Found out, via Twitter, yesterday that Niagara University is cutting its women's ice hockey team because it is too expensive--and apparently underperforming. Apparently, after a strong start (the team made the Frozen Four only four years after its establishment), the team has not done well.
The school, which has (according to the latest Department of Education data) a 59% female undergrad population, has 53% of its athletic opportunities going to women. That is with hockey. Without hockey that statistic goes to 45%. The school has announced it will add women's track and field. Right now it looks like NU has cross country for both men and women. The addition of track and field for women means that there will be "new" opportunities for female student athletes, but that some of those are likely to be filled by current cross country runners--which is fine and legal and all.
It's just a little disappointing that to save costs, the university has decided to draw support from it's women's ice hockey team, but keep the men's team, and add what will likely be fewer opportunities overall because of the duplicate athletes (of which NU currently has none).
