Press Release Courtesy of the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame
New Haven, Connecticut (September 16, 2022) – Over 700 guests are expected to honor and celebrate four exceptional females at the 29th Annual Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame (CWHF) Induction Ceremony and Celebration. Suzy Whaley, Jennifer Rizzotti, Lhakpa Sherpa, and Cora Lee Bentley Radcliffe will be recognized for their exceptional work, inspiring spirit, and tremendous achievements in breaking the glass ceiling. Women in Sports is the CWHF’s 29th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony and Celebration, which takes place on October 20 starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Connecticut Convention Center.
This year’s event will also shine a light on over 18 women who have excelled in the industry and left their mark on Connecticut, including Carol Stiff, Meghan McMahon, and Kara Wolters, to name a few. To round out this year’s ceremony – the organization’s 2022 Founding President’s Award is being presented to Special Olympics Connecticut.
“We have an exceptional program this year,” said Sarah Smith Lubarsky, Executive Director, CWHF. “We are thrilled to honor these amazing women, who have not only achieved great personal success in their sport but have also carved easier paths for women and girls to follow. In this 50th Anniversary year of Title IX, it is appropriate that we recognize the progress that has been made and highlight the achievements of these extraordinary women.”
2022 Hall of Fame Inductees
- Suzy Whaley – Professional golfer from Connecticut, who in November 2018 became the first female President of the PGA of America. In 2003, she became the first woman in 58 years to qualify for a PGA Tour event when she qualified for the 2003 Greater Hartford Open. She was also the first woman to win a PGA individual professional tournament. Whaley is recognized as one of GOLF’s “Top 100 Teachers in America,” Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor and LPGA Top 50 Instructor. She is a board member and advisor for several organizations, as well as the President of Golf Nation. In 2021 Whaley was inducted into the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame. Whaley has been honored as a female leader with a significant impact on sports business.
- Jennifer Rizzotti – A Connecticut native who first earned national recognition as the starting point guard for the UConn Huskies women’s basketball team when they earned their first national championship in 1995. She is currently President of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Rizzotti served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at George Washington University for five seasons and 11 seasons as Head Coach of the University of Hartford Women’s Basketball program, where she was named America East Coach of the Year three times. Inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, Rizzotti is recognized internationally, most notably as an assistant coach to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, with whom she won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Lhakpa Sherpa – A Connecticut resident since 2002, she is not only the first Nepali woman to successfully summit Mt. Everest, but the first woman to successfully summit the world’s highest mountain 10 times, beating her own world record again this year for most Everest summits a woman has ever made. In 2016, she was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 Women. Recently, Lhakpa started her own guiding service, Cloudscape Climbing, which she operates in New England and the Himalayas. Lhakpa’s achievements have not only started a shift in Sherpa culture and inspired more women in Nepal and New England to climb but have also marked her as a symbol of strength for women all over the world.
- Cora Lee Bentley Radcliffe (posthumous) – A pioneer of women’s sports in Connecticut, she had a profound impact on Connecticut ever since moving to Hartford to earn her master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Hartford where she excelled in track and field. She used her athletic abilities, collaboration skills, and passion to start the first Black female basketball and softball team in Connecticut, the Tigerettes, and led the team to a victory in their very first season. She inspired hundreds of girls and women, especially Black girls, and women, to realize their athletic potential. Her passion to help others carried through her 30+ year journey of being a mentor in supporting the needs of mentally challenged children in schools throughout Hartford. Although Cora Lee passed on August 3, 2010, her mark on the involvement of Black females in sports has been profound.
“This year’s inductees represent extraordinary achievements that inspire not only those of us here in Connecticut but all of us on a global scale,” said CWHF Chair, Desiree Wolfe. “We are grateful for the work of the women we honor this year. Their success is an inspiration.”
Founding President’s Award
The 2022 Founding President’s Award is being presented to Special Olympics Connecticut in recognition of their work to empower and educate girls and women with and without intellectual disabilities.
“We’re thrilled to recognize Special Olympics Connecticut,” said Lubarsky. “We are honoring them because they embody the spirit of sports and include everyone in the joy, pain, and struggle of competition. Their commitment to transforming lives by inspiring inclusion, understanding, and respect for people of all abilities on and off the field is remarkable.”
While the Annual Induction Ceremony and Celebration is the Hall’s signature event, the organization has spent the past 29 years featuring Connecticut’s female pioneers, forming a solid core of innovative, educational programming designed to inspire the next generation of female leaders in Connecticut.
For more information and tickets to this year’s event click here.
About the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame honors the achievements of women by celebrating their legacies and telling their powerful stories, inspiring women and girls to realize their own limitless potential. The Hall’s 136 Inductees are role models for women of all ages, and their stories are proof of what women can accomplish. Leveraging those powerful stories, the CWHF makes history relevant through programs for educators, multimedia presentations, and traveling exhibits. CWHF’s work fosters the courage and confidence women need to overcome barriers and advocate on their own behalf. Each year through the CWHF’s initiatives, 50,000 Connecticut residents see what is possible and become empowered to take an active role in shaping their future. The CWHF website, www.cwhf.org, is a “Virtual Hall” where visitors can explore all that CWHF has to offer.
About the Connecticut State Golf Association
The Connecticut State Golf Association functions as an extension of the USGA and provides stewardship for amateur golf in Connecticut. Founded in 1899, it is the country’s oldest state golf association and conducts over 60 Championships, Qualifiers, and One Day Tournaments throughout the year.
Hero Image courtesy of the PGA of America
