Today marks the first day of Women’s History Month. What better way to celebrate than by supporting the Loyola Women’s Basketball team? Tonight, the women will compete against Colgate University at 7 p.m. in Reitz Arena. This will be among the last few opportunities to watch these athletes shine before the season ends, so don’t miss it.
The Loyola Women’s Basketball team has been working hard on the court all season, but they don’t stop there. They have also raised awareness about several important causes through special events, such as the Play4Kay game held on Feb. 8. Play4Kay is the largest fundraising initiative of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund with the purpose of uniting women’s basketball in the fight against cancer by using a game on their schedule as a fundraiser. During this game, the Loyola Women’s Basketball team wore pink uniforms and sneakers as they faced off against the West Point Army Mules.
Fans also wore pink to the game to support Loyola’s effort to raise cancer awareness, and Army’s coaches sported pink West Point t-shirts. The dance and cheer teams showed their support with pink pom-poms, too.
Cancer survivors and those who have passed from it were commemorated during a moment of silence before the game started. Loyola’s players and coaches held signs to honor people affected by cancer which read ‘I play for…’ followed by the name of a loved one. Danielle O’Banion, head coach of the Loyola Women’s Basketball Team, is a cancer survivor herself, pushing for more awareness. She joined her players and fellow coaches in holding a sign and wearing pink.
Kayla Cornejo ‘24, said, “My family has had a lot of women, like my aunt, who have had breast cancer, so I find it really nice; sports teams have a game where everyone’s wearing pink and just showing their support. Because it does hit close to home for me and it’s just nice because it’s recognition of those who are still fighting and who have already overcome everything.”
Cornejo is a member of Superfans, which is a club on campus that promotes Loyola athletics through merchandise giveaways and social media posts. Their goal is to bring in the biggest crowd for every home game, but some students would especially like to see increased attendance at women’s athletic events.
Christina Ridgill ‘24, another member of Superfans, said, “A lot of the other women’s teams here don’t really get that much support… So I feel like we should stand together – either for cancer or for any other time they are playing – it’s really important for all of us to come to support them.”
Women’s basketball does have some very loyal fans. Onyi Kenine ‘26 and Lauren Gerow ‘26, both avid fans of women’s basketball, sported their pink at the Play4Kay game. Kenine comes to the games for the energy and excitement.
“We love the dancers. We love the crowd. We love the fatheads,” said Kenine.
“I think it’s very important, especially as women, to spread that message. We have to stand together,” said Gerow.
After lots of back and forth during the game, the Hounds lost to Army 83-68. The “Pink Game,” as Cornejo described it, did not draw a huge crowd, but did raise many emotions among the fans and the players and accomplished the goal of raising awareness of cancer and those impacted by the disease.
With the Loyola Women’s Basketball season nearing an end, there is no time like the present to support the dedicated female athletes that work to be a positive force on and off the court. The Hounds’ next home game is today, March 1, at 7 p.m. against the Colgate Raiders. The Superfans urge their peers to attend the game tonight and to show female athletes more support throughout the remainder of the spring semester. Follow @houndsuperfans on Instagram to learn about exciting promotions and stay up to date on Loyola University Maryland Athletics.
Featured Image Courtesy of Sarah Gilmour.
