Conclusion
In addition to the sports previously mentioned, other sports such as tennis and swimming, had female participants before the 2000s. As the sports program developed, Maureen continued to expand the “women’s side, adding basketball, softball, and four more sports over the years” (“30 Years”). To enhance and improve the programs, she led the teams to different conferences, winning multiple conference titles and averaging over a dozen All-Conference players per year (“30 Years”). To solve the limitations previously mentioned with volleyball training, other teams also had the same issue, so Maureen was instrumental in the completion of the gymnasium in the early 2000s. It is nearly impossible to talk about the progression of female athletics at Poly without mentioning Maureen, who served as the foundation for these programs.
Despite the absence of archival sources from the early 2000s, the general trends of the gender ratio in athletics at Poly align with the gender trends in athletics in society. At Poly, and in society, more and more females continue to join athletics, counteracting stereotypes and making more presence in public. However, even with numerous advancements and incremental progress that has occurred since, women’s participation in sports continues to encounter obstacles. Problems such as “unequal media coverage, disparities in funding, and lower remuneration in comparison to male athletes” continue to exist (Stancometta). In addition, the issue with dress code, as mentioned previously, also continues to exist. In the early stages, before Title IX and all the women’s programs opened, disparities in funding likely existed at Poly as well. The lack of archival sources on female athletes could be potential evidence of the unequal media coverage issue, but whether other problems truly persisted at Poly needs further exploration.
Women's Tennis Team 2008-2009
Women's Softball Team 2008-2009
Women's Lacrosse Team 2008-2009
Women's Volleyball Team 2008-2009
Up until the official merger with NYU in 2014, Poly had women’s volleyball, lacrosse, softball, tennis, basketball, soccer, and more. With the increasing enrollment of female students, it was much easier to gather enough players for different sports teams than in the earlier years.
Unfortunately, as the former Polytechnic University officially merged into New York University as the Polytechnic School of Engineering, the original Poly teams, or NYU-Poly teams at the time, had to go away. It did not make much sense for the Poly, or NYU-Poly, teams to continue competing in games and national-level competitions. After all, the teams represent a school that no longer exists. Consequently, the teams disbanded. Team athletes either joined the NYU teams across the river at Washington Square or stopped participating in college sports. That was the end of an era at Poly.
Several Polytechnic sports teams were allowed to remain intact through the end of their respective spring seasons (Mallozzi). The judo team was another one of the lucky teams that finished their season. In addition, only some athletics teams took their athletes and changed into clubs, such as judo, in the following semester. Even in the last season, the team embraced the “influx of new members, especially with the impressive representation of women.” The quote suggests that the team still put emphasis on the female participation in sports in the 2010s.
For most teams, maintaining the members and forming a club intended to provide a sense of belonging and community for student athletes. Judo, for example, under Maureen’s guidance in the early stages, encouraged female students to step out of their comfort zones and join male-dominated sports teams. For students, the team provided tight relationships and a small community, or family. By continuing some teams in the form of clubs, students tried to preserve that inclusivity and connection, for themselves and for others.