YOU GO, GIRLS! LPHS females making impact in male-dominated sports
Then-Lincoln Park High School senior Mariah Torres poses last school year at Ford Field after becoming the school’s first female wrestler to qualify and place in a statewide Michigan High School Athletic Association competition.
A group of female Lincoln Park High School athletes is inspiring girls’ participation in football, wrestling and other sports traditionally dominated by male athletes.
Participation by female Railsplitters in these and other athletic programs is part of the district’s continued commitment to a diverse, well-rounded education that prepares all students for success.
This fall, two female Railsplitters made history with first-ever accomplishments on the gridiron. Dayanara Gallegos-Olea, a kicker, became the first female Railsplitter to score a point in Lincoln Park High School varsity football history.
Gallegos-Olea kicked two successful extra-point field goals out of three attempts at the Aug. 30 home game against Edsel Ford. She also kicked off the game. At the same game, Nele Sinclair became the first female player in school history to record a sack.
Gallegos-Olea’s and Sinclair’s achievements on the field are milestones since enactment of federal Title IX in 1972. Title IX, in part, prohibits exclusion from participation in school athletics based on sex.
‘Incredible grit’
“Dayanara and Nele showed incredible grit, determination and courage on and off the football field this season by demonstrating the difference female athletes can make,” said Brian Amorose, Lincoln Park High School athletic director.
“These outstanding athletes represent the participation and inclusion we promote in all Lincoln Park High School athletic programs.”
Gallegos-Olea and Sinclair followed last year’s history making performance on the wrestling mat by then-senior Mariah Torres.
Torres became the first female wrestler at Lincoln Park High School to qualify and place in a statewide Michigan High School Athletic Association competition. Torres took part in a competition at Ford Field in Detroit hosted by the MHSAA.
“We are truly proud of these female Railsplitters who will undoubtedly inspire more female students to compete in our growing athletic programs,” said Terry Dangerfield, Lincoln Park Public Schools superintendent.
“We will continue to encourage all Railsplitters to participate in athletics as part of a diverse, well-rounded education that prepares them for success and the real world.”
