This feature in The Right Way to Play: Storytelling Series highlights moments that remind us why college athletics matters. Across the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), National Girls & Women in Sports Day isn’t marked by statistics or scoreboards, but by gratitude.
 

GPAC Student-Athletes Honoring the Women Who Made a Difference

Some moments in college athletics don’t need a scoreboard.
They need a stamp.

For National Girls & Women in Sports Day 2026, the GPAC celebrated the national theme Lead Her Forward in a way that felt both deeply personal and quietly powerful. Across conference campuses, nearly 3,000 handwritten postcards were written, one by one, by female student-athletes who paused training, classes, and competition to do something rare in sports.

They said thank you.

On February 4, pens met paper in gyms, locker rooms, and team rooms across the conference. There was no rush. No script. Just names and memories close to heart.

Each postcard was addressed to someone who helped make the journey possible:

• a coach who stayed late
• a parent who never missed a game
• a teacher who made room for practice and possibility
• a teammate who made hard days lighter
• a mentor who opened a door

Every GPAC institution committed not only to hosting these postcard-writing moments, but to covering the cost of mailing them, ensuring gratitude didn’t stay on campus, but traveled to kitchens, offices, mailboxes, and memories far beyond them.

“The National Girls & Women in Sports Day in the GPAC was a tremendous success,” said Corey Westra, GPAC Commissioner. “Hearing all the stories of our student-athletes talking about who influenced them in their lives was very moving and special. It was a great day to celebrate women’s athletics and the amazing student-athletes of the GPAC by honoring the women who compete, the women who lead, and the people who help make it all possible.”

The initiative, led by the GPAC Senior Women’s Leader Group, is a living example of the NAIA’s Champions of Character® values in action.

Respect, in recognizing those who paved the way.
Servant leadership, in choosing appreciation over applause.

For Northwestern sophomore Bailey Ahlquist, the moment carried special meaning.

“It’s meaningful because it recognizes the commitment and perseverance of all female athletes,” Ahlquist said. “It’s a moment to appreciate the work that often goes unseen. My words can’t describe the gratitude I have to compete alongside the women on my team who push themselves daily and support one another through both our successes and challenges.”

She added, “Women’s sports don’t always receive the recognition they deserve. Celebrating them helps bring visibility to the dedication, discipline, and sacrifice behind the performances, as well as recognition to the sport itself.” 
 

Why Their Story Matters

National Girls & Women in Sports Day, powered nationally by the Women's Sport Foundation, exists to honor progress, protect opportunity, and remind us there’s still work to do. It celebrates not just athletes, but coaches, administrators, and advocates who opened lanes where none existed before.

Across the GPAC, that mission showed up thoughtfully.

Nearly 3,000 postcards.
Countless stories.
One shared message.

This is The Right Way to Play…where progress is personal, opportunity is collective, and some of the most meaningful victories are written by hand.

GPAC Postcard Campaign