RIT Goes DI; NU Drops Women’s DI Team
It’s been a roller coaster ride for women’s hockey this week.
First we have several youth teams heading for nationals and these young ladies look to their future, which for many includes collegiate hockey.
Well, look to RIT. Just coming off their third NCAA Division III Championship, they have made the move to go Division I with College Hockey America.
The announcement was made March 21 by Dr. Bill Destler, president of RIT. Joining him were Bob DeGregorio, College Hockey America commissioner; Dr. Mary Beth Cooper, senior vice president of RIT student affairs; Lou Spiotti, RIT executive director of athletics and Coach Scott McDonald.
“This is a huge day for the program,” said McDonald.
“It’s certainly exciting and couldn’t be more pleased with the announcement today. We have been waiting for this and are ready for it,” commented McDonald.
“There’s been rumors here and we were getting prepared so that when the NCAA moratorium was lifted we could make our application,” he continued.
“The past couple of months have been exciting preparing for this,” he continued.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” said RIT Co-Captain Tenecia Hiller. “We weren’t sure it was going to happen.”
“I’m overwhelmed. We just won a national championship and not wer’re going DI and become eligible to play in the DI playoffs,” said RIT Captain Kim Schlattman. “We are looking forward to it and it’s exciting.”
Across town shock waves were going across Monteagle Ridge as the Niagara University Women’s hockey program was dissolved.
In a press release issued by the university, it was stated that to “strengthen existing competitive opportunities and ensure sustainable future success for the Department of Athletics, Niagara University announced its restructuring of its intercollegiate athletics program.”
That restructuring included the addition of women’s track and field as a varsity program and the immediate contraction of the women’s ice hockey program.
The decision was made based on a 2012 study by the Collegiate Consulting, a nationwide athletic consulting firm, along with an internal assessment conducted by the NU administration.
This action affects 20 student-athletes along with three full-time coaching positions.
“As a Niagara alumni I’m disappointed to see them lose a program, lose a hockey team,” said RIT Coach McDonald.
“As we try to grow our sport, we were hoping that everyone was going to move forward and not take a step backwards,” he commented.
“I feel awful for them and I would be totally lost if that happened to our program,” said RIT Women’s Ice Hockey Captain Kim Schlattman. “I have a friend on that team and she is in total shock. It puts those girls in a hard spot.”
“When you go to college as a student athlete, you find it hard to be just a student,” she continued. “Some will be looking to transfer and I personally don’t think it’s fair but it does happen.”
“It’s unfortunate that it happens to some teams but I still feel that women’s hockey is getting stronger and growing,” said Hiller.
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