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Passage of national Title IX legislation 50 years ago began leveling the playing field for female athletes.

Now, five La Conner High School senior girls have signed letters of intent to compete for college athletic programs next school year.

Juna Swanson, Sarah Cook, Rachel Cram, Emma Keller and Emma Worgum were front and center at Landy James Gym May 17, with their friends, family members and school staff during a 45-minute collegiate athletics letter of intent signing ceremony.

“This is a super special event,” said La Conner Schools Athletics Director Mikki Gifford.

“We have multiple senior student-athletes who will have the opportunity to be collegiate athletes,” Gifford stressed. “On the eve of (the golden anniversary) of Title IX, this is an exciting thing to see.”

Each of the fondly dubbed “Fab Five” has left her mark on the La Conner sports scene.

Worgum, among the state’s elite junior golfers who from her freshman season led her team, will compete with the Western Washington University women’s golf program next year.

Keller, an All-State setter who was an integral part of the 2021 state 2B volleyball championship team, will take her game to the community college level, having drawn interest from the Edmonds and Tacoma programs. Her final decision on a college choice is still to be announced.

Swanson filled both playmaking and scoring roles for the girls’ basketball team that placed fourth at the state 2B Hardwood Classic in March. La Conner’s season was marked by victories over 1B-4A foes, perhaps the only Washington 2B hoops squad that could make that claim. Swanson has signed with Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon, where she will major in kinesiology.

Cook, a three-sport standout at La Conner High School, will compete in both volleyball and women’s basketball at Skagit Valley College.

Cram, like Cook, was an integral part of both the volleyball and girls’ basketball teams. She has signed with Whitworth University in Spokane to play volleyball.

La Conner coaches offered their congratulations.

Assistant golf coach Galen McKnight saluted Worgum for her key role in relaunching the La Conner program after it had been shelved several years by budget cuts.

“She helped make the golf program what it is today,” McKnight said. “The golf program has come a long way and Emma has helped in a big way.”

The team is competing in the state 2B golf tournament this week.

Volleyball coach Suzanne Marble praised Keller for having ignited the Lady Braves’ attack that helped them defeat small and large school teams.

Marble said Cram, who will major in speech and communications, “embraced her role” as La Conner’s libero, serving as the team’s back-row defensive specialist.

“She loved what she was doing,” Marble said, “and she’s going to do amazing things at Whitworth.”

Cook, said Marble, was a commanding presence on the court.

“Her smile made all the difference when she was on the floor,” Marble said.

La Conner assistant girls’ basketball coach, Dustin Swanson, noted how his daughter, Juna, was committed to winning.

“She didn’t miss a practice in four years,” said Swanson, his voice cracking with emotion.

“It was a cool experience,” he said, “coaching all these kids and my own daughter.”

Marble spoke for the entire audience when she linked the success of the “Fab Five” to Title IX, the civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program receiving funding from the federal government.

“This is the most athletes we’ve had to sign with college programs,” Marble said. “We offer our congratulations to our female athletes who are going on to college.”