Meet four women student-athletes making history at CWRU
Each year, National Girls and Women in Sports Day—celebrated the first Wednesday of February—shines a spotlight on the achievements, resilience and impact of women athletes nationwide. At Case Western Reserve University, that legacy is written into the record books.
For decades, women student-athletes have helped define CWRU Athletics, reaching milestone after milestone. Some notable accomplishments include:
- The softball team becoming the first CWRU women’s program to qualify for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament in 2001;
- The women’s soccer team earning the highest national finish in university history with a second-place showing at the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship; and,
- Leslie Kindling (CWR ’95), the first woman at CWRU to win multiple NCAA individual titles after capturing championships in the indoor high jump and outdoor heptathlon in 1995.
To highlight the women who continue to build on this tradition today, we spoke with four Spartans who shared how athletic journeys have shaped their time at CWRU, the importance of recognizing National Girls and Women in Sports Day and more.
Read on to learn more about them.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Katalina Wang
A fourth-year cognitive science and nutrition student on the pre-med track, Katalina Wang’s athletic accomplishments on the women’s tennis team include receiving All-America honors after advancing to quarterfinals of the 2025 NCAA Division III Doubles Championship.
Q. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Being a part of the CWRU women’s tennis team holds me to higher expectations and pushes me further than I could ever do so myself. As an underclassmen on the team, I was expected to exercise discipline on and off the court. Whether it be academics, tennis, physical health or relationships, the team’s culture created an environment in which I was set up to succeed in all of these areas. After I transitioned into my role as an upperclassman, setting a good example in which the rest of the team can look up to pushes me to work even harder and become the best student-athlete possible.
Q. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
The best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU is the community of all the athletes on campus. The support between different teams is clearly evident and very comforting. Seeing a win for other teams is just as fulfilling knowing that everyone worked so hard and are doing their best to represent our school.
Q. Why do you think it’s valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
In a world that is heavily divided for a multitude of reasons, sports are some of the few bridges we have to connect us all together. It is an especially crucial platform for women to make their presence known and show that we belong. The benefits of women in sports produce confidence in athletes that extend to future generations. Young women need to see strong, confident and tenacious role models to redefine social norms that confine our potential. Sports teach women resilience and self-reliance that are important for future success in the professional world.
Jamie Goldfarb
Jamie Goldfarb, a fourth-year business management and economics student with a minor in organizational leadership, also is actively pursuing an integrated Master of Supply Chain Management degree, which she is expected to complete this semester. A midfielder on the women’s soccer team, Goldfarb’s athletic accomplishments include being part of the NCAA Championship All-Tournament, United Soccer Coaches All-American Fourth and Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association All-Ohio First teams.
Q. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
From the start, I was welcomed into an extremely supportive, hardworking and ambitious community of people who continually pushed me to improve and pursue my goals. I am grateful for the relationships I've built with so many amazing people I would not have known otherwise. Being a student-athlete has taught me discipline, time management and resilience. Balancing academics and athletics is undeniably challenging, and staying committed has taught me a lot about myself.
Q. Why do you think it’s valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Society often sends messages that women should be less competitive, outspoken, demanding and passionate. Sports provide a space for women to embrace a stronger part of themselves. They cultivate confidence and leadership skills and teach women to trust themselves, use their voices and grow through challenges. Beyond competition, sports offer independence, empowerment and personal development.
Q. How do you think celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day helps raise awareness and create opportunities for women in sports?
Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day helps raise awareness for women in sports because it creates a platform to recognize and appreciate female athletes' achievements and dedication, in a world where women's sports are still too often overlooked.
Karen Potts
A third-year psychology student, Karen Potts is an infielder on the softball team. In addition to starting all games at shortstop her first and second seasons, Potts’ athletic achievements include being named to All-UAA Second Team and College Sports Communicators’ (CSC) academic all-district team in 2025.
Q. What does being part of a team mean to you?
Being a part of a team, especially at CWRU, means everything to me. After moving to a totally new place as a freshman, I was immediately surrounded by 20 other like-minded, strong and smart women who wanted to support me, help me through life and be a friend along the way. I now have 20+ great friends that I can rely on for anything and who I can be there to support, all while we work side-by-side to push each other to be the best versions of ourselves.
Q. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
The best part of being a student-athlete here has been my team and the connections I've been able to make. The culture of our softball program stems from wanting to be the best we can and to bring others with us, whether that's on or off the field. I have been able to connect with so many different types of people as teammates and through our alumni network, all who provide a sense of community that women's sports really foster.
Q. Why do you think it’s valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
I think it is so valuable for women to compete in sports because they develop critical building blocks that mobilize us to be confident and strong leaders throughout our lives. Being part of a team in a competitive environment fosters many critical skills, ranging from teamwork and resilience to confidence and so much more. These types of skills set us up for whatever we may face in the future and teach us how to handle high-pressure or high-stress situations along the way. Along with all of those skills and strengths, the biggest benefits to me are the community and support that comes with being part of a team.
Claire Kozma
Claire Kozma is a fourth-year human nutrition student with minors in psychology, biology and childhood studies. On the women’s swimming team, Kozma swims both butterfly and freestyle events. Kozma’s accomplishments include holding five school records, being awarded eight All-America honors at the NCAA Championships and being named to the CSC Academic All America Team in 2024 and 2025.
Q. How has being a student-athlete shaped your experience at CWRU?
I remember being so overwhelmed and a little afraid to come to campus as a freshman. There were so many people and unknowns. But the moment I arrived, I already had a family of nearly 100 people on the swim and dive team who welcomed me with open arms. The varsity swimming and diving team has been one of the greatest gifts of my life. From living together, eating meals together and walking to 5 a.m. practices to traveling for meets and going on countless side quests over the years, this team holds so much of my heart. For four years, I’ve had people cheering me on—not only on the pool deck, but also in my academic and professional goals. These are lifelong friends and I am forever grateful for each and every one of them.
Q. What is the best part of being a student-athlete at CWRU?
One of the best parts of being a student-athlete at CWRU is the balance. Competing in Division 3 allows me to pursue high-level collegiate athletics while fully investing in academics and professional development. I’m surrounded by teammates who are just as driven in the classroom as they are in the pool and people who chose to compete not because they have to, but because they genuinely love the sport. There is also an incredible sense of community. No matter where I go on campus, there always seems to be another swimmer or diver nearby. Having that built-in support system makes a large university feel small, familiar and welcoming.
Q. Why do you think it’s valuable for women to compete in sports? What benefits are there to being a woman athlete?
Sports give women a space to really discover their strengths. Being a woman athlete fosters a different level of confidence, resilience, leadership and self-trust. For me, I feel a sense of pride standing on the blocks before my races. I’m proud to show the work that I’ve put in. Over time you learn how to set goals, advocate for yourself and your needs and often push through discomfort—skills that extend far beyond competition and into many parts of life. You get to discover and push physical thresholds and see where training can take you. Women’s sports also offer a rare environment where women are encouraged to take up space, push limits, speak up, celebrate fully and move powerfully without hesitation. That experience builds confidence that extends far beyond athletics. Women’s sports remind us that strength and femininity can and do coexist.
