DENVER – MSU Denver has for decades been a leader in providing equal opportunities for women in intercollegiate athletics.
 
Today is the 21st installment of a 52-part tribute by Roadrunners Athletics to pioneers and leaders in intercollegiate athletics at MSU Denver.

Each Thursday, a key female figure in Roadrunners athletics history will be recognized.
 
Today, soccer star Amy Leichliter is featured.
 
The beginning of MSU Denver's national prominence in women's soccer coincided with Leichliter's four years (2002-05) as a star for the Roadrunners. She led the Roadrunners to their first-ever women's soccer national championship in 2004. MSU Denver reached the NCAA quarterfinals or beyond in each of her four years.

The native of Greeley, Colo., was a two-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America forward, earning first team honors as a sophomore in 2003 and third team honors as a senior in 2005. She also garnered RMAC Freshman of the Year hardware in 2002. She was a four-time All-RMAC first team selection.

Leichliter finished her career as the program's all-time points, goals and assists leader in 2005 with 163 points on 67 goals and 29 assists, though teammate Kylee Hanavan topped all three records one year later.

She was inducted into the Roadrunners Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
 
Title IX, the groundbreaking law prohibiting sex-based discrimination at schools that receive funding from the federal government, went into effect just over 50 years ago – on June 23, 1972.