What is N-Power?

N-Power exists to pave pathways to success in competition, and in life… and we are just getting started!

Meet our
Founders

Kathryn Rafter

Kathryn played both Basketball and Tennis at NU, and majored in Transportation, Travel and Tourism. After graduation, Kathryn embarked on a17 year career at American Airlines. In 1992, she founded her own consulting firm.She now lives and plays in Dallas with her partner, Francey Beall, and is still best friends with her NU classmates! Kathryn is a part of the NU's Athletic Hall of Honor.

Francey Beall

Francey is a graduate of Texas A&M, where she played both basketball and water basketball. With a degree in marketing, she found a love for logistics in the household goods moving industry. A fourth generation Texan, she and Kathryn live in Dallas. Francey is an honorary Purple Eagle, having grown to love NU through Kathryn's connection to the university. She believes in N-Power's mission of supporting Niagara and its women athletes from success in their sport to an eventual career.

Cindi Arman

Cindi played both Basketball and Softball at NU, and graduated with a degree in physical education. She has had a 33-year career as the Head Athletic Trainer at Franklin Pierce University. Over the years, she's worked with athletes, coaches, admin, and staff. She was even able to apply her A.T. skills for the Sprint Kayak and Rowing Events during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Cindi believes the best

N-Power is fueled by generations of women who have competed for Niagara University.

Niagara University first welcomed women students in 1926 through its off-campus Niagara Extension School. By 1944, the university became fully co-educational, marking a significant milestone in its history. From that point through the late 1960s, women at NU participated in sports primarily through intramural and recreational activities.

The early 1970s ushered in a transformative era. Women student-athletes on the basketball and tennis teams played a pivotal role in advancing Niagara University’s compliance with Title IX, helping to lay the foundation for gender equity in athletics both on campus and nationwide.

Over the next three decades, women’s sports at Niagara University grew steadily in scope and impact. Today, NU proudly supports eleven women’s varsity teams, all competing at the NCAA Division I level within the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).