Keene State College

The 1972 Keene State College softball team was the first ever team to participate in the AIAW Softball National Championships.   (The NCAA did not offer championships for women until the early 1980s) Keene State was the only New England based school to attend that year and the Owls drove out to Omaha, Neb., ultimately finishing ninth, defeating Purdue University in the opening round before falling to South Dakota State and the University of Nebraska.   Schools were allowed to participate if they were a varsity program at their institution and had a winning record

Led by seniors Betty Misiaszek and Jean Andrew, and juniors Nancy Balla, Sheila Conway, Joy Eck, Debbie Parker, and Sally Widerstrom, as well as head coach Dr. Sherry Bovinet, the Owls were a startup program that year after enjoying club status in 1971.   Playing before the enactment of Title IX (which took place later that summer), the Owls, under the leadership of co-captains Misiaszek and Parker, posted a record of 6-1 and overcame the disruptions of the season, including canceled games and limited fast pitch competition in New England to make their names at the tournament.

Misiaszek, a star for the Owls both on the basketball court and on the diamond, was inducted into the LEC Hall of Fame in 1986, while Dr. Bovinet was inducted in 2004