The Catholic University of America Athletics Department has announced the addition of four varsity sports for the 2018-19 season. Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Sean Sullivan announced on Monday that Catholic University will sponsor men’s and women’s golf and men’s and women’s rowing.
The four new programs will operate under club-sport status in 2017-18 before transitioning to full varsity standing for the 2018-19 school year. Rowing is already an established club program at Catholic University while golf had previously been a varsity and club sport in the late 1980s.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer these four sports at the varsity athletics level,” said Sullivan. “Catholic University prides itself on providing a wide array of quality co-curricular activities and this move reinforces our commitment to strengthening and diversifying the student experience.”
The addition of men’s and women’s golf coincides with the Landmark Conference officially sponsoring the sport this coming fall. Also, beginning in 2017-18, the Landmark will have an NCAA automatic qualifier (AQ) for men’s golf with the Landmark Champion advancing to the national tournament each season. The women are tentatively expected to gain its AQ in the 2018-19 season.
Drew, Goucher, Elizabethtown, Juniata, Moravian, Scranton and Susquehanna will join Catholic University on the women’s golf side while Drew, Goucher, Juniata, Scranton and Susquehanna, as well as the Cardinals, will all compete in men’s golf.
The league will now offer championships for 12 women’s programs and 10 men’s. Catholic University will compete in 22 Landmark sports with football joining the New England Women’s & Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) beginning this July.
Women’s rowing is currently an NCAA Division III sponsored championship sport while men’s rowing will compete toward regional championships.
The Athletics Department is currently investigating conference affiliations for rowing as there are a number of opportunities available in the Mid-Atlantic Region and throughout the Eastern Seaboard. The Landmark does not currently sponsor rowing.
As of the fall of 2018, Catholic University will sponsor 25 athletic programs: 13 women’s sports (basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, indoor track and field, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, volleyball) and 12 men’s sports (baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, indoor track and field, lacrosse, outdoor track and field, rowing, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis).
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