In its recommendation, the study group stated the university "is not in the position at this time to add an athletic program," said group member Rep. Paul Baumbach (D-Newark) primarily because it's still trying to outline its long-term strategic plan under athletic director Chrissi Rawak who was installed in May 2016, The News Journal reported this week.
"This is not an excuse, it is a reality," Rawak told the group. " … To jump into a decision right now is not the right thing for us to be doing. There is a process for that that we will be very thoughtful about."
Rawak cited the importance of sustainability through funding, staffing, facilities and other issues for a new intercollegiate wrestling program to be consistently successful. Estimates have been that a wrestling program would likely cost UD approximately $800,000 annually.
Funding is a major issue. Nearly 80 percent of UD's $32 million annual athletics budget comes directly from the state.
Jeffrey Garland, UD vice president and secretary, stated that the state of Delaware has $500 million in deferred maintenance right now, which makes it difficult to justify adding a new sports program.
"The pie is only so big and that's the challenge we're facing right now," according to Garland.
Money isn't the only hurdle. The wrestling study group also expressed concerns about Title IX gender equity being impacted by the addition of a men's wrestling program at UD.
Approximately 57 percent of University of Delaware's undergraduate enrollment is female. UD has chosen the proportionality prong to meet Title IX standards. That means percentages of expenditures within the athletic department should also reflect overall student-body percentages.
Even now without men's wrestling, that is not the case, as University of Delaware devotes 57% of its athletics budget, 51% of its financial aid, 65% percent of its recruiting expenses and 60% of its salaries to men's sports. That is not unusual for schools such as Delaware that have football. But adding wrestling would sway those percentages even more toward male athletes.
The UD wrestling study group did not close the door completely on a possible return of wrestling to the school's intercollegiate sports roster. One of the possible scenarios mentioned in their final report was to link a returning men's program to a new women's mat program if the NCAA were to grant women's wrestling "emerging status."
Matt Robinson, director of UD's sport management program, said that twinning a returning wrestling program with a new women's program under "emerging status" -- along with the generous participation of major donors -- would be a great opportunity for the sport overall at the school.
Another possible scenario outlined in the report would be to link a men's wrestling program to another new women's sport other than wrestling, such as ice hockey.
The task force also encouraged UD to continue to cultivate possible donors with an "affinity" to wrestling who could also contribute to additional athletic ventures.
The report also suggests that perhaps other colleges within the state of Delaware consider adding wrestling as a way to increase male enrollment.
The wrestling task force has completed its mission prior to the deadline set by the state legislation, and has no further obligations.
Although University of Delaware presently does not have an intercollegiate wrestling program, the school is home to a wrestling club. In addition, UD is host to the Beast of the East, one of the nation's top high school mat tournaments, held the weekend before Christmas at the Carpenter Center.
Established in 1743, University of Delaware describes itself as "one of the oldest universities in the U.S." The four-year, public university, located in Newark, has a total enrollment of approximately 23,000 students. The school's sports teams, the Blue Hens, compete in NCAA Division I.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now