To honor Women’s History Month, University of Detroit Mercy’s Office of Marketing & Communications spoke to Titan student-athletes and coaches about their experiences in sports, which Title IX made possible. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the passage of the landmark legislation.
Here’s what women’s fencing student-athlete Isabella Cole had to say:
Isabella Cole
Year: Freshman
Hometown: Shelby Township, Mich.
Major: Biology
Expected graduation year: 2025
Sport: Women’s fencing
Why did you choose Detroit Mercy?
I liked the size of the school and the programs. Detroit Mercy offered the opportunity for networking at the school by meeting professors, as well as the chance to do undergraduate research.
How did you get involved in sports? How old were you? What sports did you play?
I guess I’ve always liked doing sports, and I just continued to do them. I started seriously playing sports at 11. I just started fencing, but I played golf and volleyball in high school.
What has your experience as a student-athlete at Detroit Mercy been like?
Definitely a little more stressful than I thought it was going to be to handle time management, since I’m a first-year student. It’s been an overall very positive experience. The people are the best part, especially my teammates. I’ve created some close bonds with them.
How has participating in sports shaped your life experiences?
I feel like it has definitely grown my confidence, and I also guess my creativity in a way. When you are in a game, it’s not always perfectly planned out. You have to adapt to whatever is going on in the game. In fencing, when you are on the strip and someone is pointing a blade at you, you have to read them in a split second to adjust.
Who is a role model that you’ve had in sports?
I’d have to say my high school golf coach. I wasn’t a huge golfer, I started in high school, and I was nervous about starting the sport. Since I played high-speed games like volleyball and basketball, just trying to get into a different mentality was great and my coach was really good at that.
Check out our other profiles on our women student-athletes and coaches: Cross country and track and field student-athlete Kaitlin Murray; women’s lacrosse student-athlete Kaileigh Nuessgen; women’s soccer student-athlete Hannah Alexis.