University cuts men's running programs

The university will reclassify the men's cross country and outdoor track teams from varsity to club status in order to comply with Title IX regulations, officials announced Wednesday. The change will take effect this fall.

"There were a number of options we looked at and in the end, this was the best alternative," Athletic Director Bernard Muir said. "It was a difficult decision nonetheless, because you're impacting the lives of people who wanted to be varsity athletes and wear the uniform here."

The portion of Title IX legislation relevant to athletics was passed in 1979 and mandates a three-pronged approach to gender equality in athletic programs.

In order to comply with Title IX, schools must do one of the following: offer varsity-level athletic opportunities that are proportionate to the gender distribution at the school, demonstrate that they have and will continue to increase varsity programs for the underrepresented gender, or provide for the interests and abilities of the underrepresented gender.

Muir said the change would help the university better adhere to the first part of the law, commonly referred to as the proportionality prong, and therefore be more in compliance with Title IX.

The announcement, which Muir said will affect 38 athletes, comes two years after the university reclassified men's indoor track from varsity to club. When the university was considering the indoor track decision, officials let the team and the public know the move was possible long before the final verdict was announced.

"There was a big public outcry at the time," said Tim Brock, a 2008 alumnus of both teams who is now a graduate assistant track and cross country coach at North Carolina State. "A lot of moves were made. The administration was contacted. I think there were actually a few different meetings with the alumni and the UD administration."

But the university running community did not have that chance this time.

Neither Head Coach Jim Fischer nor the members of teams were made aware of the decision until just before it was announced to the public. The teams were notified via e-mail at approximately 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, and Fischer received the news the night before.

"I didn't see it coming," Fischer said. "It was just a real surprise."

Junior cross country captain Andy Weaver said he felt blindsided by the announcement and was upset the team was not included in the decision-making process.

"It just seems like there are some holes in what they're telling us here. There's Title IX, and there's the money, and the two are kind of intertwined," Weaver said. "We just kind of feel betrayed by it."

At 3 p.m. Wednesday, Muir met with the teams to further explain the reasons behind the reclassification and to listen to students' opinions and concerns. Muir said the administration chose to send out an e-mail first so students would have time to gather their thoughts before the meeting.

Weaver said it will be difficult for students who choose to remain at the university to remain competitive, especially in cross country. Although club track and field members would be eligible for most regular-season meets, there are few varsity cross country meets in which club teams complete, he said.

Sophomore Dan Feeney, a member of both teams, said he will consider transferring in order to continue his running career, but that the decision would be a difficult one.

"I'm up in the air," Feeney said. "I've been in contact with a few coaches from other schools, but at the same time, I'm halfway through my major and it's hard to break into the niche that I have here and try to get into other schools."

Students who are on scholarship and choose to remain at the university will continue to receive their scholarship, as per NCAA regulations. If a student transfers to another university, the decision to provide financial aid is up to that school.

Combined, the two programs have a budget of more than $300,000, Muir said. Scholarships make up the largest percentage of the budget, Fischer said.

"The budgets are better than what they have been," Fischer said. "They've been doing some things to try to help us out and maybe that was our undoing, I don't know."

Feeney said in the two years he has been on the team, he has noticed a reduction in the gear the university provides for the runners. During his freshman year, each member was compensated for one pair of shoes.

"Now, it's three-quarters of a pair of shoes," he said.

Fischer, who has been the men's and women's track and cross country coach since 1982, will continue to coach the women's track and cross country teams and said he would like to remain involved with the men's club teams as well.

"I don't know what shape it will take. I don't know if there will be as much interest because some guys were running club to try to improve their skills and try to be on the varsity next year," he said. "Without that motivation, I don't know if there will be the same impetus to be on the team next year."

Jimmy Daly, a 2008 alumnus, said being a varsity runner was a key part of his college experience and was about more than competition.

"To a lot of people, running is not very exciting—it's more of a punishment—but to those people who it's really important to, it's a big part of their lives and its unfortunate that those guys aren't going to have the same kind of experience we did," Daly said.

Brock, who previously coached high school cross country at The Tatnall School in Greenville, Del., said the decision affects many more people than those already on the team and their friends and families.

"What this is doing is it's making the high schoolers search elsewhere," Brock said. "[They will say] 'I can't go to my state institution and run and make that institution better. I've represented my state well, so the next logical step should be to go to my state institution and make that better.'"