HARTFORD, Conn. — Four exceptional women will be added to the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame at the 29th Annual Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame (CWHF) Induction Ceremony and Celebration.
Cora Lee Bentley Radcliffe, Jennifer Rizzotti, Lhakpa Sherpa and Suzy Whaley will be recognized for their exceptional work, spirit, and achievements. Their success in sports and the impact they've had in the industry for women will also be recognized.
Women in Sports is the CWHF’s 29th Annual Hall of Fame Ceremony and Celebration expected to take place at the Connecticut Convention Center on October 20 at 6 p.m.
2022 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
- Suzy Whaley – Professional golfer from Connecticut, who in November 2018 became the first female President of the PGA of America. In 2003, she became the first woman in 58 years to qualify for a PGA Tour when she qualified for the 2003 Greater Hartford Open. She was also the first woman to win a PGA individual professional tournament. Whaley is recognized as one of GOLF’s “Top 100 Teachers in America,” Golf Digest Top 50 Instructor and LPGA Top 50 Instructor. She is a board member and advisor for several organizations, as well as the President of Golf Nation. Whaley has been honored as a female leader with a significant impact on sports business.
- Jennifer Rizzotti – A Connecticut native who first earned national recognition as the starting point guard for the UCONN Huskies women’s basketball team when they earned their first national championship in 1995. She is currently President of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. Rizzotti served as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach at George Washington University for five seasons and 11 seasons as Head Coach of the University of Hartford Women’s Basketball program, where she was named America East Coach of the Year three times. Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, Rizzotti is recognized internationally, most notably as an assistant coach to the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, with whom she won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
- Lhakpa Sherpa – A Connecticut resident since 2002, she is not only the first Nepali woman to successfully summit Mt. Everest, but the first woman to successfully summit the world’s highest mountain 10 times, beating her own world record again this year for most Everest summits a woman has ever made. In 2016, she was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 Women. Recently, Lhakpa started her own guiding service, Cloudscape Climbing, which she operates in New England and the Himalayas. Lhakpa’s achievements have not only started a shift in Sherpa culture and inspired more women in Nepal and New England to climb but have also marked her as a symbol of strength for women all over the world.
- Cora Lee Bentley Radcliffe (posthumous) – A pioneer of women’s sports in Connecticut, she had a profound impact on Connecticut ever since moving to Hartford to earn her master’s degree in Special Education from the University of Hartford where she excelled in track and field. She used her athletic abilities, collaboration skills and passion to start the first Black female basketball and softball team in Connecticut, the Tigerettes, and led the team to a victory their very first season. She inspired hundreds of girls and women, especially Black girls, and women, to realize their athletic potential. Her passion to help others carried through her 30+ year journey of being a mentor in supporting the needs of mentally challenged children in schools throughout Hartford. Although Cora Lee passed on August 3, 2010, her mark on the involvement of Black females in sports has been profound.
“We have an exceptional program this year,” said Sarah Smith Lubarsky, Executive Director, CWHF. “We are thrilled to honor these amazing women, who have not only achieved great personal success in their sport but have also carved easier paths for women and girls to follow. In this 50th Anniversary year of Title IX, it is appropriate that we recognize the progress that has been made and highlight the achievements of these extraordinary women.”
Jareliz Diaz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jdiaz@fox61.com
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