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International notes: Sundhage to speak at Ripon College this weekend

05/12/2016, 11:30pm CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON
Pia Sundhage

Former U.S. women's national team coach Pia Sundhage, now coaching her native Sweden, will be the commencement speaker at Ripon College this weekend.

Sundhage, who compiled a 91-6-10 record and guided the U.S. to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and '12 and a second-place finish in the 2011 Women's World Cup during her four-year tenure leading the storied American side, will hold a Q-and-A session from 12:30-1:30 p.m. Saturday at Demmer Recital Hall inside the C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts. The event is free and open to the public.

On Sunday, the 56-year-old Sundhage will receive an honorary degree and deliver the keynote address at the school's commencement ceremony.

"Pia Sundhage is, hands down, one of the greatest soccer coaches and players in the history of the sport," Ripon president Zach Messitte said in a news release. "She is a role model for a generation of athletes around the world who are committed to excellence, sportsmanship and equality."

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