Covenant College and Director of Athletics Kyle Taylor has announced the addition of Men's and Women's Track and Field as an intercollegiate sport beginning in the 2016-17 academic year. The added programs will bring the total amount of intercollegiate sports offered at Covenant to 15.
The programs will be led by current head cross country coach Katie Stanford and compete in NCAA Division III.
"This is a big day for Covenant College," Taylor said. "This is the first sport that we have added in my time at Covenant.
We have gone through an intentionally rigorous two-year process to research the implications of adding a sport, and also which sport to add. We looked closely at four different sports, and in every single category that we assessed, track and field was the best option and the best fit for Covenant."
"I couldn't be more pleased that we're adding track and field," said Covenant President Dr. J. Derek Halvorson. "Not only do we consider ourselves the inheritors of the legacy of Eric Liddell--the Scottish Presbyterian missionary and Olympic medalist who is reputed to have said, 'When I run, I feel God's pleasure'--but we have a well-established tradition of strong running in our cross country program at Covenant. Track and field will build on that tradition, and will provide even more opportunities for our students to develop as Christian scholar-athletes."
"I want to thank Kyle Taylor and our administration for the opportunity to direct this new program," Stanford said. "I am very excited about this addition to Covenant athletics. This is a sport I love and have been involved with for more than 20 years, and I am looking forward to the opportunity to build a new program here at Covenant."
As a start-up program, Stanford says she will focus her efforts on running events first and then add field participants as the program grows.
Since Stanford's arrival as head cross country coach, she has used the non-traditional spring season to enter her runners into track events. This participation will continue in the spring of 2016 as Stanford begins to prepare for the inaugural track and field season in the spring of 2017.
Stanford has a lengthy background in track and field. While attending Samford University, she competed in the sport throughout her career and was a two-time all-conference honoree and the Atlantic Sun Conference 1500 meter champion in 2002.
"We already have a fantastic coach in place with Katie Stanford," Taylor added. "She knows what it is going to take and is committed to establishing Covenant's track and field program."
"One of the things I love about the Covenant athletic department and campus as a whole is the focus of discipleship and fellowship," added Stanford. "It is a blessing to be able to offer that kind of community to student-athletes who also want to continue training and competing in track and field."
For more information on Covenant College Track and Field, visit the team page at: https://athletics.covenant.edu/sports/track . Prospective student-athletes can fill out the recruiting questionnaire here: http://athletics.covenant.edu/sports/track/recruitingquestionnaire