As special guests of State Representative Andy Kerr, the Colorado
Christian University national champion women's basketball team was honored by
House Joint Resolution 1018, celebrating Colorado girls and women in sports. The
resolution coincides with the Women's Final Four in Denver and the fortieth
anniversary of Title IX in 2012, and CCU's team was given special mention in the
legislative session.
CCU won the National Christian Collegiate
Athletic Association Division I women's basketball championship this month
despite entering the field as the eighth and lowest seed. They defeated
Cedarville University 62-44 to clinch the championship game.
Regarding the legislative honor, coach Tim Hays remarked, "This type of
national championship has not happened at CCU before. It helps us showcase our
team's foundational principles, of being a light for the community and a leader
of the university." He went on to say, "It changes the expectations of the
program. Just like each Final Four participant expects to win every year, our
players and coaches now have higher standards."
President Bill
Armstrong echoed Hays' sentiment. "With only two seniors graduating, there are
many reasons to be optimistic for next year. I'm ready for next season to start
tomorrow."
While the day was about athletics, much of the attention
turned to corollary benefits from sports involvement. Representative Beth McCann
noted that girls were only allowed to run half the length of the court and
dribble three times in certain instances before Title IX. In the 40 years since,
the number of participants in high school women's sports has increased 940%; the
mark has grown by 450% in college. Beyond the rewards of teamwork, fair play,
competition, and leadership, women in sports also show increased academic
success.
It's those intangibles that created a place for BJ Moyes at
CCU. Originally from Canberra, Australia, Moyes played basketball at the
University of Akron before transferring to CCU this year. She scored a game high
19 points in the championship match. "I love it here," Moyes said. "The
atmosphere, the girls, the state of Colorado. But the top thing is the
relationships."
Tim Hays agreed: "Not only do I now get to recruit
athletes to a team that expects to win championships, but I can tell them about
a top-notch academic university with a unique close-knit community.'"