Local coaches grateful for opportunities they had thanks to Title IX

Jun. 26—Three successful women now coaching in the Valley were able to take advantage of opportunities offered to them following the passage of Title IX that weren't available to generations preceding. Part of their jobs now is to give additional opportunities to those following in their footsteps, five decades removed from the landmark legislation that attempted to even the playing field.

Kelly Mazzante, who won two WNBA titles following standout basketball careers at Montoursville High and Penn State, said she considers herself fortunate she was able to make a living playing a game.

Carlene Klena, the coach of Danville High's successful girls' lacrosse team, recalled cutting out her own clippings to send to field hockey and lacrosse coaches to get recruited.

And Kelly Cook, the women's soccer coach at Bucknell, was able to take clear advantages she had that her mother didn't, which led her to a standout Division I soccer and now coaching career.

Title IX, just one sentence, became law on June 23, 1972. "No person in the United States shall, based on sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance," the law states, which led to more opportunities for female athletes many before them never envisioned.

"Sports opened a lot of doors for me that maybe I wouldn't have had," Cook said. "It encouraged me to look at schools that were higher academic schools. They were pursuing me as a soccer player, and I found a great fit. That is why I still work in the Patriot League."

Most athletic

Cook earned a Division I soccer scholarship out of Warners, New York, just west of Syracuse. She went to Colgate where she became a three-time All-Patriot League selection. She was a two-time captain for the Raiders, scoring 27 career goals and ranks in the top 10 in program history in points.

The Patriot League Tournament MVP in 2004, Cook has been the head coach at Bucknell since 2015. The Bison have won three league titles under Cook, including last fall.

The veteran coach said she understands better than many the opportunities she has been able to take advantage of in her life.

"I became aware of it when my mom told me she was voted 'most athletic,' in her senior class. She was able to be a cheerleader and play half-court basketball," Cook said. "She graduated in the 1960s, so I have an understanding of where her high school experience was compared to my high school experience. I played three sports in school, and club soccer on top of that.

"I am grateful that I had all those opportunities."

Mazzante has been a household name for more than two decades in the Valley. After a stellar career at Montoursville — she played in two state finals and scored more than 3,200 career points. That got her a scholarship at Penn State where she starred for legendary Rene Portland. She is Penn State's all-time leading scorer with 2,919 points, leading the Lady Lions to the Elite Eight once.

That led to a 7 1/2 year stint in the WNBA, winning titles in 2007 and 2009 with the Phoenix Mercury. She is now the associate head coach of Bucknell's women's basketball program.

"I think my 'aha' moment came maybe later than others," she said. "Toward the end of my college career, I was picking an agent. I felt pretty fortunate to have the career that I've had, to be able to play professional basketball. In that regard, I feel like a little bit of a pioneer."

Klena landed at Rutgers mostly because coach Ann Petracco was the field hockey and women's lacrosse coach and she could get Klena in with a partial scholarship in both sports.

Out of Skaneateles, N.Y., Klena used her downtime to create what would today be called a recruiting profile, sending clips and statistics to coaches in hopes of catching someone's attention.

"Back then, I was recruited for both, which was rare, so the coaches had to be smart with their (scholarship) money," she said. "It was more bang for the buck, I guess. There were two other players ahead of me that were also recruited, but players really had to sell themselves."

That salesmanship, paired with a desire for more, led her to Rutgers.

"I realize now, and I didn't realize it then, but I knew that I really loved those sports when I was younger," Klena said. "I would have moved heaven and earth to play for four more years."

More opportunities

All three coaches are able to pass on those new opportunities to their players, while also admitting some of the players today maybe don't understand what previous generations had to go through or chances they never got.

Klena said she mentioned the anniversary during summer camp recently, and the significance might have fallen on deaf ears, she said.

"When I was in high school, it was the same thing," she said. "You just take it for granted. I think they know it's out there, but in some instances, it is lost on them, which is kind of a good thing that they don't have to think about it."

Mazzante, who was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame this year, said it can be a mixed bag for a lot of today's athletes.

"Some have a very good understanding of the opportunities they have and some of them don't know who (3-time WNBA MVP) Lisa Leslie is," she said. "Some really get it. Some are very appreciative of every opportunity they have."

A few years ago, Cook said Bucknell celebrated the 30th anniversary of its women's soccer program. During the weekend, she said a video was produced of the "early years" of the program. It was a little bit of a surprise for current players, she said.

"Back then they were riding around in vans and didn't have a full-time coach," she said. "They barely had enough uniforms. I think that helped them understand where the program is now, and where sports are today. It's important for them to appreciate what they have."

Work to do

Perhaps lost in the shuffle of pushing athletic opportunities for girls and young women, Klena said Title IX goes beyond opening those doors. It's about equity, too.

That could be as simple as getting a reasonable time schedule for a practice field or in the weight room for her girls lacrosse team.

"You can't take it personally if you are fighting for something," she said, acknowledging lacrosse is still a relatively new sport in the region. "All you want is the same thing. You don't want the football team not to have it, or the basketball team to not have the gym. You just want the same. That's still tough sometimes."

"Rene used to talk about her Immaculata days and how much they had to fight for everything," Mazzante said of her late coach, who won more than 600 games at Penn State. "She fought for us to be the Lady Lions. We were super successful as a team and had a following.

"But to whom much is given, much is expected," she said, echoing a quote her former coach used frequently.

Mazzante and Cook both said Bucknell does a good job at equity for male and female athletes, which is what partially drew both of them there.

"Bucknell does a tremendous job; there are equal opportunities for men and women student-athletes here and that is not the case at all universities," Cook said. "Bucknell has made a point for its student-athletes to be treated equally. A lot of my colleagues tell me their women do feel like second-class citizens, even today."