Two groups at the University of Iowa have decided to award their annual women’s rights honor to the four field hockey players whose complaint triggered a federal investigation of the UI Athletics Department.

“We chose them because they basically have started a national conversation about equity in women’s sports,” said Laurie Haag, a program developer for UI’s Women’s Resource Action Center. “We believe that, in the steps that they took to start this national conversation, they took at some personal risk and did so knowing that they personally would never benefit from it.”

Haag said the actions taken last year by Chandler Ackers, Jessy Silfer, Natalie Cafone and Dani Hemeon were reminiscent of the legal struggle that Jean Y. Jew faced in the 1980s and 90s.

Click here for the full article from the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

Posted to the Iowa City Press-Citizen on April 1, 2016.