Notable Women in Pueblo Sports History
This page highlights some notable women from Pueblo female athletic programs but is by no means inclusive of all the women who made an impact on the local sports community.
Freda Hancock - "Girls today have to understand it takes hard work to win."
Freda Hancock has been called the single greatest female sprinter to come out of Pueblo. In the 1970's she won nine state high school championships with the Centennial Bulldogs, set records and was honored as an All-American while attending Kansas State University, also established track records at the University of Southern Colorado and nearly qualified for the 1976 Olympic track team. She was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and was a charter member of the Colorado State University-Pueblo Hall of Fame.
Anne Vento - "And I didn't play tennis just because my dad wanted me to. I always loved the game."
Growing up in Pueblo, Vento learned tennis from her father, starting when she was five or six years old. She played tennis for Centennial High School in the 1970's, going undefeated in 1972 and winning the No. 2 Singles State Championships that year. She won state crowns in No. 1 Singles in 1973 and 1974, ending her senior year with a 40-0 record. She was named the first ever Colorado Sidelines Girl Athlete of the Year before attending college, first at Pomona College in California and then at Arizona State University. At ASU she played No. 6 Singles and No. 3 Doubles for three years.
Ruth Hulsey - "Some (women) have dedicated their whole life to sports, but have gone unheralded."
Ruth Hulsey was certainly a women who dedicated her life to sports. She established herself on the rifle team at Centennial High School and her, along with a female classmate, tried out and made the boy's baseball team. Hulsey also played softball and participated in the World Softball Tournament. She also played for a year on a Salt Lake City professional softball team before attending Bolwing Green, playing tennis. After graduating college, she returned to Pueblo and taught P.E. at Keating and helped establish women's athletic programs in the schools in the late 60's, such as track, tennis, swimming, volleyball, and basketball. She coached and taught at Centennial and was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 1983.
Sonja Melton - "So I practiced being tough. I threw clipboards and yelled."
Sonja Melton was a pioneer of female athletics, particularly for the gymnastics program that was started at Central High School in 1969. She was a longtime teacher and coach that helped develop the Wildcats gymnastics team, leading them to a state championship in 1978. The team was successful through the late 80's. Melton was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lorraine Zabukovic - "I've tried a lot of other sports, but it's softball that I enjoy most."
Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
Ruth Shelton
She was a charter member for the Pueblo Softball Hall of Fame and was a key player for the women's basketball team for CSU-Pueblo in the late 1960's.
Sherry Vallejos
Vallejos played for the CSU-Pueblo basketball team in the late 1980's and 1990's. She led in free-throw percentages and gained multiple honors from the RMAC conference.
Freda Hancock - "Girls today have to understand it takes hard work to win."
Freda Hancock has been called the single greatest female sprinter to come out of Pueblo. In the 1970's she won nine state high school championships with the Centennial Bulldogs, set records and was honored as an All-American while attending Kansas State University, also established track records at the University of Southern Colorado and nearly qualified for the 1976 Olympic track team. She was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and was a charter member of the Colorado State University-Pueblo Hall of Fame.
Anne Vento - "And I didn't play tennis just because my dad wanted me to. I always loved the game."
Growing up in Pueblo, Vento learned tennis from her father, starting when she was five or six years old. She played tennis for Centennial High School in the 1970's, going undefeated in 1972 and winning the No. 2 Singles State Championships that year. She won state crowns in No. 1 Singles in 1973 and 1974, ending her senior year with a 40-0 record. She was named the first ever Colorado Sidelines Girl Athlete of the Year before attending college, first at Pomona College in California and then at Arizona State University. At ASU she played No. 6 Singles and No. 3 Doubles for three years.
Ruth Hulsey - "Some (women) have dedicated their whole life to sports, but have gone unheralded."
Ruth Hulsey was certainly a women who dedicated her life to sports. She established herself on the rifle team at Centennial High School and her, along with a female classmate, tried out and made the boy's baseball team. Hulsey also played softball and participated in the World Softball Tournament. She also played for a year on a Salt Lake City professional softball team before attending Bolwing Green, playing tennis. After graduating college, she returned to Pueblo and taught P.E. at Keating and helped establish women's athletic programs in the schools in the late 60's, such as track, tennis, swimming, volleyball, and basketball. She coached and taught at Centennial and was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 1983.
Sonja Melton - "So I practiced being tough. I threw clipboards and yelled."
Sonja Melton was a pioneer of female athletics, particularly for the gymnastics program that was started at Central High School in 1969. She was a longtime teacher and coach that helped develop the Wildcats gymnastics team, leading them to a state championship in 1978. The team was successful through the late 80's. Melton was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Association Hall of Fame in 2001.
Lorraine Zabukovic - "I've tried a lot of other sports, but it's softball that I enjoy most."
Zabukovic started playing softball at a young age, playing on competitive teams like the Pueblo Ordinance Depot Podettes team. Later she joined the Walters' Brewery womens' fastpitch team, playing for 15 years and
winning several state championships. In the 1970's, she switched from fastpitch to slowpitch softball and in the 90's she was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame.
winning several state championships. In the 1970's, she switched from fastpitch to slowpitch softball and in the 90's she was inducted into the Greater Pueblo Sports Hall of Fame.
Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
Although not from Pueblo, "Babe" Didrikson was married to George Zaharias, a Pueblo native and professional wrestler. She was an excellent golfer, often considered the first female golf celebrity, and also participated in track and field, winning two gold medals and one silver medal at the 1932 Olympic Games. She garnered wins in both amateur and professional golf tournaments in the 1940's and 50's.
Ruth Shelton
She was a charter member for the Pueblo Softball Hall of Fame and was a key player for the women's basketball team for CSU-Pueblo in the late 1960's.
Sherry Vallejos
Vallejos played for the CSU-Pueblo basketball team in the late 1980's and 1990's. She led in free-throw percentages and gained multiple honors from the RMAC conference.
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