Columbus has always championed girls and women in sports, standing out as a city dedicated to athletic growth, community building, and equal opportunity. Even before it became widely celebrated, Columbus was setting the stage for women athletes, offering platforms where they could compete and thrive. We believe in women's sports and the power they have to inspire young girls to be what they see.  

This February 5, we invite you to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day with us. Here are a few ways to join in the fun: 

 

Here’s a roundup of upcoming events, fun facts, historic moments and current Buckeyes playing in women’s pro leagues. Subscribe to our newsletter for special offers and updates about Columbus sports.

 

Clinics and Events 

  • Play4Kay Clinic with Capital Women’s Basketball (Feb 2) – sign up 
  • Capital Athletics Alumni Panel (Feb 5)
  • Denison Girls Youth Sports Clinic (Feb 9) – sign up 
  • ROX I Matter Conference (Feb 16) – sign up 

 

Games this Week 

  • Feb. 2 – Washington vs. Ohio State WBB 
  • Feb. 7 – Grand Rapides Rise vs. Columbus Fury 
  • Feb. 7-8 – St. Thomas vs. Ohio State WHKY 

 

Did you Know? 

  • The Columbus Fury ranked second in attendance in last year’s inaugural Pro Volleyball Federation season. 
  • Ohio State (tied with Wisconsin) has the most former players in the PWHL with 15. 
  • Columbus native Georgeann Wells became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA game (West Virginia vs. University of Charleston) on Dec. 21, 1984. 
  • Over four seasons at Ohio State, Stephanie Hightower won Big Ten and NCAA Championships, not losing a single race in the 60M dash, 60M hurdles or 100M hurdles. 

Countdown to Major NCAA Women’s Championships in Columbus (as of Feb 5, 2025) 

  • 786 days until the Women’s Final Four – April 2-4, 2027 
  • 1,044 until the DI Women’s Volleyball Championship – Dec. 16-19, 2027 

 

Recent Historic Moments  

  • March 10, 2023 | OHSAA hosted the first sanctioned Girls Wrestling State Tournament 
  • February 21, 2024 | Columbus Fury made their home debut at Nationwide Arena in front of 9,165 fans. 
  • February 28, 2024 | Ohio State women’s basketball beat rival Michigan 67-51 to capture the Big Ten regular season championship outright.  
  • March 24, 2024 | Ohio State Women’s Hockey won the national championship over Wisconsin for its second title in three seasons 
  • October 4-6, 2024 | Columbus hosted the first-ever Association for Pickleball Players (APP) Women’s Open – all players, referees and broadcasters were women. 
  • October 13, 2024 | Ohio State Women’s Volleyball broke single game attendance record with 8,844 fans at Schottenstein Center in match vs. Michigan. 
  • August 2024 | Ohio State women’s Olympians won two medals. Artistic swimmers Keana Hunter and Ruby Remati helped US win silver in the team event. Eleanor Harvey won bronze in fencing for Canada. 
  • January 2025 | Ohio State Spirit Team won D1A National Championship; Dance Team wins D1A Jazz championship 
 

Buckeyes in the Pros (active) 

WNBA
  • Kierstan Bell | Las Vegas 
  • Dorka Juhasz | Minnesota 
  • Kelsey Mitchell | Indiana 
  • Jacy Sheldon | Dallas 
  • Celeste Taylor | Phoenix 
 
PWHL 
  • Sophie Jacques | Minnesota 
  • Emma Maltais | Toronto 
  • Madison Bizal | Montreal 
  • Paetyn Levis | New York 
  • Hannah Bilka | Boston 
  • Cayla Barnes | Montreal 
  • Jennifer Gardiner | Montreal 
  • Gabby Rosenthal | New York 
  • Stephanie Markowski | Ottawa 
  • Lauren Bernard | Toronto 
  • Hadley Hartmetz | Boston 
  • Raygan Kirk | Toronto 
  • Liz Schepers | Minnesota 

 

NWSL 
  • Emma Sears | Racing Louisville 
  • Kayla Fischer | Racing Louisville 
  • Izzy Rodriguez | KC Current 
  • Nichelle Prince | KC Current 

 

Pro Volleyball Federation 
  • Ashley Wenz | Columbus Fury 
  • Valeria Leon | Grand Rapids Rise 
  • Mac Podraza | Omaha Supernovas 
  • Emily Londot | Omaha Supernovas 

Kaley Rammelsberg of the Columbus Fury played at Indiana, but grew up in Westerville.

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