Title IX 40 years later: Washington area athletes whose lives were impacted

To mark the 40th anniversary of Title IX, we offer a look at some of the remarkable female athletes since 1972. Who else belongs on our list? Let us know in the comments.

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Jenny Suh made her debut on the LPGA Tour in 2011. In 2003 she became the first girl to win a Virginia AAA golf championship, defeating a field of 71 boys with a 2-under-par 138. Here she tees off during a Concorde District tournament.
ARCHIVES: 2003 All-Met golf team

Joel Richardson / The Washington Post

Benita Fitzgerald-Brown, who has a street named for her in her home town of Dale City, won gold in the 100-meter hurdles at the 1984 Olympics.

David Cannon / Getty Images

Westfield High senior Darby Nelson morphed into a muscular weight-lifting fiend and All-Met rower.<br>
<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/westfield-rower-darby-nelson-excelling-at-crossfit-and-weightlifting/2012/04/13/gIQAHQEgFT_story.html'>READ: Westfield rower not afraid to excel at weightlifting</a>

Westfield High senior Darby Nelson morphed into a muscular weight-lifting fiend and All-Met rower.
READ: Westfield rower not afraid to excel at weightlifting

Toni L. Sandys / The Washington Post

Before focusing on a distinguished international career, Mia Hamm, left, won a Virginia AAA girls soccer championship at Lake Braddock.<br>
<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/sports/olympics/longterm/locals/hamm1.htm'>READ: Former Lake Braddock star makes a splash</a>

Before focusing on a distinguished international career, Mia Hamm, left, won a Virginia AAA girls soccer championship at Lake Braddock.
READ: Former Lake Braddock star makes a splash

John R. Van Beekum / The Washington Post

Coolidge Head Coach Natalie Randolph is one of the few women to ever be head coach of a high school football team. Randolph ran track and played basketball at Sidwell Friends.
READ: Natalie Randolph has won over Coolidge High’s players

Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post

Kate Ziegler, a standout swimmer at O’Connell High, swam in the 2008 Olympic Games and is currently striving to make the U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 Games.
READ: Ziegler has her eyes on 2012 Olympics

Michael Temchine / for The Washington Post

Before playing at the University of Tennessee and in the WNBA, Kara Lawson led West Springfield to a 30-0 record and Virginia AAA championship in her senior season.
READ: Lawson shows ‘smart, thoughtful’ side on ESPN broadcasts

Tracy A. Woodward / The Washington Post

Ballou defender Nadiya Holley strips the flag of McKinley running back Chinazor Anasoh. The D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association introduced flag football as a varsity sport this spring to raise girls’ participation in sports and improve its compliance with Title IX.
READ: D.C. public schools introduce flag football as varsity sport

Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post

Alyssa Parker finished her career at Glenelg with 114 goals and 108 assists, becoming only the second recorded player in national history to top 100 goals and 100 assists. She will play at Maryland in college.
READ: Parker winds down one of best field hockey careers in Washington history

Toni L. Sandys / The Washington Post

Jonquel Jones (11) of Riverdale Baptist moved from the Bahamas to the United States for the opportunity to play basketball. Jones’s coach became her legal guardian.
READ: Jones finds a home at Riverdale Baptist

Doug Kapustin / for The Washington Post

In 1988 Julie Croteau unsuccessfully sued Manassas’s Osbourn Park High for alleged sexual discrimination in keeping her off the baseball team. At St. Mary’s (Md.) College she became the first women to play NCAA varsity baseball, but quit the team charging sexism from teammates and members of the athletic department.
READ: Twenty years after Croteau, girls play ball

Mitsu Yasukawa / for The Washington Post

Lauren Gibson, who played softball at Chesapeake, is now a member of the U.S. national softball team.<br>
<a data-xslt='_http' href='http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/highschools/softball-chesapeake-alum-lauren-gibson-selected-to-us-national-team/2011/06/20/AGZn2AdH_story.html'>READ: Gibson selected to U.S. national team</a>

Lauren Gibson, who played softball at Chesapeake, is now a member of the U.S. national softball team.
READ: Gibson selected to U.S. national team

Linda Davidson / The Washington Post

Dunbar junior Kelahni Hargrove, 16, facing camera, gets a high five from her teammate senior DeChara Hargrove, 17, after knocking down eight pins during bowling practice. The D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association added the sport to improve girls’ participation in sports and better comply with Title IX.
READ: DCIAA adds girls’ bowling to move closer to Title IX compliance

Toni L. Sandys / The Washington Post

Ali Krieger excelled at soccer and volleyball at Forest Park before going on to fame with the U.S. national soccer team.

Larry Kobelka / for The Washington Post

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Homeowner David Firth tries to beat back a brush fire heading towards his home at Bettas Road and Low Drive as wildfire burns Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 in Cle Elum, Wash. The fire jumped the line they were trying to make but still stands after being sprayed with water trucks and further efforts to beat it back with the help of several neighbors volunteering. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Bettina Hansen) SEATTLE OUT, USA TODAY OUT, MAGAZINES OUT, TELEVISION OUT, NO SALES . MANDATORY CREDIT TO: BETTINA HANSEN/THE SEATTLE TIMES.

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LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 16: Protesters gather outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks is staying on August 16, 2012 in London, England. Mr Assange has been living inside Ecuador's London embassy since June 19, 2012 after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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Chase Culp of Houston checks his clown makeup before the performance of Circus Smirkus on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 in Montpelier, Vt. Circus Smirkus, based in Greensboro, Vt., is an award-winning international youth circus founded to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

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Cast member Charisma Carpenter poses at the premiere of 'The Expendables 2' at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California August 15, 2012. The movie opens in the U.S. on August 17. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

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Charisma Carpenter, Chuck Norris, Lionel Richie, Joe Jonas, Nelly, Alice Cooper and other celebrities.

US President Barack Obama drinks a Guinness beer at The Dubliner pub on March 17, 2012 in Washington. Obama went to the bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

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Scanned from Post archive. Washington Senators baseball players Goose Goslin, Manush, Kukel. 9/21/1933. No other info. TWP Photo.

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LEWISBURG, WV - AUGUST 11: ( EDITORS NOTE: Image was created using the iPhone 4s with Snapseed's vintage filter) Two young boys sip a drink at the West Virginia State fair on August 11, 2012 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. People from across the region travel to the fair, which is celebrating its 88th year, and hosts various events including equestrian and livestock demonstrations along with a full compliment of carnival rides. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

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