Eight senior women have founded the first female athletic honor society at Dickinson, called the Heras. The society’s main aim will be the creation of a more unified and supportive female athletic presence on campus.

The eight founders, Lauren Ahern ’17 (volleyball), Tara Cuddihy ’17 (lacrosse), Mary Martin ’17 (basketball), Sophie Moore ’17 (track and field), Madison Parks ’17 (tennis), Catherine Perlmutter ’17 (field hockey), Gabriella Tomasini ’17 (soccer) and Lindsey Zwecker ’17 (softball and basketball), were included in the newly founded athletic honor society based off of academic and athletic achievement. The women in the group agree to take part in the eight core values of the society: scholarship, sportsmanship, leadership, equality, service, integrity, tenacity and resilience.

“We want to create a unified community of all female athletes on campus, and show them that being a student athlete is powerful and that there should be a community of support and resources that goes along with that,” says Zwecker. “I believe we can help challenge the norms on campus and ensure that every female athlete feels respect[ed] and support[ed].”

Moore “hopes to get involved with the campus, the community and other organizations,” to help improve the image of female athletics on campus.

The society was named the Heras after the Heraean Games, which was the first formal women’s athletic competition to be held in the stadium at Olympia.

“A lot of my teammates have talked about how it is ridiculous that the White Hats have been around for so long, yet there has never been a recognized female athlete society,” said Tomasini. “I’m so happy and proud that this society has finally been created, and I hope that this can become an integral part of the Dickinson history.”

On Nov. 18 at 8:00 p.m. in ATS, the Heras will be hosting their first official event along with the Prevention Education and Advocacy Center and the Women’s and Gender Resource Center. The event will feature guest speaker Molly McElroy to address eating disorders and body image among female college students. Additionally, they are planning to get involved in the Carlisle community through Girls on the Run to help mentor younger female athletes to develop confidence and achieve their athletic and personal goals.