SAN DIEGO - The Oct. 20 Women’s Fund Luncheon at Snapdragon Stadium’s Spectrum Business Club delivered a record-breaking day for SDSU women’s sports.
The largest gift in the proud history of the Women’s Fund came from alumnus Art Flaming. His $200,000 endowment started with a question from his daughter. Kristen Harris, President of Tierra Corporation, took the stage for the Flaming Family, honored as the SDSU Athletics Women’s Fund Champion. Deputy Director of Athletics Jenny Bramer said it best: “I just love the power of persuasion of a daughter.”
Conversations and Speeches
Emcee Jerica Williams, Coach and Chief Storyteller, combined speaker introductions with live Q&A with honorees. The program began with remarks from Bramer and Zeynep Ilgaz, General Partner of Cross Ocean Ventures. Then, SDSU Women-in-Sports President Carys Hopkins was honored as the Women’s Fund Rising Star.
Williams then sat down with Aztec Impact on Women in Sports Award winner Kylee White, SDSU Lacrosse Head Coach. One of White’s former lacrosse athletes, Courtney Anderson, who is now pursuing her PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology at both SDSU and UC San Diego, wrote, “I can confidently say that Coach White is the epitome of a competitor, a leader, and, most importantly, a mentor. Her unwavering spirit and commitment to this program has cultivated not only excellent athletes, but also strong and remarkable women.”
Jerica Williams (left) talking with Zeynep Ilgaz.
After talking with White, Williams invited Harris to the stage. Harris, who now leads her father’s business, spoke about him as a role model, someone who showed her what it looks like to give back. Student-athletes Alyssa Schiller (swimming) and Teja Tirunelveli (tennis) also joined Williams on the stage.
The luncheon was filled with athletes and coaches from every women’s sport at SDSU, alongside supporters of SDSU’s women’s sports programs. As Bramer shared, the luncheon gives student-athletes a place to meet their professional role models, while the successful women and men in the room get to meet the next generation of achievers.
SDSU Deputy Athletic Director Jenny Bramer (left) and Zynep Ilgaz, General Partner of Cross Ocean Ventures joined the fun at the SDSU Women’s Fund Luncheon. Photo Credit: San Diego State
The momentum
The giving didn’t stop when lunch did. Following the luncheon, a donor created a $7,000 Challenge Gift to call everyone in attendance to action.
The bigger picture is just as strong. Since launching in 2022, the SDSU Athletics Women’s Fund has raised more than $700,000, while in that time frame more than $1 million has gone directly to women’s sports-specific giving.
The mission: raise financial support and awareness to maintain excellence across all women’s Division I athletics programs.
Want to donate? Give to the SDSU Athletics Women’s Fund here.
Her Sports attended the event and had the chance to talk with attendees. We asked them, If you could have any SDSU female athlete on your Mount Rushmore, who would it be?
Here’s what they said:
Taelyn Bentley, volleyball: “It would be our assistant coach Red (Steve Timmons). He was an Olympic outstanding player.”
Teja Tirunelveli, tennis: “Jo-Yee Chan.”
Anne Panattoni, women’s athletics supporter: “Stacie Terry-Hutson.”
Greg Panattoni, women’s athletics supporter: “Naomi Panganiban.”
Anne Panattoni: “Probably Nat Martinez.”
Greg Panattoni: “In the past? Kim Villalobos.”
Naomi Panganiban, women’s basketball: “I would definitely have to with Judy Porter. She’s a legend.”
Jenna Fee Feyerabend, track and field heptathlete: “It would definitely be my coach, Sheila Burrell.”
Kari Mills, founder of Sports Xcelerator: “Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz.”
Lynne Rossman, supporter of women’s athletics: “I would add our fabulous female basketball player Naomi [Panganiban].”
Julianne Stark, water polo: “Oh gosh! I would put last year’s senior class on my Mount Rushmore because I think they had such a huge impact on our program and where we are now.”
Annabelle De Jager, volleyball: “My setter, Kendall [Mairs].”
Jason Melim, founder of OppHERtunity: “One of our favorites is Sophia Ramos. She’s like top five in almost every statistical category.”
Emilia Omander, golf: “Shout out to our teammate Kylie Warner.”
And as Her Sports co-founder Jourdan Ziff put it to close out the post: “There we go. You now have a statue.”
And, finish this sentence: “SDSU joining the Pac-12 is...”
Amie Callaway, SDSU Women’s Basketball Director of Operations: “A test.”
Jenna Fee Feyerabend, track and field heptathlete: “Financially really smart.”
Taelyn Bentley, volleyball: “It’s about damn time.”
Teja Tirunelveli, tennis: “Ready to win another championship.”
Jason Melim, founder of OppHERtunity: “Exciting.”
Marie Fehring, water polo: “Awesome.”
Annabelle De Jager, volleyball: “Fitting. I feel like it’s just been a really good conference.”
Lynne Rossman, supporter of women’s athletics: “Phenomenal.”
Manon Martin, golf: “New opportunities.”
Kari Mills, founder of Sports Xcelerator: “Awesome.”
Greg Panattoni, women’s athletics supporter: “Watch out, Pac-12!”
