The road ahead is difficult, but the Seahawk running sports have a chance to go on past this school year.
Track & cross country fans across North Carolina and the nation were dismayed earlier this year when UNC Wilmington announced the termination of the school's running sports programs. The decision came despite concerted efforts by a group called Save UNCW Track, who secured pledges $144,000 in a short period of time in an attempt to convince University officials to reconsider. Although that attempt appeared to have failed, the group (along with the dedicated coaching staff) continued their efforts to stave off the end of arguably the most successful athletic program the school has to offer. That effort has paid off, as the University announced Thursday night that they have reached an agreement with the fundraising group to potentially continue the program, at least in the short term.
You can see UNCW Chancellor Sederburg's statement, as well as one from Save UNCW Track's driving force, Dr. Roy Love, on the Save UNCW Track website.
In essence, supporters of the program must raise $250,000 in actual donations (not just pledges) by May 31st, in which case the program can continue for the 2015-2016 season. UNCW lists the cost of operating the program for the upcoming school year as $330,000, and the University has promised to meet the remaining costs if Save UNCW Track meets this fundraising goal.
Prospects for the long term are murkier, unfortunately. The next fundraising target for supporters of the program is $800,000 out of the $1,000,000 cost of renovating the track facility. The agreement with the University indicates that, if this target is met, the likelihood of sustaining the program beyond 2015-2016 is strong. However, the language in the agreement stops short of making that a concrete promise. Still, this is a positive step forward from the seemingly certain termination of the sport just a month ago, and I am certain that the track community at large is grateful to the UNCW administration for at least opening the door to retaining a program that has been the source of so many NC prep athletes' post-secondary college experiences.