ETSU to discontinue Men’s Indoor Track & Field

Published 12:33 pm Monday, June 26, 2023

JOHNSON CITY – Effective immediately, East Tennessee State University will no longer offer opportunities for students to compete in Men’s Indoor Track & Field. Current and prospective student-athletes affected by the decision were notified earlier today.

“This was not a decision we made lightly,” ETSU Athletic Director Dr. Richard ‘Doc’ Sander said. “But we have to make tough decisions sometimes to ensure we are providing the best possible experiences for our student athletes as a whole and preserving the standard of excellence of our athletics programs.”

In their communication with students, ETSU athletics administrators cited the need to focus limited financial and human resources and align athletics offerings with the shifting makeup of the student body in order to comply with Title IX regulations. Title IX mandates that universities offer athletics opportunities for both sexes in proportion to enrollment demographics. Over the past few years, men have constituted a decreasing percentage of the ETSU’s overall enrollment, a trend observed at universities nationwide.

The decision does not affect the entirety of the men’s track and field program at ETSU. Men’s outdoor track & field and cross-country events will continue as usual. Women’s indoor track & field also is unaffected.