Panelists Inspire During ‘Pioneer Panel’ Devoted to BVU Women’s Athletics

October 8, 2024

Six panelists shared memories, challenges, and pathways to success during a popular panel discussion during the Buena Vista University Homecoming celebration. “Pioneers of Women’s Athletics: Celebrating the Women Who Forged the Way Forward,” was presented by the following women, all of whom have put their stamp on the success of the student-athlete experience at BVU:

• Coach Marge Willadsen, former Head Softball and Tennis Coach;

• Assistant Volleyball Coach Janet Berry;

• Head Women’s Wrestling Coach Paige Storm ’15; 

• Marcia Holsinger ’74

• Jeannie (Henningsen) Demers ’87; and 

• Kelli Taylor-Noble ’04 ME ’07.

The discussion came during a Homecoming/Hall of Fame weekend in which the 1984 NCAA Division III National Softball Champions from BVU were feted on the 40th anniversary of their title.

When student-athlete Morgan Malli asked Coach Willadsen what it takes to be a championship team, she answered for herself, then shared insight from team members she polled in advance of the panel discussion.

“First and foremost, it takes a group of athletes who embody a mindset of wanting to be the best and the willingness to do what it takes to be the best,” Willadsen said. “It also takes a highly skilled athlete who can get the job done on the field. While these factors are important, I believe there is ‘so much more’ involved in what it takes to make a championship team.”

Willadsen then offered observations from members of a number of teams to help fill out that “so much more” part of the equation.

“We were more than a team, we were family. You made sure that every trip we took, we spent time touring museums or going to fun restaurants. It was the best thing for us, just being together, laughing, and not thinking about the next game. I remember many of these moments together like they were yesterday.”

-Jill Petsel ’85

“Pitching in the dirt room (lower level of Siebens Fieldhouse), playing high-caliber teams on spring trips such as Ohio State, Iowa, Baylor, and Oklahoma helped immensely,” noted Chanel Finzen ’84. “The relationships between players and coaches made us feel like we were part of a family.”

“It was all about family and the team,” wrote Jolene (Denney) Voga ’83. “Nothing would have ever stood in our way to win for each other.”

“We were more than a team, we were family,” wrote Jill Petsel ’85. “You made sure that every trip we took, we spent time touring museums or going to fun restaurants. It was the best thing for us, just being together, laughing, and not thinking about the next game. I remember many of these moments together like they were yesterday.”

“We loved the game, we loved our coaches and teammates, we loved competing and representing our school and the tradition of BV softball,” wrote Megan Coe ’95.

Marcia Holsinger ’74 shed light on what it was like being at the forefront of the founding of intercollegiate competition for women in the year following passage of Title IX. Holsinger competed in five sports for the Beavers: softball, volleyball, basketball, track and field, and men’s swimming. Holsinger, who had come from a competitive high school swimming program, swam on the men’s team at BVU because there wasn’t women’s swimming at that time.

She also taught herself how to throw the javelin (a men’s javelin is all BVU had at the time) by reading a book on the subject at Ballou Library. “This was before Google and YouTube,” she said.

Paige Storm ’15 shared her experiences as a current “pioneer” as she works to lead a new program in women’s wrestling for the Beavers. As a former student-athlete, Storm recalled wrestling against boys as girls’ wrestling wasn’t offered.

Jeannie (Demers) Henningsen ’87, the scoring leader in NCAA Division III women’s basketball and a starter on the 1984 national title softball team, referenced how friendship among teammates remains strong even after four decades.

Janet Berry, who has served as Head Coach in women’s basketball, volleyball, and women’s golf at BVU, addressed concepts related to lifelong learning and how she, as a young coach, benefitted from the proximity she had to Willadsen and the late Harriet Henry, Associate Professor of Health and Physical Education and the founder of women’s athletics at BVU. 

“I had offices next to Marge and Harriet and had access to them all the time,” she said.

Berry, who sat next to one of her former captains on the “Pioneer Panel” in Taylor-Noble, noted how she worked to treat her players like family. “I had to be honest with our student-athletes, and sometimes that involved delivering tough news to them. I always thought it was best to communicate those things from a place of empathy and caring.” 

Berry has thoroughly enjoyed remaining in touch with her former players as she celebrates with them milestones and achievements in their personal and professional lives. “One of the biggest highlights for me is to get a text or a call from a former player who wants to share news with me or seeks my counsel. It is awesome to just keep in contact,” she said, a sentiment echoed by Willadsen and enjoyed by those in attendance, including the members of several Beaver teams in women’s athletics.

Taylor-Noble enjoys sharing such updates and was pleased to return to campus to celebrate a BVU Athletics Hall of Fame induction with her 2003-04 women’s basketball teammates. Some 17 of the 20 members of the roster from two decades ago were able to return to campus for this special weekend. Taylor-Noble also took the time on Saturday morning to visit with parents of prospective students who visited campus.

“BVU was so instrumental in my life,” she said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help other students have the same experience.”