Feb. 12, 2007

DAVIS, Calif. - Former Olympic marathoner Linsa Somers Smith, a member of the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame, will be the guest speaker on Thursday at a luncheon at the Buehler Center celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day.

Tickets for the luncheon are $25 and can be reserved by calling Maria Zalesky, UC Davis Athletics Special Events Coordinator, by Monday at (530) 754-8468. The luncheon begins at noon. It was also provide an opportunity for women athletes to network with local business leaders

Somers Smith, who will be speaking on the impact of Title IX, is a former track and cross country standout at UC Davis who reached the pinnacle of her sport by competing in the marathon at the 1996 Atlantic Olympics. She was also the top-ranked marathoner in the country and was seventh worldwide in 1995.

Somers Smith graduated Phi Beta Kappa from UC Davis and also earned a law degree after an Aggie career which saw her earn all-conference and All-America honors as both a track and cross country student-athlete. She did not start competing in running until her junior year of college.

National Girls and Women in Sports Day, which was celebrated officially across the country on Feb. 7, annually brings together thousands of individuals and organizations to both honor achievement by girls and women in sports and to celebrate their participation. It has been celebrated since 1987.