CHARLOTTE, NC (January 13, 2023) — In continued celebration and acknowledgment of the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference, has unveiled six more CIAA Title IX Trailblazers. The conference will name a total of 50 Title IX Trailblazers, who will be recognized during the 2023 CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be held from February 21-25 at the CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD.

Taiqua Stewart, Peggy Davis, Lauretta Taylor, Dr. Peggy Green, Sandra T. Shuler, and Arlene Creek headline the next set of CIAA Title IX Trailblazers as these five women have contributed profoundly to the advancement and growth of women's athletics at their respective universities and within the conference. 

Taiqua Stewart | CIAA Official Taiqua Stewart is a former NCAA Division I, II, and III official, having called games in nearly a dozen conferences including the CIAA, Big South Conference, Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). During post-season play, Stewart has officiated numerous conference tournament games as well as NCAA championships across all divisions and the Women's National Invitation Tournament. In 2006, she was selected to officiate the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Final Four, and National Championship Games. Today, Stewart serves as the Women's Basketball Coordinator of Officials for the CIAA. Stewart, a 1986 graduate of Virginia Tech University, was a four-year letter winner on the basketball team. She also served on the bench as an assistant coach at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA from 1994-1998.

 

Peggy Davis | Virginia State Coach/Athletic Administrator Peggy Davis served as the Head Women's Basketball Coach and Senior Woman Administrator at Virginia State from 1997 to 2003. For the past 18 years, Davis has served as the Associate Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Virginia State.  A seven-time CIAA Athletic Director of the Year honoree and two-time honoree of the Jeannette A. Lee Administration Achievement Award, Davis has presided over 20 NCAA Division II tournament appearances as well as 19 CIAA Championships Titles, 18 CIAA Divisional Titles, and 43 Coach of the Year honors. The Trojans have won the C.H. Williams All-Sports Award (men) on nine occasions and the Lauretta Taylor All-Sports Award (women) on six occasions, awards given to the top male and female athletic programs within the CIAA, based on championship finishes.  Her career at VSU has been dedicated to encouraging hard work and producing results. She has overseen numerous athletic facility improvements on the campus, beginning in 2004 and continuing today. The largest facility improvement to date is the $84 million Multipurpose Center which opened in February 2016. In 2020, the VSU Athletic Department was recognized by the NCAA as the recipient of the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence and in 2021, Davis was awarded the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Distinguished Service Award. Additionally, Davis is a member of the Hall of Fame at Virginia State and Howard Payne University.

 

Lauretta Taylor | Fayetteville State Coach/Administrator Lauretta Taylor started at Fayetteville State in 1944 and served the institution for over 32 years, mainly as an instructor and head women's basketball coach. From 1945 to 1953, Taylor guided the "Broncoettes" (the women's basketball team's nickname) to a 90-19 record while playing in the Eastern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (EIAC). When FSU's women's basketball program was revived in 1972, due to the passage of Title IX, Taylor again took the helm. She was named the CIAA Coach of the Year in 1974-75 after guiding the Broncos to an 18-2 record and had an even better campaign in 1975-76 with an overall record of 25-2. In the CIAA Tournament, the Broncos finished as runners-up in 1974 and 1976 and won the Consolation Game in 1975. Taylor passed away on March 6, 1977, at the age of 61. She was inducted into FSU's Hall of Fame posthumously in 1989. Today, Fayetteville State has a building named the "Lauretta Taylor Building," in honor of the legendary coach and instructor. The CIAA has an award in her honor, the "Lauretta Taylor Women's All-Sports Award," which is given to the top female athletic program (based on conference finishes) within the conference.

 

Dr. Peggy Green | Fayetteville State Coach/Administrator Dr. Peggy Green is a steadfast advocate for all student-athletes, not just women. She first joined the CIAA in 1983 as a physical education instructor, women's basketball coach and cheerleader advisor at Livingstone. Two years later, she became an instructor, women's volleyball (4 years) and basketball coach (7 years) at Fayetteville State. From 1989 to 2011, Dr. Green served as the Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) at Fayetteville State. In addition to her work at FSU, Green has served on numerous NCAA Committees including nine years on the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Committee where she served as chair during the last two years of her tenure. Green also served on the NCAA Division II Management Council, NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee, and NCAA Division II Project Team on Diversity. She is the first woman from FSU to hold a national athletic office and has received awards from the CIAA in recognition of her continuous advocacy for women's athletics at the school, conference, and national levels. Dr. Green continues her work as an activist for academics and athletics as she helps educate future teachers in middle grades health and physical education. Dr. Green was inducted into FSU's Hall of Fame in 2009 and the CIAA's Hall of Fame in 2015. Additionally, she was selected as a 2015 National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

 

Sandra T. Shuler | North Carolina Central Coach/Administrator A legendary pioneer in college athletics, Sandra T. Shuler served in many roles at North Carolina Central, including Director of the Women's Athletic Association (1966-1974), Coordinator of Women's Athletics (1974-1980), Associate Director of Athletics (1980-1994), Head Softball Coach, Cheerleading Advisor and Chaperone (1966-1979), and Women's Head Volleyball Coach (1974-1993). In 1973, Shuler was responsible for coordinating the transition from the Women's Athletic Association to intercollegiate athletics for women at NCCU. In 1974, Shuler became the head coach of the Eagles' first intercollegiate volleyball team, maintaining that post until retiring in 1993. She finished with an overall record of 287-140 and seven conference championship runner-up finishes. She held a variety of key posts in the CIAA and the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including Vice President and Women's Coordinator of the CIAA, and President of the CIAA Volleyball Coaches. She also played a key role on the NCAA's Special Subcommittee on Opportunities for Minorities. Shuler, who also earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from North Carolina Central, was inducted into NCCU's Hall of Fame in 1993 and into the CIAA's Hall of Fame in 2006. She has also been honored with the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators (NACWAA) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 and North Carolina Central's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

 

Arlene Creek | Bowie State Coach/Administrator Arlene Creek is the current Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Bowie State. Creek, known affectionately as "Sheriff" has been a Bulldog for over 40 years as a student-athlete, coach, and administrator, which includes stints as Facilities Coordinator and Interim Athletic Director. As a coach, Creek won consecutive conference championships in women's basketball, including Bowie State's first women's basketball title in 1978. She was inducted into Bowie State's Hall of Fame in 2014.  While a student at Bowie State, Creek played basketball, softball, volleyball, and field hockey, and she served as the Student Government Association Vice President before receiving her degree in Health, Physical Education & Recreation in 1970.

On February 25, the CIAA will be crowning the 2023 champion in men's and women's basketball and so every week leading into the CIAA Basketball Tournament, the conference will be recognizing a set of trailblazers.

Additionally, as part of the continued efforts to champion and highlight the 50th Anniversary of Title IX, the CIAA has introduced a dedicated Title IX Page on its website, featuring archives of the CIAA Woman of the Years, various other relevant news releases, and video podcast episodes highlighting some amazing women inside and outside the conference. 
 

Title IX imagery will be featured heavily during the CIAA Tournament. Last month, the CIAA inducted an all-women's Hall of Fame class for 2023 in honor of Title IX. Tickets are currently on sale for the CIAA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which is scheduled for Friday, February 24 at 9 a.m.
 


About the CIAA 

Founded in 1912, the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is the first, and longest running, African American athletic conference in the U.S. and one of the most recognized conferences in Division II. The CIAA conducts 14 championships attended by more than 150,000 fans from around the country. In 2020, the conference celebrates the special 75th anniversary of its Championship Basketball Tournament - an event that has become a must-see in the African American community. The Basketball Tournament has been honored as a 2019 Champion of Economic Impact in Sports Tourism by Sports Destination Management, the leading publication with the largest circulation of sports event planners and tournament directors in the sports tourism market, for both 2018 and 2019. 
 
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the CIAA is governed by the Presidents and Chancellors of its 12 member-institutions: Bowie State University, Claflin University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, Johnson C. Smith University, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, Livingstone College, Saint Augustine's University, Shaw University, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University, and Winston-Salem State University. Bluefield State will be added as the conference's 13th full member, effective July 1, 2023. For more information on the CIAA, visit theciaa.com, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.