With the passing of Title IX in 1972, the early-70’s saw a surge in participation opportunities for female high school student-athletes in Illinois.

Girls Bowling debuted with Abingdon High School being crowned the inaugural state champion during the 1972-73 school year, but controversy would shroud the event just two years later.

The Illinois H.S.toric archives tell the story from there…

Although recipients of the 1975 second-place trophy, Forest View fans had every reason to signal and shout, "We're No. 1."

Dixon won its school's first state championship in any sport by defeating Forest View, 9,749-9,520.

But the Mona Hohm-coached team had four boys in its starting line-up.

Bill Leighty, the Peoria Journal Star assistant sports editor wrote, "A large crowd estimated at 300 packed Town & Country and made it quite evident the sympathy of the crowd was not with the eventual winners. Dixon may be one of the most unpopular champions in the history of IHSA athletics, accepting its awards amid light and scattered applause. But then perhaps the gallery wore itself down applauding when Forest View's all-girl team accepted the runner-up trophy."

Mary Ellen Taylor, tourney manager for host Richwoods, was saddened enough to comment, "Girls sports are just getting started well on a competitive footing. Here we are in only the third year of the bowling tournament and we have to put up with this. In all our years, the girls have never invaded the boys' programs this way."

The IHSA Board of Directors announced the passing of a resolution in May of 1975 that all IHSA-sponsored athletic state meets and tournaments designed and conducted for boys shall be limited to boys and athletic meets and tournaments designed for girls shall be limited to girls.

Those rules would be altered and strengthened over time, as the Illinois State Board of Education, as well as state and federal law, would all come to help govern and protect athletic opportunities for female athletes in Illinois and around the country.