TEMPE, Ariz. – Sun Devil women's tennis head coach Sheila McInerney and track graduate student Jorinde van Klinken received the top awards at the annual Wings of Gold event last Thursday evening at the San Tan Ford Club at Sun Devil Stadium.
The night was dedicated to showcasing ASU female student-athletes and raising funds to support all 14 programs, as well as celebrating the Title IX 50th anniversary. The two big awards that were given out were the Heather Farr Student-Athlete of the Year, which van Klinken won, and the Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year, which McInerney won.
Following the silent auction prior to the event, emcee Paola Boivin, a professor of practice at ASU's Cronkite News Sports Bureau, first acknowledged the accomplishments of the women's sports programs at ASU throughout the 2020-21 and 2021-22 athletic seasons.
Boivin noted last month's sweep for Sun Devil softball over Arizona where they outscored the Wildcats 28-2, and how the triathlon program won its fifth-straight NCAA championship, noting as well how triathlon now has 40 programs reaching to become an official NCAA sport. From last year's athletic season, the water polo team was recognized for its best finish in the NCAA tournament with third place.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Boivin held a guest panel on stage with former ASU Olympic swimmer and All-American Melissa Belote Ripley, McInerney and triathlon senior Kira Stanley. The three women discussed their experiences as a woman in sport from the beginning of their starts in their respective sports through their experiences as a Sun Devil and how women's sports is growing now.
"Sometimes believing in yourself can be the hardest thing," Belote Ripley said. "We are athletes, but we are people first. Athletics teaches us so many life lessons that we learn as athletes that we carry through our lives today."
The Sun Devil Club also launched the Title IX 50th Anniversary Initiative, a webpage that will serve as a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in supporting and learning more about women's athletics at ASU. Additionally, at the event there was a chalkboard for student-athletes to write out why they were grateful for Title IX.
After the panel, the Heather Farr Award was awarded to van Klinken and was presented by Farr's sister, current Sun Devil women's golf head coach Missy Farr-Kaye. The other finalists for the Heather Farr Award included Iman Isanovic from volleyball and Amira Van Buren from water polo. The award was named in honor of one of the most successful female student-athletes in school history. Farr passed away in November 1993 after a long, valiant fight against breast cancer. This award honors her legacy of what it means to be a great Sun Devil student-athlete.
"Title IX is actually very dear to my heart," van Klinken said, alluding to the 50th anniversary of the law passing. "Not only because of all the opportunities we get as women, but also because we are protected."
After the live auction, the Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year award was presented to McInerney. The 2020 recipient triathlon head coach Cliff English presented the honor. The award is given to the Sun Devil women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship performance, graduation and tradition.
"There's a lot that goes into being a coach and doing it for so long," McInerney said. "I think the real reward is to see your student-athletes thrive and I've certainly enjoyed all of the coaches who have come after me because I have been here for a long time."
The Wings of Gold fund supports the rich tradition of women's collegiate athletics at Arizona State by acting as an advocate and support system for all 14 Sun Devil women's athletic programs. The unrestricted dollars raised through the Wings of Gold fund are evenly distributed between the 14 programs and will be used for recruiting, academic and other essential needs necessary to compete at the highest level.
For more information, head to sundevilclub.com/wog. The story of Linda Vollstedt and how her award came to be can be found here.
The night was dedicated to showcasing ASU female student-athletes and raising funds to support all 14 programs, as well as celebrating the Title IX 50th anniversary. The two big awards that were given out were the Heather Farr Student-Athlete of the Year, which van Klinken won, and the Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year, which McInerney won.
Following the silent auction prior to the event, emcee Paola Boivin, a professor of practice at ASU's Cronkite News Sports Bureau, first acknowledged the accomplishments of the women's sports programs at ASU throughout the 2020-21 and 2021-22 athletic seasons.
Last week we celebrated our 14 female student-athlete programs at our annual Wings of Gold event. @asu10s_coachmac was named the Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year & Jorinde van Klinken was named Heather Farr Student-Athlete of the Year. #ForksUp
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) April 4, 2022
Boivin noted last month's sweep for Sun Devil softball over Arizona where they outscored the Wildcats 28-2, and how the triathlon program won its fifth-straight NCAA championship, noting as well how triathlon now has 40 programs reaching to become an official NCAA sport. From last year's athletic season, the water polo team was recognized for its best finish in the NCAA tournament with third place.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Title IX, Boivin held a guest panel on stage with former ASU Olympic swimmer and All-American Melissa Belote Ripley, McInerney and triathlon senior Kira Stanley. The three women discussed their experiences as a woman in sport from the beginning of their starts in their respective sports through their experiences as a Sun Devil and how women's sports is growing now.
"Sometimes believing in yourself can be the hardest thing," Belote Ripley said. "We are athletes, but we are people first. Athletics teaches us so many life lessons that we learn as athletes that we carry through our lives today."
The Sun Devil Club also launched the Title IX 50th Anniversary Initiative, a webpage that will serve as a one-stop-shop for anyone interested in supporting and learning more about women's athletics at ASU. Additionally, at the event there was a chalkboard for student-athletes to write out why they were grateful for Title IX.
After the panel, the Heather Farr Award was awarded to van Klinken and was presented by Farr's sister, current Sun Devil women's golf head coach Missy Farr-Kaye. The other finalists for the Heather Farr Award included Iman Isanovic from volleyball and Amira Van Buren from water polo. The award was named in honor of one of the most successful female student-athletes in school history. Farr passed away in November 1993 after a long, valiant fight against breast cancer. This award honors her legacy of what it means to be a great Sun Devil student-athlete.
"Title IX is actually very dear to my heart," van Klinken said, alluding to the 50th anniversary of the law passing. "Not only because of all the opportunities we get as women, but also because we are protected."
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After the live auction, the Linda Vollstedt Coach of the Year award was presented to McInerney. The 2020 recipient triathlon head coach Cliff English presented the honor. The award is given to the Sun Devil women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship performance, graduation and tradition.
"There's a lot that goes into being a coach and doing it for so long," McInerney said. "I think the real reward is to see your student-athletes thrive and I've certainly enjoyed all of the coaches who have come after me because I have been here for a long time."
Presented to an ASU women's coach who most exhibits the four pillars of the Sun Devil Way: integrity, championship performance, graduation and tradition.
— Arizona State Women's Tennis (@sundevilwtennis) April 4, 2022
Look no further than our very own Sheila McInerney. Congratulations, Coach! ?? pic.twitter.com/VF8MVBzsou
The Wings of Gold fund supports the rich tradition of women's collegiate athletics at Arizona State by acting as an advocate and support system for all 14 Sun Devil women's athletic programs. The unrestricted dollars raised through the Wings of Gold fund are evenly distributed between the 14 programs and will be used for recruiting, academic and other essential needs necessary to compete at the highest level.
For more information, head to sundevilclub.com/wog. The story of Linda Vollstedt and how her award came to be can be found here.