The men’s and women’s track and field, as well as cross-country programs, at the University of Texas at Dallas have been cut beginning with the 2025-26 school year. The decision to discontinue the two programs comes in the wake of budget deficits and “lack of on-campus facilities.”
According to Fox 4 News, the affected student-athletes will retain their scholarships if they choose to remain at UT Dallas. Or, the university announced that it would help those who wish to transfer.
But the announcement comes just three weeks before the semester is set to start at UT Dallas, and it leaves student-athletes scrambling for arrangements. Many said it was too late to transfer so close to the start of the cross-country season. One incoming freshman told NBC DFW, “I don’t think I would’ve gone had I known that it wouldn’t be an option.”
Madison Avery, a rising sophomore and track team member, told NBC DFW that there were 65 total athletes in these programs. She feels “there is no remorse, no emotion, sympathy for us at all.”
That sentiment was echoed by former women’s sprinting team captain, Randi Beckham. “It really is a part of who we are, so for something like this to be stripped away from us in the blink of an eye with no warning, no nothing, it hurts beyond compare.”
“The academic program is great, especially for what I want to do,” said Avery. “But I also chose UTD because they were going to give me a spot on the track team.”
In a statement, UT Dallas said, “We recognize the disappointment this decision brings to our student athletes and the impact on their experience at UT Dallas.” UT Dallas joined the Lone Star Conference this summer and earned an upgrade from a Division III to a Division II school.
