Reagan Raabe - Title IX

Growing up, what women in sports did you look up to?
Heidi Foland - Nebraska Softball
Alex Morgan- US soccer player

What is your favorite memory associated with sports?
At recess in elementary school all the boys would race eachother and I always wanted to but they said I was a girl so I couldn’t. One day they finally let me but they all said I was slow and couldn’t compete with any of them. That day 3rd grade me races the boys and beat them all. They never made jokes about being a girl again.

What does it mean to you to be a woman in sports?
Being a woman in sports is something I have always dreamed of and I have idolized those women who came before me. To me, to be a woman in sports means setting an example and creating a legacy and environment for the girls who will come after me.

What has Title IX allowed you to achieve as a student-athlete?
Title IX has allowed me to be a part of so much more and has given me the chance to earn a degree while competing at the highest collegiate level. It’s allowed me to grow and given me opportunities to develop into a leader and something bigger than myself.

What have you learned from playing sports and how has that helped you navigate other obstacles in your life?
Sports teaches so much about dealing with adversity, opposition and learning how to work with a team. Through sports I’ve learned how to persevere even through the losses and the injuries. The lessons I’ve learned in sports are some of the most important parts of who I am today.

Who is your mentor?
Heidi Foland. She was a Husker softball player and my babysitter and family friend as a child. As I got older I dreamed of being a Husker athlete and following in her footsteps. She has been a mentor to me athletically but also spiritually and mentally as she walks with me through all the challenges that come with college athletics.

If you could go back and tell your younger self something, what would it be?
Don’t ever give up. Work hard and you can earn everything you dream of.

How do your teammates inspire you?
Seeing my teammates passion for hard work on and off the field is what drives me. Seeing the fire inside them and watching as they work harder than anyone else inspires me to do the same.

What advice would you give a young female athlete?
I would say just to block out the noise. There’s going to be people who disagree, who tell you that you can’t do it, and those who don’t believe in you but I say block out the noise. Follow your heart and don’t listen to the naysayers because you have what it takes to do anything you want.