Wayne State To Add Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track, and Women's Golf

Wayne State To Add Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track, and Women's Golf

Release courtesy of the WSU Sports Information Department

DETROIT -- Wayne State University Director of Athletics Rob Fournier has announced the addition of three new women's sports to begin competition in the upcoming 2012-13 academic year, including women's indoor track and outdoor track.

“We are always looking to expand athletic opportunities for student-athletes that fit our mission, student interest and is consistent with the trends and expectations of emerging constituencies in our geographic area,” said Fournier.  “Women's indoor and outdoor track meets these expectations ... and more.”

WSU will also be adding women's golf for the 2012-13 school year.  

“When we looked at the sucess of our men's golf program, and our ability to maximize resources in today's athletic environment, women's golf is the perfect complement to that setting.”

Of the current 314 members of NCAA Division II, including provional and candidacy schools, 155 offer indoor track and 200 institutions have women's outdoor track.

In addition, 169 Division II members currently have women's golf programs.

“Both women's track and golf are conference (GLIAC) sports so the proximity of travel, and alignment with our established conference, makes sense for administrative purposes and recognition of our student-athletes,” added Fournier.  We will travel to venues with which we are familiar and our fans already have an association.”

Current WSU head cross country coach Rick Cummins will add the head coaching duties for the track program.

An associate head coach for the track program will be named later this summer.

According to NCAA Sports Sponsorship and Participation Rates report released in Dec. 2011, just as in the previous three years, the average NCAA athletics program fields 17 teams, eight for men and nine for women.

With the addition of women's indoor and outdoor track, and women's golf, Wayne State will sponsor eight men's sports teams and 10 women's sports teams.

In 2010-11, the sport with the highest number of women's teams added was golf with 26, followed by indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, cross country, golf and tennis.

The women's sport that has been added the most since 1988-89 is soccer with 635 new programs in the NCAA. Some other women's sports with large numbers of teams added since 1988-89 are, in order, golf, indoor track and field, cross country, outdoor track and field, and softball.

Traditionally, women's track and field had more female student-athletes in the NCAA than any other women's sport.

For more information on NCAA Participation Rates go to http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/PR2012.pdf