This week, the Quinnipiac University athletics department announced changes to its varsity sports sponsorship, demoting one women’s sport from varsity to club status and adding a men’s team.
According to Go BobCats, women’s rugby will no longer be a varsity, DI sport at the university. That team has been transitioned to club status. A varsity level men’s indoor and outdoor track and field team will be created.
This move appears to be in opposition to the dominant narrative found in many college athletics departments, where athletic directors are looking for ways to add women’s sports, not remove them. However, in its announcement, Quinnipiac University claimed the moves were made to align with “long-term competitive priorities, fiscal sustainability and the University’s ongoing commitment to Title IX compliance.”
The decision to cut women’s rugby is most notable due to the team’s iconic alumna, Ilona Maher, who competed in both the 2020 and 2024 Olympics and took the internet by storm.
When the announcement was made this week, Maher posted on Instagram: “Shame on you," and tagged the school and the athletic department.
Quinnipiac University director of athletics, Greg Amondio addressed the transition of women’s rugby saying, "This action is in no way meant to diminish the dedication, effort or ability of these fine student athletes, coaches and alumni. They have contributed greatly to Quinnipiac Athletics and to the vitality and history of the University.”
In a statement, Quinnipiac University addressed the addition of the men’s sport, saying, “The addition of men's distance track was identified as a high impact opportunity that advances both competitive and gender equity objectives. Key considerations included: The ability to expand men's participation efficiently within an existing sport structure; Leveraging current coaching expertise, training models, and competitive schedules; Scalable roster capacity that supports proportional participation growth; Alignment with Title IX participation benchmarks to maintain institutional balance.”
Previously, the Bobcats offered men’s baseball, basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. Women’s teams included acrobatics and tumbling, basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, softball, tennis, indoor track and field, outdoor track and field, and volleyball — outnumbering men’s offerings by nearly double.
