Clemson to continue men’s track and cross-country programs

Five months after announcing plan to eliminate them, Clemson University will continue men’s outdoor and indoor track and field and cross-country programs as varsity sports.

The decision comes after revised financial projections show that the impacts of COVID-19 did not harm the university’s budget as much as anticipated, according to a university news release.

The release said the decision comes “after months of discussion with student-athletes, their representatives, families, supporters and others.” During those months, the track and cross-country programs also received a lot of support from students and the community through protest messages on yard signs and business message boards throughout the area.

Contributions from philanthropic fundraising, as well as state and federal financial support and appropriation, also played into the decision and allowed the school to expand its women’s varsity sports offerings, the news release said.

The university will decide soon which women’s sports to add, according to the release.

“This is the right decision for our university, our department of athletics and, most importantly, for the young men and women who proudly wear the Clemson uniform,” Clemson President Jim Clements said in the release. “I am thrilled that we are able to continue these men’s programs and I am excited for the new varsity opportunities we will soon be adding for our female student athletes.”

While in recent years the athletics department has added women’s golf and softball, the university has also seen rapid growth in its female student population. In 2011, Clemson’s student population was 54.3% male. In the fall 2021 semester, female students are expected to outnumber males for the first time, according to the news release.

“I am appreciative of the support of the university and our collaboration that will allow us to not only maintain our current sports portfolio but add to it in the very near future,” Athletics Director Dan Radakovich said in the release. “As we communicated previously, the original decision was difficult, and we did what was necessary at the time to maintain compliance with gender equity while addressing our financial situation. I am excited about the future of Clemson Athletics and for our student-athletes.”

Clemson agreed with attorneys to conduct a gender equity review of its intercollegiate athletics program to develop, adopt and implement a new gender equity plan to strengthen Clemson’s support for its championship women’s sports programs. The plan is be completed no later than July 1, 2022, and will be designed to ensure that Clemson improve, and achieves Title IX compliance across all aspects of its intercollegiate athletics program, according to the release.

Title IX is part of the federal Education Amendments 1972. Among other things, it requires schools to offer an equal number of opportunities to men and women participating in sports. The large size of football teams often means a larger number of other teams for women.