So in the middle of the season the CSUSB Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher announced that he was cutting the water polo program and adding track and field. Needless to say we are very disappointed. My daughter is a junior and had one more year to play. Here is the "offical" announcement.
http://csusbathletics.com/news/2014/3/21/GEN_0321142611.aspx?path=wwp
SAN BERNARDINO – CSUSB Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher has announced today that women's outdoor track and field will be added to the Coyotes' intercollegiate athletics program and that the women's water polo program will be dropped, both taking place for the 2014-15 academic year.
"This is a time of mixed emotions for both myself and Cal State San Bernardino," Hatcher said. "Track and field is the single largest high school sport for young women in our immediate recruiting area of the Inland Empire. Adding track and field makes sense on multiple levels, but in particular, it accommodates more of the interests and abilities of young women in our area, it strengthens and enhances our university's commitment to Title IX, and it provides more access to athletics by the current student body.''
According to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section, more girls participate in track and field than any other female sport it sponsors.
CSUSB will compete in track and field as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Coyotes currently compete in nine sports in the CCAA – five women's: cross country, volleyball, soccer, basketball and softball; and four men's: soccer, basketball, baseball and golf.
Hatcher anticipates that the 2014-15 track and field squad will include those who are competing on the current cross country team and those who choose to walk-on.
The fact that CSUSB does not have an all-weather track on campus is not a deterrent.
"We're going to take a gradual approach in building our program,'' Hatcher said. "We anticipate that all of our cross country members will be competing in track and field and we also encourage others to walk-on.''
The water polo program, which began as an intercollegiate sport in 1999, competes in the Western Water Polo Association, a conference unaffiliated with the CCAA. The WWPA once included Division I schools such as Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara and Cal State Bakersfield. This past year, LMU and Santa Clara dropped out of the WWPA and became members of the Golden Coast Conference. The current WWPA has five members and most likely will lose its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A conference needs six members to retain the automatic bid.
"This is a decision made with a heavy heart,'' Hatcher said. ""I am well aware of the consequences it has on the student-athletes and coaches on the water polo team. They are a dedicated and hard working group with 13 All-Americans in their history. But at the end of the day, our commitment is to our CCAA membership and maintaining our fiscal operations in an efficient manner.''
The current team has 10 student-athletes with three seniors. Individuals on scholarship will remain so for one year if they remain a student at CSUSB. Transfers will be eligible to play immediately.
Bottom line that we have a swimming pool, but no track and one will have to be built. We had 2 games on Saturday, the second one was at 6pm. We had a reporter from the local paper there watching the game and he interviewed the ladies after the game, along with some of the parents in attendance. Oh and my wife has been very vocal about this. She met with the Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher and the vice president of the school. (In separate meetings)
Cliff notes: They are cancelling my daughter's college water polo program, please sign a petition to help.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-csusb-womens-water.fb77?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=10370965
fd
http://csusbathletics.com/news/2014/3/21/GEN_0321142611.aspx?path=wwp
SAN BERNARDINO – CSUSB Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher has announced today that women's outdoor track and field will be added to the Coyotes' intercollegiate athletics program and that the women's water polo program will be dropped, both taking place for the 2014-15 academic year.
"This is a time of mixed emotions for both myself and Cal State San Bernardino," Hatcher said. "Track and field is the single largest high school sport for young women in our immediate recruiting area of the Inland Empire. Adding track and field makes sense on multiple levels, but in particular, it accommodates more of the interests and abilities of young women in our area, it strengthens and enhances our university's commitment to Title IX, and it provides more access to athletics by the current student body.''
According to the California Interscholastic Federation-Southern Section, more girls participate in track and field than any other female sport it sponsors.
CSUSB will compete in track and field as a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Coyotes currently compete in nine sports in the CCAA – five women's: cross country, volleyball, soccer, basketball and softball; and four men's: soccer, basketball, baseball and golf.
Hatcher anticipates that the 2014-15 track and field squad will include those who are competing on the current cross country team and those who choose to walk-on.
The fact that CSUSB does not have an all-weather track on campus is not a deterrent.
"We're going to take a gradual approach in building our program,'' Hatcher said. "We anticipate that all of our cross country members will be competing in track and field and we also encourage others to walk-on.''
The water polo program, which began as an intercollegiate sport in 1999, competes in the Western Water Polo Association, a conference unaffiliated with the CCAA. The WWPA once included Division I schools such as Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara and Cal State Bakersfield. This past year, LMU and Santa Clara dropped out of the WWPA and became members of the Golden Coast Conference. The current WWPA has five members and most likely will lose its automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. A conference needs six members to retain the automatic bid.
"This is a decision made with a heavy heart,'' Hatcher said. ""I am well aware of the consequences it has on the student-athletes and coaches on the water polo team. They are a dedicated and hard working group with 13 All-Americans in their history. But at the end of the day, our commitment is to our CCAA membership and maintaining our fiscal operations in an efficient manner.''
The current team has 10 student-athletes with three seniors. Individuals on scholarship will remain so for one year if they remain a student at CSUSB. Transfers will be eligible to play immediately.
Bottom line that we have a swimming pool, but no track and one will have to be built. We had 2 games on Saturday, the second one was at 6pm. We had a reporter from the local paper there watching the game and he interviewed the ladies after the game, along with some of the parents in attendance. Oh and my wife has been very vocal about this. She met with the Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin Hatcher and the vice president of the school. (In separate meetings)
Cliff notes: They are cancelling my daughter's college water polo program, please sign a petition to help.
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/save-csusb-womens-water.fb77?source=s.icn.fb&r_by=10370965
fd