Division I school changes course on women's sports cuts

The University of Northern Iowa announced in late June that it will reinstate its women's tennis and women's swimming and diving programs. Those programs were dropped in May, along with men's tennis and men's swimming and diving, because of budget cuts.

Institution representatives said the women's programs were reinstated because Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, a Washington, D.C. firm representing female student-athletes at Northern Iowa, had indicated that it would sue.

"We are caught between Iowa's expenditure reductions and the national drive to increase intercollegiate athletics opportunities for women," said Rick Hartzell, Northern Iowa's athletics director. "The action we are taking now is in the best interests of gender equity. We will focus on re-establishing these programs."

The reinstatement was proposed by George Carroll, an Iowa assistant attorney general assigned to the regents' universities, and supported by Northern Iowa administrators.

Rebecca Epstein, an attorney with Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, told the Associated Press that her organization was pleased with the school's decision.

"It's a victory for women athletes and everyone who cares about gender equity in sports," she said. "We are disappointed, though, that the school did not reinstate the men's team as well, but that was the school's decision to make."

Hartzell said both programs will have the same level of funding and support that they did before the May announcement. Last year, there were eight women on the tennis roster and 20 on the swimming roster.

The cost to reinstate the programs will be about $150,000, depending on the cost of scholarships. The university is still deciding how to compensate for its budget shortfall.

"Financial pressure still exists," said Northern Iowa President Robert Koob. "We still have a budget problem in athletics. It's imperative that all associated with our athletics programs continue to work diligently to raise needed funds for endowing scholarship opportunities for our student-athletes and other operational support."

Danny May will be offered the head women's swimming coaching position that he previously held, and a search will be conducted to fill the vacant women's tennis coaching position.

Fear the turtle, save the terrapin

"Fear the Turtle" was a slogan seen in all kinds of places this March, from the Men's Final Four to the cover of Sports Illustrated, as the men's basketball team from the University of Maryland, College Park, took home a national title.

Now the slogan has the potential to protect homes for real turtles. The university recently announced that it will dedicate a portion of the proceeds from the sales of merchandise bearing that slogan to protect the real diamondback terrapin and its habitat.

A real diamondback terrapin accompanied the team this March to Syracuse University for the regionals, where the terrapin met CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz (upper right) and even had a chance to mosey across the floor of the Carrier Dome.

Now those terrapins not lucky enough to attend basketball games will still feel the support of the fans.

The funds will go toward research and field programs administered by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

The terrapin is the official state reptile of Maryland, and it also has been the official mascot of the university since 1933.

"Working with the University of Maryland, proceeds from the 'Fear the Turtle' campaign will be used for terrapin conservation, education and habitat preservation," said Maryland Gov. Parris N. Glendening. "While other teams should 'Fear the Turtle' on the court and on the field, by working together here on the Chesapeake Bay, we will assure the diamondback terrapin will again thrive in its natural element."

-- Compiled by Kay Hawes

Number crunching

Looking back

Birth of NCAA championships

Though National Collegiate championships had been held in tennis and golf beginning in the late 19th century, the first championship held under the auspices of the NCAA was the 1921 Men's Track and Field Championships.

Gen. Palmer E. Pierce, in his president's address delivered before the 14th annual NCAA Convention in 1919, suggested it would be "advisable for the Association to favor having the college athletes of the United States meet in competition for the various national championships."

Thus, at the 1920 Convention, delegates approved a national track and field meet for 1921. The committee appointed "to arrange details" of the championship was composed of Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago; Maj. John L. Griffith of the University of Illinois, Champaign; and professor T.E. Jones of the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The championship, held June 17-18 at Chicago's Stagg Field, included student-athletes from 62 NCAA member schools. Accounts from the 1922 Spalding Track and Field Guide claim that "Saturday noon, June 17, a heavy rain fell in the downtown districts of Chicago, and this very materially reduced the attendance. In spite of this handicap, however, the gate receipts were large enough to permit the committee to refund to the visiting teams two-thirds of their traveling expenses."

Delegates at the 1921 NCAA Convention, in fact, commended committee members "on their success in the face of serious difficulties" and reappointed them to arrange for another meet the following summer.

Illinois won the team title in the inaugural track and field championships with a score of 20 ¹/4 points. The University of Notre Dame was second, followed by the University of Iowa, the University of Washington and Wisconsin.