The first-ever Bisignano Speaker Series event will feature 鶹ƵUniversity women’s basketball head coach Felisha Legette-Jack ’89 and four-time Paralympian Mallory Weggemann.
The rise of women’s sports has sparked a significant cultural shift in the last year, inspiring countless athletes and breaking barriers across the globe as national viewership numbers and stadium attendance for women’s sporting events have seen a dramatic rise.
鶹ƵUniversity is proud to celebrate this through the first-ever Bisignano Speaker Series, “Tenacity and Triumph: Leadership Lessons and Resiliency.” The event will be held on Friday, Sept. 27 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building and is open to all.
Featuring two powerhouse figures in sports, this event brings together 鶹Ƶwomen’s basketball head coach and Mallory Weggemann, a four-time Paralympic gold medalist, world record holder, passionate advocate and NBC Sports reporter and in-studio correspondent.
Weggemann, known for her determination in and out of the pool, will share how she overcame obstacles and achieved greatness as a Paralympic athlete. She was both a gold and silver medalist for Team USA during the 2024 Paralympic Games and made her hosting debut for NBC during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
“The Paris 2024 Games marked my fourth Paralympics but more notably, my first as a mom. Throughout this entire journey, from navigating through IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) as a professional athlete, competing through pregnancy and balancing sport and postpartum as a breastfeeding mom—I have experienced firsthand the stigma that still relates to female athletes as they continue their career through motherhood. As a result, at each turn I have been passionate to serve as an example that motherhood is a comma, not a period as it relates to our identity as women,” says Weggemann. “We are at a time where women in sport are rising, and it is important that we continue to utilize our voices and platforms to ensure the next generation, my daughter’s generation, has the access, opportunity and equality they deserve.”
Legette-Jack, an All-American during her days at Syracuse, has become a trailblazer in women’s sports, including winning the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Coach of the Year, the first 鶹Ƶcoach to earn the honor in basketball since the University joined the ACC.
Moderated by Senior Vice President and Chief of Staff Candace Campbell Jackson, these remarkable women will explore the themes of resilience, leadership and the ever-evolving landscape of women’s sports. Their conversation will offer powerful insights into how they’ve navigated their respective careers, driven by perseverance, hard work and a commitment to breaking boundaries.
The popularity of women’s sports experienced a tremendous boost in 2023, with the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship game experiencing a 103% increase in viewership (Louisiana State University beat Caitlin Clark and the University of Iowa), and the 2023 women’s World Cup enjoyed record-breaking audiences in several countries around the world. This rise has not only made athletes like Clark and Megan Rapinoe household names, it has also ignited an industry that’s expected to bring in more than $1 billion in revenue for the first time in 2024.
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