Athletics NEW SPORTS
Athletics to add women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball USF ATHLETICS ANNOUNCED THE ADDITION of two women’s sport programs in a three-month span: women’s lacrosse, starting in 2022-23, and beach volleyball, beginning in 2024-25. They will bring the total number of Bulls’ women’s athletics teams to 12 and USF’s total varsity sports program count to 21. “Adding two new sports represents a great step forward for women’s athletics at the University of South Florida,” says USF President Rhea Law, ’77, Life Member. “Lacrosse and beach volleyball have proven to be highly competitive, immensely popular sports at the intercollegiate and Olympic level. And the participation of our female student-athletes makes all of us better at USF — their hard work, talent and impressive achievements are part of the fabric of this university.” The Bulls’ teams will play home games for lacrosse at Corbett Stadium and beach volleyball at a new facility to be constructed on the USF campus. “We are very excited to add lacrosse and beach volleyball to a strong lineup of women’s sports programs and opportunities for female student-athletes to compete at a very high level and win championships at USF,” says Mike Kelly, vice president of USF Athletics. “Our current women’s programs have garnered 59 conference championships and we are making USF a destination for successful female collegiate athletes. I think our fans and the community will enjoy the addition of these highly entertaining and growing women’s sports and we will invest the necessary resources to be very competitive.” Women’s varsity athletics began at USF in 1972 with the start of the women’s basketball program. USF’s conference titles in women’s athletics have come from eight different sports, including tennis (13), volleyball (12), softball (eight), soccer (seven), golf (six), track and field (six), cross country (five) and basketball (two). - BRIAN SIEGRIST | USF Athletics
STAMPEDE FOR WOMEN
Sold-out luncheon kicks off initiative THE STAMPEDE FOR WOMEN — an initiative focused on generating funds, raising awareness and creating opportunities to support USF women student-athletes — is picking up steam. It sold out its kickoff luncheon, coinciding with National Girls and Women in Sports Day in February, at the Pam and Les Muma Basketball Center. The gathering provided an up-close look at the initiative’s progress and goals while 18
UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
