The University of New Orleans announced Wednesday that it will expand its athletic program to include men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field, beginning with the 2012-13 academic year. The additions give UNO a total of 14 sports, satisfying the NCAA Division I sport sponsorship requirement for the first time since Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.
As the Associated Press reports, budget cuts in the years after Katrina led UNO to apply to the NCAA for permission to switch from Division I to Division III. After further study, UNO later applied for permission to change to Division II. But after switching from the Louisiana State University System to the University of Louisiana System - and following the arrival of new top administrators - UNO opted to try to remain in Division I.
UNO's male student-athletes also compete in basketball, baseball, golf, tennis and cross country. Female student-athletes compete in volleyball, basketball, golf, tennis and cross country.
Meanwhile, former UNO athletic director James Miller recently published Where the Water Kept Rising: A College Athletic Director's Fight to Save a New Orleans Sports Insitution. The book chronicles Miller's efforts to keep UNO sports programs above water in the wake of Katrina.
Tours of three UNO athletic facilities - Lakefront Arena, the Aquatic Center and the Recreation & Fitness Center - will be offered to Athletic Business Conference attendees on Nov. 28.
