*Story originally published March 18, 1998
Women’s ice hockey may soon be added to the UW-Madison intercollegiate program following the unanimously supported recommendation of the Planning and Equity committee of the UW Athletic Board.
The program is being added to expand opportunities for women and to meet the growing interest in the sport, Associate Athletics Director Cheryl Marra said.
In addition, women’s ice hockey will help the Athletics Department meet the national collegiate gender-equality goals defined by Title IX.
Ice hockey is the third women’s program to be added to the department in recent years, following softball in 1995 and lightweight rowing in 1996. A fourth program will be added to the varsity roster in 2000.
The process of deciding which sport would be added began a year ago, Athletic Board Planning and Equity Committee Chair Dennis Dresang said.
The subcommittee started the process by evaluating competition, interest and feasibility of various sports. Although the list of viable possibilities included water polo, ice hockey and lacrosse, “it was clear that ice hockey was the sport that emerged,” Marra said.
The board hosted two public forums to assess interest and abilities of those who will be affected by the decision.
“The suggestions and interest of everyone is really exciting,” Dresang said. “We think we’ve made a community decision.”
Dresang attributes much of the increased push for women’s ice hockey to current national trends.
“I think having a national team, especially one that took the Olympic gold medal, has enabled a lot of women who have had the interest to come forward,” Dresang said.
Dresang also said ice hockey was a logical addition because many Midwestern universities already have or are planning competitive teams.
The committee’s recommendation will be forwarded to the Athletic Board for final action on April 17. A coach would be hired this summer, with competition to begin in the 1999-2000 season.
The committee will soon begin the process of selecting a 13th women’s varsity sport.
“It’s conceivable that we’ll have the same parallel with water polo that we did with ice hockey,” Dresang said. The decision will be made during the 2000 Summer Olympics which will be the debut of the first women’s national water polo team.
“We don’t want to take the snapshot now to decide what sport will be added in three years,” Marra said.
