Vestal, NY (WBNG Binghamton) An Olympic Gold Medalist helps Binghamton University honor the achievements of women in athletics.
More than 500 people came out to the Binghamton University Events Center for the seventh annual Celebrating Women's Athletics luncheon.
It is hosted each year by the Binghamton University Athletics Club and is one of the Athletics's department's primary fundraisers.
The event recognizes the achievements of BU female student-athletes and raises awareness of the benefits of collegiate athletic competition.
This year's guest speaker was Olympic swimmer, Amanda Beard. Beard has competed in the last four Olympic games. Since 1996, she has won seven Olympic medals, including gold at the 1996 and 2004 games.
Beard became a full-time swimmer at 11 years old. She also works as a model. She says she loves speaking to young female athletes about how sports helped her develop as a person.
"I want to bring reality to athletics. It's not all super-easy and you just don't step up to the block, in my case, and dive-in and win medals. It's a roller coaster of a journey. I like to share a moment of my life where I was at the top of the podium and then sunk to the bottom. How did I make it back up to the same position," said Beard.
This year's student speaker was Briana Andrews of the Binghamton University softball team.
Since 2006, the event has raised more than $100,000 to support the BUAC Women's Scholarship Fund. It was established in 2007 and is awarded each year to a deserving female student-athlete.
The luncheon is held each February as a part of a series of national events surrounding National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
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