyond these six staff members, there are so many women that work with the UConn Athletics Department staff, supporting all efforts of sport day in and day out. However, the ones listed above represent a good variety of all of the different areas across the entire athletics department, encapsulating many different career paths in the sports industry.
For female students at UConn who are passionate about working in sports, there are so many opportunities across campus where they can either meet people who have similar interests or secure internships or student jobs to gain hands-on experience. One of the great student organizations at UConn is the Women in Sports Club which strives to create a supporting foundation for young women interested in a career path in sports and make a safe space to create more allies for women involved in the sports industry.
Altogether, UConn continues to set the standard for what it looks like to truly elevate women in sports both on and off the field. From being the home of the dominant UConn women’s basketball program to many women holding influential leadership positions on the athletic department’s staff, UConn proves that empowering women is not just a celebration once a year, but a daily commitment. UConn stands as a place where women in sports are encouraged to lead and thrive, inspiring the next generation to see sports as a space where women belong and indeed have a seat at the table, encompassing the meaning of National Girls and Women in Sports Day.