National Girls and Women in Sports Day: Notable females in athletics from Pennsylvania
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(WHTM) – Feb. 7 is National Girls & Women in Sports Day, a day that celebrates the accomplishments of past female athletes, uplifts the current women in sports and promotes sports to the next generation of future stars.
Pennsylvania has many great athletes hailing from the state, including lots of women. This list of the top ten female athletes from the Keystone State is just a handful of the incredible women from Pennsylvania who have made a difference in athletics.
Top 10 Female Athletes from Pennsylvania:
Betsy King
Betsy King from Reading, Pennsylvania is a golf icon. King won 34 LPGA Tours, six major championships and was a three-time Rolex Player of the Year and two-time Vare Trophy recipient. King was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1995.
Sports Illustrated listed King in the top 20 athletes hailing from Pennsylvania.
Suzie McConnell-Serio
The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native is a two-time Olympic medalist as a player and served twice as a USA Basketball Women’s National Team Head Coach (U18 – 2016, U19 – 2017).
McConnell-Serio played as a guard for the Cleveland Rockies from 1998-2000, being awarded All-WNBA in 1998. McConnell-Serio later coached the Minnesota Lynx, leading them to consecutive WNBA playoff appearances in 2003 and 2004.
McConnell-Serio enjoyed coaching stints at Duquesne (2007-2013) and Pitt (2013-2018).
As a player at Penn State, McConnell-Serios led the Nittany Lions to four straight NCAA Tournament berths. McConnell-Serios led the nation in assists twice.
Dawn Staley’s basketball resume is hefty between playing and coaching for Team USA, a seven-year WNBA playing career, being inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and her legendary collegiate coaching career.
The Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania native started her career at Dobbins Tech, being named the USA Today National High School Player of the Year in 1988. Staley then played for the University of Virginia from 1989-92 receiving many accolades, including being a two-time Naismith Trophy winner.
Staley is a three-time Olympic gold medalist as a player (1996, 2000, 2004) and a two-time USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year (1994, 2004). In the WNBA, Staley was crowned an All-Star three times with the Charlotte Sting (2001, 2002, 2003) and twice with the Houston Comets (2005, 2006).
Staley serves as head coach for the Senior National Team (2017-present), having led them to a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and was crowned National Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2021.
Staley coached for Temple University from 2000-08 where her team appeared in six NCAA Tournaments and claimed four Atlantic 10 Tournament titles. At South Carolina, Staley has turned the program around since taking over in 2008. The Gamecocks have 11 NCAA Tournament appearances under Staley and two championships, most recently in 2022.
Lauryn Williams
Lauryn Williams made history at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games when she became the first American woman to medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Williams owns a silver and gold medal in track and field (2004 Athens – silver in 100m, 2012 London – gold in 4x100m) and a silver medal in the 2-women bobsled (2014 Sochi).
The Rochester, Pennsylvania native also earned her MBA in 2009 between Olympic appearances and launched her financial planning business, Worth Winning, in 2016.
Jennifer Brady
Tennis player Jennifer Brady is currently ranked 99th in the world doubles ranking. In singles, Brady’s high was 13, which she earned on Feb. 22, 2021. At the 2023 US Open Brady made it to the Round of 32.
The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native has earned $5,031,117 in prize money throughout her tennis career.
Bianca Smith
Bianca Smith made history in January 2021 when she became the first Black woman coach ever in professional baseball when she became a minor league coach for the Boston Red Sox. Smith left the Red Sox two years later.
According to The Athletic, the Sewickley, Pennsylvania native is in Japan coaching elementary and middle school baseball. Smith also just agreed to a job offer from the Great Britain women’s national baseball team and the 23 and under baseball team.
Anita Nall
Anita Nall competed in swimming from 1992-2000, winning three Olympic medals at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics at 16 years old (medley relay – gold, 100 breast – silver, 200 breast – bronze). Nall won three gold medals at the Pan Pacific Championships in 1993 in breaststroke and the medley race.
The Harrisburg, Pennsylvania native now lives in Florida and has worked as a holistic nutrition specialist and Certified Life Coach at her own business.
Leah Smith
Leah Smith from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is the second-fastest U.S. swimmer ever in 500 freestyle. The University of Virginia alum won gold in the 800 Freestyle Relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics and bronze in the women’s 400M freestyle. In total, Smith owns 18 international medals including five gold medals.
Loretta Claiborne was the first Special Olympics athlete to run the Boston Marathon, owns seven gold medals from the Special Olympics World Games in three different sports (track and field, bowling, tennis), three silver medals in two sports (figure skating and track and field) and two bronze medals (track and field and tennis). Claiborne also holds a fourth-degree black belt in Karate.
Claiborne has run 26 marathons and finished in the top 25 females in the 1988 Pittsburgh Marathon. The York, Pennsylvania native still competes today at the age of 70.
Kelly Mazzante graduated from Penn State in 2004 as the Big Ten’s all-time leading basketball scorer at the time with 2,919 points. Mazzante became the fourth player in conference history to repeat as Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons. Mazzante also holds the Nittany Lion program records for most points in a season (872 in 2001-02), points in a game (49 against Minnesota in 2001), career field goals made (1,051) and career 3-point field goals made (357).
Mazzante went on to become a two-time WNBA Championship before becoming an assistant coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania for five seasons. Mazzante then spent four seasons at Bucknell and was promoted to associate head coach before the 2022-23 season.
The Williamsport, Pennsylvania native joined Georgetown University as the women’s basketball assistant coach in May of 2023.
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