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