San Jose State University has announced today that they will be adding Women’s Outdoor Track to the SJS Athletics Department in 2013-14. One of the most prestigious track & field programs in the United States is coming alive once again.
Athletic Director Tom Bowen is doing it right. Giving the upcoming XC Director the year to begin recruiting and developing a program makes a ton of sense.
As a former coach in the Bay Area (Bellarmine, Santa Clara and Foothill), it makes me smile that SJS is getting back into the world’s oldest (and we know, dear readers, the best), sport.
The late Bud Winter, who would allow Bellarmine athletes to run on the then best track facility in the area, should be smiling. The program he developed into a powerhouse will come back, modestly, and the SJS athletics department should be congratulated on that move.
This is the second program in the Bay Area to add track & field back into their programs. St. Marys College of Moraga, CA did so in November 2011.
Looking forward to seeing their first meet!
Spartans Adding Women’s Outdoor Track In 2013-14
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adding to its NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program. With a keen
interest in enhancing its women’s cross country team, the Spartans plan to add
outdoor track beginning with the 2013-14 season.
Since
sponsoring women’s cross country in 1994, team members were limited to local
races as individual entries during the traditional outdoor track season months
of March through June. With the addition of women’s outdoor track, the Spartans
can compete as a team locally, regionally and in conference competition, for a
conference championship, and qualify for the NCAA Championships.
“We
are in an advantageous position to enhance our women’s cross country team with
the addition of women’s track as our newest NCAA Division I athletics program. This
decision will give our existing cross country team members a better overall
intercollegiate athletics experience and we will be able to attract a more
diverse and talented pool of prospective female student-athletes from high
schools and community colleges,” says San Jose State athletics director Tom
Bowen.
“Right
now, we are in the process of identifying a new cross country coach (following
the retirement of former coach Augie Argabright) that also will be San Jose
State’s first coach of women’s track. Our applicant pool is very talented and
dedicated to making the Spartans competitive immediately in track and more
competitive in cross country.
“Our
plan is to give the new coach a full year’s recruiting cycle to launch San Jose
State University women’s track. It’s an exciting process and we are looking
forward to big things from our track and cross country teams,” adds Bowen. The
recruiting emphasis will be to attract NCAA Division I-caliber female
student-athletes who can train and compete in the 800 through 10,000-meter runs
and/or the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
Women’s
outdoor track is one of the most popular Division I programs with more than 300
Division I schools fielding a team. According to the 2010-11 NCAA Sports
Sponsorship and Participation Rates report, only women’s soccer, women’s golf,
softball, women’s rowing and women’s indoor track exceeded outdoor track as a
new sports offering. San Jose State already has championship teams in women’s
soccer and women’s golf and a softball program that has two NCAA Tournament
appearances in its history.
The
Spartans’ long-range plan does include enhancing the women’s track program to
include an indoor season. Like outdoor track, more than 300 NCAA Division I
institutions sponsor women’s indoor track.
