Student-athletes and coaches inspire at Women in Sports panel
In celebration of Women's History Month, Citrus College hosted a Women in Sports panel discussion on March 3 that featured more than a dozen student-athletes and coaches.
Moderated by Rosario Garcia, student life supervisor, the event featured 13 participants, including the following student-athletes: Emily Cherry (soccer); Julianna Gasca (soccer); Stevie Spencer (soccer); Deija Mitchell (basketball); Jolleen Olia (basketball); Tara Biscan (volleyball); Danielle Erlandson (volleyball); Trinity Hulet (water polo, swimming); Ava Camarena (softball); Caitlin Kelley (softball); and Rylee Praytor (softball).
Jessica Brown, head coach of the softball team, and Jennifer Spalding, assistant athletic director, were also panelists.
For nearly 90 minutes, the student-athletes and coaches took turns answering questions from Garcia and the audience. In their responses, they talked about the most important figures in their life, the biggest challenges they had faced, what sports had taught them about resilience and how the women's sports landscape had evolved over time.
The women spoke candidly on a range of topics, from how only a few of them had ever played under a female coach to the difference in how men's and women's sports are covered in the media. For example, one student-athlete talked about how WNBA stars Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are often pitted against each other in media coverage, even though there was no personal animus between the two players.
The panelists also shared advice to younger athletes, including the importance of time management, connecting with teammates, and communicating with instructors and counselors.
"It was very inspirational to hear the stories of our female student-athletes and coaches," Garcia said. "I'm glad we were able to spotlight their invaluable contributions to Citrus College athletics and celebrate the strength, resilience and determination they bring to sports."
This article originally appeared in the April 2025 edition of the Citrus View.