According to a story published in the Eagle Tribune, an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education will see Merrimack add six new women’s athletic teams after a Title IX probe found that the college’s number of male athletes significantly outnumber its female athletes.
Of the six sports to be added, the college has already added indoor and outdoor track, crew, golf and swimming. The last new team will reportedly be women’s hockey, which will play in Hockey East.
According to Hockey East bylaws, any member of the men’s conference that adds a women’s program is automatically granted membership into the women’s conference.
It was also reported that Merrimack was disproportionately awarding financial assistance in sports, which was fixed by the college agreeing to award “significant” financial aid to female athletes.
