SWEET BRIAR, Va. --- Sweet Briar College is proud to announce the addition of indoor and outdoor track and field as NCAA intercollegiate sports, athletic director Jason Vittone announced today, Jan. 5.

The expansion of the cross country program to include indoor and outdoor track and field will bring the College’s total NCAA sports offerings to ten and its total number of varsity sports to 12. The teams will begin competition starting with the 2023-24 season as student-athletes are recruited with the goal of an expanded roster being complete by the 2025-26 season.

Recruitment for a head cross country/track and field coach will begin immediately with the implementation of the two new programs taking place over three years.

RELATED: SBC Cross Country/Track & Field Head Coach Application

“The College is excited to announce the expansion of our cross country program to include track and field,” remarked Vittone. “Our goal is to expand our roster and have a full cross country/track and field program by the fall of 2025. During the process of full implementation, we will provide our student-athletes with the opportunity in an indoor and outdoor track and field season. As SBC continues to grow and transform, athletics will do its part to help attract students with the desire to be strong, independently fierce leaders.”

As of the 2022 season, a total of 307 NCAA Division III schools offered women’s indoor track and field while 342 schools sponsored outdoor track and field. Currently, there are more outdoor women’s track and field programs at the DIII level than at any other level of NCAA competition.

Sweet Briar will become the 13th Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) institution to offer women’s indoor and outdoor track and field along with Averett, Bridgewater, Eastern Mennonite, Ferrum, Guilford, Hollins, Lynchburg, Randolph, Roanoke, Shenandoah, Virginia Wesleyan and Washington and Lee.

Although never offered at the varsity level, Sweet Briar has a rich history in track and field events. The College held an official field day every year from the years of 1910 until 1934. Students participated in various track and field events such as the high jump, long jump, triple jump, shot put, hurdles, 100-yard dash and relays. A student was even appointed Head of Track from the years of 1920-1934 to oversee the events.

The addition of these two sports will mark the fourth and fifth new sports offerings by Sweet Briar over the past six years after the addition of cross country and golf in 2016 and the return of softball in 2023.

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