In honor of the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, Slippery Rock University's athletic director was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at Friday night’s Pirates game at PNC Park.Roberta Page, who is in her second year in charge of sports at the university, served for more than a decade as the director of championships and alliances at the NCAA.Her new job represents a full circle moment of sorts, as she played softball and basketball at SRU."I was playing when was happening," Page said. "I got to see the progression and now to lead the organization through that – it's awesome."Title IX was passed to protect people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.As Page spoke to Pittsburgh's Action News 4, she made sure to heap some praise on her catcher for the night: Jan Kasnevich, Page's former softball coach. "I was not a recruited softball player at Slippery Rock," Page recalled. "But Jan took a chance on me. And I often tell people, I am where I am today because of people like Jan."Now retired, Kasnevich spent 33 years coaching softball and field hockey at the university. She vividly remembers the challenges female athletes faced before Title IX was crafted."We were on the soccer practice fields," Kasnevich said, recalling how her softball team would practice. "We didn't have a softball field. So we would just go to whatever corner was the driest."Page commended Kasnevich for her influence on her career, but Kasnevich was equally as complimentary of her former player and current friend. "She has been an advocate for Title IX and equality her whole career," Kasnevich said.