Columbus has long been a city that elevates and celebrates women's sports. As early as 1897, just six years after basketball was invented, Columbus high schools were fielding girls teams. Check out this image of one of those early teams, courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.

1897 Women's Basketball

In the 125+ years since then, Columbus has grown to become one of the top cities for girls and women's sports. In present day, there are 127,000 girls playing high school sports in Ohio. Tens of thousands of them compete at one of 125 schools in OHSAA's Central District. Columbus annually hosts state championships in several girls sports including Lacrosse, Track & Field, Soccer, Cross Country, Wrestling and Bowling.

At the college level, Ohio State's Women's Ice Hockey team has won two of the last three national championships and has been highly ranked all season as they pursue another deep run in the NCAA tournament this season. On the hardcourt, Ohio State Women's Basketball is 24-4 and ranked 12th entering March with one more regular season game before the Big Ten Tournament begins. Ohio State's Spirit and Dance team also won national championships in January 2025. Local colleges Otterbein, Ohio Wesleyan and Capital offer all field a number of women's sports teams so you can always catch a college game in Columbus.

At the professional level, Columbus is home to a founding member of the Pro Volleyball Federation, the Columbus Fury. The team was second in attendance in their first year and have several more home dates this season.

 

Women's Networking Event at Blue Jackets Game

On Saturday, March 15, the Blue Jackets host their first women's networking event. The program starts at 2:30 p.m. and wrap-up before puck drop vs. the New York Rangers at 7 p.m. The event includes a panel with local women leaders, an arena tour and a networking happy hour. NBC4's Whitney Harding will serve as emcee for the event. Head to BlueJackets.com/Promotions to get tickets or learn more.
 

More Women's Sports Stories

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2027: A Year to Remember

If you love women's sports, mark your calendars for 2027. Nationwide Arena hosts the NCAA Women's Final Four on April 2-4 and the DI Women's Volleyball Championship on Dec. 16-19. This is only the second time in history that one city hosts both of those championship weekends in the same year. Los Angeles did it in 1984, when both events were in their infancy.

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