The Central Connecticut State University Department of Athletics held a workshop in Kaiser Hall for girls ages 4-12 on Sunday to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
The workshop consisted of seven stations for the attendees to rotate through, introducing them to every sport offered for women at CCSU, including soccer, volleyball, softball, track and field, cheerleading, lacrosse, and competitive dance.
The premise of the event was to get girls interested in sports at an early age. Associate Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Services Amy Strickland said that seeing women play sports will empower young girls to pursue athletics at a higher level.
“It’s important for girls of all ages to see women in sport through the ranks,” Strickland said. “If you can see her, you can be her, and I think that’s really the important message.”
Women’s sports have come a long way, especially in the past 20 years. CCSU women’s basketball head coach Way Veney acknowledged the importance of celebrating the progress and impact that women have had in sports to this point.
“It’s to commemorate all the women that came before us and the fight that it took for us to even get to this ability to play the game we love,” Veney said.
Veney’s team couldn’t translate the positive energy into a win, however, as they fell to Long Island University, 57-50, in front of a crowd of event attendees. The loss sets Central back to 2-3 in the Northeast Conference, 4-14 overall.
Once again, the story of the game for the Blue Devils was rebounding, being outdone on the boards 46-27.
“It’s the same thing for us,” Veney said. “We gave them 14 points off of offensive rebounds, and that’s been our Achilles’ heel.”
Neither team shot the ball particularly well, but the Blue Devils were uncharacteristically inaccurate from the field. Central shot just 33% on the day and hit just 16% of their three-point attempts.
Sophomore Samora Watson led the Blue Devils in scoring with 22 points on 9-19 shooting. She added four rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a monstrous chase-down block.
Sophomore Ally Sentance and senior Meghan Kenefick supported her with fairly efficient performances. Kenefick’s nine points on 4-9 shooting was second on the team, while her seven rebounds paced the Blue Devils.
Despite the seven-point loss, Sentance put her immense value on display with a plus/minus of 10, easily the highest on the team. She had eight points, grabbed three rebounds, and picked up three steals and a block.
Sentance, one of the best shooters on the team, continues to believe in her squad’s outside shooting.
“Our three-point shooting hasn’t been as great as it has been in the past,” Sentance said. “We’re all really good shooters. We just have to keep the confidence within ourselves to hit those shots.”
The Blue Devils will play three straight road games before returning to Detrick Gymnasium on Saturday, Feb. 3, for a bout with Merrimack College.
