By Jane Burns, Nikki Kallio, Sue Sveum and Katie Vaughn
Photography by Hillary Schave | Photographed on location at Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Meet any of the women who are on these pages and they’ll tell you the same thing: Playing sports guided the trajectory of their lives and positively influenced who they are today. But more importantly, all of them are cultivating female athletes, bringing new sports franchises to the city and championing women’s sports. (Oh, and one of them is an Olympian and another has won five national championships as a coach — no biggie.)
Manifesting Her Dream Career
Lauren Carlini, LOVB player and UW-Madison women’s volleyball coach
Volleyball star Lauren Carlini’s entire life has led to moments she’s experiencing now and dreams that have already come true. Now she’s building on those dreams to help others achieve theirs, too.
Team Player
Samantha Rubin, general manager of the Madison Night Mares and the Madison Mallards
Samantha Rubin will never forget opening day for the Madison Night Mares. The near-constant rain of June 2024 held off as 2,300 softball fans flocked to Warner Park to welcome the city’s new collegiate softball team.
“The community really showed up,” says Rubin, who moved to Madison in 2021 to become general manager of the Madison Mallards men’s baseball league and now also oversees the Night Mares. “We won 18 to 1, but that was just icing on the cake.”
Frozen Dreams
Jackie Crum, UW-Madison assistant women’s hockey coach
Jackie Crum’s hockey experience at UW-Madison includes far more than than the eight total NCAA Women’s Ice Hockey Championships the team has won since its inception — including the thriller the Badgers just won in March 2025. (Crum has helped the team win five of those championships as a coach.) She’s been a part of the UW’s women’s hockey program most of its entire tenure.
Hell on Wheels
Sarah Larson, executive director of the Madison Roller Derby
About 20 years ago, Sarah Larson was scrolling through Craigslist ads for writing gigs and came across one to cover the roller derby beat for the former Dane101.com. Roller derby is a fast-moving sport that’s played by two teams, each with four blockers and one jammer, who earns points for every blockers hip they pass from the opposite team.
Fostering Female Golfers
The Golf Foundation of Wisconsin (GFW) is on a mission to boost and promote golf opportunities for Wisconsin’s female golfers.
“We’re working to grow and expand access to golf for girls and women by providing an inclusive and supportive environment that helps them excel in the sport,” explains Travis Becker, GFW’s director of instruction.
The foundation’s programs focus on teens and women in a variety of formats.
Female Youth Athlete Programs
- Inner-City Golf Academy: This two-day event in June is for girls in grades 7-12 that matriculate to or currently attend Madison East or La Follette high schools. It covers swing fundamentals, on-course play and more.
- Non-Metropolitan Golf Academy: This program focuses on smaller schools lacking professional golf instruction, with female students from grades 7-12 invited to participate in a two-day academy in July.
- Diversity Outreach Program: The GFW provides a scholarship to a female golfer of color to take part in its spring and summer junior golf program.
For adults, the GFW partners with the LPGA Amateur Association to hold women’s golf clinics in June, July and August, and will host a women’s collegiate event at TPC Wisconsin this September.
— Sue Sveum
