Jan. 24, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State Athletics Department will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) on Thursday, Feb. 1 when the Michigan State women's basketball team hosts Penn State at 8 p.m. at the Breslin Center. Many of Michigan State's teams will be on the concourse level when doors open to sign autographs and pass out posters at the event.

The Spartans' participating teams, which include the women's soccer, women's swimming and diving, gymnastics, rowing, volleyball, softball, field hockey and women's tennis programs, will be available for autographs when doors open to the Breslin Center at 6:30 p.m. Some of the teams will also hold mini-clinics for girls at their tables. At halftime, all of the Spartan teams will be honored with a video presentation.

The women's basketball game alone, which will air live in Michigan on Comcast Local, in Pennsylvania on Fox Sports Pittsburgh and on tape delay on CSN Chicago, features the No. 23/21 Spartans (15-4, 6-1 Big Ten) and Penn State (9-11, 2-5) in a match that could be pivotal in the Big Ten standings.

Tickets for the event are still available and can be purchased by contacting the Michigan State Ticket Office by calling (517) 355-1610 in the Lansing area or 1-800-GO-STATE outside the Lansing area or online at www.msuspartans.com. Reserved tickets are $14 and general admission tickets are $8 in advance and $10 on game day. Youth and Senior general admission tickets are $5 on game day and $3 in advance.

NGWSD is celebrated in all 50 states with community-based events, award ceremonies, and activities honoring the achievements and encouraging participation of girls and women in sports. NGWSD began in 1987 as a day to remember Olympic volleyball player Flo Hyman for her athletic achievements and her work to assure equality for women's sports. Hyman died of Marfan's Syndrome in 1986 while competing in a volleyball tournament in Japan. Since that time, NGWSD has evolved into a day to acknowledge the past and recognize current sports achievements, the positive influence of sports participation, and the continuing struggle for equality and access for women in sports.

NGWSD is jointly organized by the National Girls and Women in Sport Coalition. The Coalition combines the experience and resources of the six premier girls- and women-serving organizations in the United States: Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls Incorporated, the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport, National Women's Law Center, the Women's Sports Foundation, and the YWCA USA.