National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Jan 25, 2010 9:16:32 AM

Barton announced January 21 that it plans to add men's and women's track and field for 2010-11, bringing the number of varsity teams at the school to 14. The last sport addition for the institution was men's and women's cross country 10 years ago.

Karen Godlock has been named to lead the new track and field program, coupled with Barton's existing cross country program. Godlock, a former All-American at North Carolina, comes to Barton from Winston-Salem State, where she served as assistant coach for men's and women's cross country and track and field.

Barton joins Conference Carolinas members Anderson (South Carolina), Belmont Abbey, Lees-McRae, Limestone, Mount Olive, Queens (North Carolina) and St. Andrews Presbyterian as sponsors of track and field. League members Coker, Converse, Erskine and Pfeiffer have cross country teams but not track and field. With Anderson leaving the league to join the South Atlantic Conference in 2010-11, Conference Carolinas will have seven schools competing in track and field for both genders next year.

"Adding the track and field component to our Division II athletics program provides an optimum opportunity for Barton to expand our participation with colleagues in Conference Carolinas," said President Norval C. Kneten.

Kneten added that the re-emergence of the sport on Barton's campus also connects the college to its earlier Atlantic Coast Conference roots when track and field was first introduced in April 1956 and continued through 1981.

"It is exciting for our athletics program to look toward the return of track and field, this time for both men and women," said Athletics Director Gary Hall. "The addition of track and field is a natural extension of what are now mature cross country teams at Barton. We will clearly improve our level of competitiveness in cross country because the better distance runners' desire to compete in track and field in the spring of the year as opposed to engaging in what by NCAA Division II rules is a very limited nonchampionship season of cross country."

Sheryl Neff, who has coached Barton's cross country teams since 2001, will now devote her full coaching efforts to the Bulldogs' softball team and will take on an expanded role as a faculty member in the college's physical education department.