Trinity’s Women’s Sports Teams Forge Community With Girls from the Greater Hartford Area

Erin Barbakoff ’26

Contributing Writer

On Friday, March 8, the Trinity women’s lacrosse team faced off NESCAC opponents, Tufts University, in a hard-fought battle between conference rivals. However, the game’s excitement went beyond athletics for many in attendance. The home opener marked the third event in a series of meet-and-greet matches hosted by Trinity College Athletics in collaboration with Let Her Play, a nonprofit organization that builds local community connections by encouraging young girls and women to pursue sports and embrace the power of athleticism, teamwork and leadership. 

Joining a league of other collegiate partners, including Princeton, Harvard, Northwestern, Notre Dame and Long Island University, Trinity College launched its Let Her Play event series this past fall to support Let Her Play’s mission to engage and enroll more girls in sports programming. These events encourage young girls from the Greater Hartford area to attend games, meet student-athletes, and engage in after-school sports programs. Gia Fruscione, Founder & Executive Director of Let Her Play, applauded these collegiate partnership events, citing the critical importance of youth sports in the development of young girls and women. She wrote: “We cannot sit on the sidelines and watch our girls fall behind. It’s time to equip girls across the nation with the skills for a lifetime of success.” Let Her Play events, she continued, “are getting girls and their support networks excited about sports through community engagement, mentorship and raising awareness of the key life skills derived from sports participation.”

The event series builds off of Trinity’s second annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day event on Feb. 9, which celebrated the incredible achievements of girls and women in sports and introduced a group of young girls from the Trinity College Boys & Girls Club to various sports including field hockey, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball. Kristen Noone, Trinity Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator, commented on the event, “We were so pleased to host this event, our first of many years to come, to celebrate and acknowledge the power of getting girls involved in sport at a younger age, and then also keeping them engaged through high school, college, and beyond. Studies have shown that over 90% of women C-suite executives played sports, and over 50% at the college level. It is clear the direct relationship and impact which participation in sports can have on developing future women leaders.”

Trinity Athletics’ Let Her Play event series has showcased the community of young women among Trinity’s student-athletes and young girls in the Hartford area. This event series will continue throughout the spring season, as Trinity softball will host a meet-and-greet match on Saturday, April 5.