DRACUT, Mass. – UMass Lowell Athletics capped off its celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Title IX in 2022 by hosting the first ever Women's River Hawk Golf Open on Thursday, June 23. The tournament was created to honor and celebrate the successes of UMass Lowell women's athletics programs and provide an opportunity for women to connect with their peers on the golf course.
 
"We see golf tournaments all the time in athletics, but never is the focus necessarily to bring women together," said Associate Athletic Director for Academics and Student-Athlete Services Alison Quandt Westgate. "This was a tremendous opportunity to bring women together. We had people from 50 years ago and people who graduated a year ago, having a great time together on the course. It was really all about bringing people together."
 
The event, held at Four Oaks Country Club in Dracut, Mass., featured an 18-hole tournament with a shotgun start, followed by a lunch program that included a video montage from the department's Title IX stories series, as well as remarks from UMass Lowell's first woman chancellor, Jacquie Moloney.
 
"It was so incredible to be surrounded by all these strong, successful, progressive women throughout the day," commented field hockey alumna Kristin Aveni '18. "It's super exciting and energizing to be part of something like this. We are laying the foundation for the women that come after us. We are so lucky to have had the opportunities that we all had, so we owe it to the next generation to push the envelope for them."
 
A total of 72 golfers participated in the tournament that took place exactly 50 years to the day after the passage of the landmark Title IX legislation. An impressive 80% of the field were women, including 34 student-athlete alumnae.
 
"I feel like my teammates and I were part of the foundation," reflected UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Famer Christina Azzarito '84 on the impact of Title IX. "We just had fun and we were better every year, so I feel like we are part of the legacy and I'm very proud to have been a part of that, and yet I also feel very humbled because there are so many gifted women that have played here."  
 
The Women's River Hawk Open is planned to be an annual event every summer.
 
"The biggest thing is remembering the work isn't done," concluded Quandt Westgate. "There's still work to be done to make sure that we are doing our best to provide opportunities and equal opportunities for everybody. Sport galvanizes people and provides a platform to bring people together, and we want to continue to do that for women of all backgrounds."