The Oregon School Activities Association created the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award as a part of this year’s National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The award’s inaugural recipient, Anna Maria Lopez, was a four-sport athlete for St. Mary’s Academy as a student and has served as the athletic director at St. Mary’s Academy since 1991.
According to The Oregonian, Lopez competed in volleyball, basketball, softball, and track and field. Her volleyball team won the state title in 1976 and 1977, just a few years after Title IX was signed into law.
“Today we recognize a woman who did more than play the game. She defined it,” said Missy Smith, OSAA assistant executive director. “By attaching her name to this trophy, we ensure that her impact remains a living force in the community. Just as Anna Maria served as a trail blazer in the immediate years after Title IX was passed, this award will serve as a permanent lighthouse for every girl and woman who follows in her footsteps.”
The OSAA’s women and girls in sports committee, along with the Student Activities Advisory committee, will select a new female athlete in Oregon each year to receive the Female Athlete of the Year Award.
“It’s important to remember that the opportunities to play, to compete and to be recognized for athletic excellence are not always available to women,” said St. Mary’s Academy student body president Viola Wilson at an assembly held to honor Lopez. “For generations, girls were told that sports were not for them, and many talented athletes never had the chance to discover their own potential. Because of the advocacy and bravery of those who came before us, doors were opened, allowing more girls to find their voices, their confidence and their leadership through sport.”
Lopez is also included on the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and she is a member of the NFHS Hall of Fame class of 2005.
