How USU could add D-I hockey, baseball and other sports

LOGAN — Utah State University currently competes in 16 intercollegiate sports at the D-I level, but some Aggie faithful are interested in adding more sports.

“I often get asked about hockey and baseball,” said John Hartwell, USU’s director of athletics.

The Aggies already compete in both sports at the club level, yet that has not kept students and other fans from supporting the teams. The fan base exists primarily because of the success of the teams and the energetic atmosphere created at their games.

Last season, USU baseball reached the semifinal in the NCBA World Series. Back in 2012 and 2014, the Aggies won the World Series and were NCBA national champions.

Last year, the USU hockey club won 24 games. Between 2015 and 2018, they won their league four times in a row.

Photo by Kate Smith.

An Aggie skates up ice during a 2022 game against Metro State.

But despite the success of these club sports, the decision of whether or not to bring them up to the championship level is not an easy one for several reasons. For one, Utah State has to consider offsetting new teams with additional teams for the opposite gender because of Title IX regulations.

“The university has had success in both of those sports at a club level, but first and foremost, the cost of us adding either one of those sports would not just be the cost of that sport, but it would be adding the women’s sports,” Hartwell said, noting the scholarships and other funding that would have to accompany such an addition.

Beyond the Title IX requirements, USU is more concerned with investing in the current teams and facilities before they think about expanding.

“You only have so many dollars, and so it’s not even really in the thought process right now about us expanding the number of sports,” Hartwell said. “We want to make sure that the nine women’s sports and (seven) men’s sports that we currently have — that we are providing resources for — that those student-athletes competing in those sports (are) successful.”

This does not mean USU will never expand its athletics department, but to meet Title IX requirements and allow for additional investments, the Aggies would add a women’s team first.

“I would say unequivocally as we stand today, if and when we were to add the next sport, it would definitely be a women’s sport,” Hartwell said.

He suggested the sport that makes the most sense to add is women’s golf.

“Obviously, one of the ones that gets brought up periodically is we have men’s golf; we don’t have women’s golf,” Hartwell said.

Hartwell added that part of that situation is due to weather concerns and the lack of a proper practice facility, but the latter will be solved in the near future. USU has announced plans for a new indoor practice facility that would include a dedicated practice area for the men’s golf team, a space that could be shared with a future women’s golf team.

“Women’s golf would be another one that would be able to be added without too much challenge to it,” Hartwell said.

The NCAA keeps track of emerging sports for women that are “intended to help schools provide more athletics opportunities for women and more sport-sponsorship options for the institutions, and also help that sport achieve NCAA championship status,” according to the NCAA. The list of sports currently includes acrobatics and tumbling, equestrian, rugby, triathlon and women’s wrestling. In the past, sports like bowling and beach volleyball were on the list but are now recognized as championship sports.

Even with the reality that women’s golf is very likely the next sport that USU will compete in, it is interesting to consider how the Aggies could compete in other sports. The following is a list of sports Utah State lacks at the D-I level, which teams in the area compete in them and what challenges, beyond general Title IX balancing requirements, may stand in the way of potential additions.

1. A new sport to keep an eye on is beach volleyball. Boise State, Hawaii and San Jose State compete in the sport outside the Mountain West Conference. In-state rival Utah also fields a beach volleyball team. This sport could be popular with fans who often pack the Wayne Estes Center to watch traditional volleyball. The Aggies have had historic success in volleyball, with a national championship in 1978. The largest hurdle in adding this sport would be building facilities for competition and training.
2. In hockey, Air Force is the only Mountain West team to play at the D-I level. The Aggies could try and join the Falcons as travel partners in the Atlantic Hockey Association or try independence, like Arizona State. Eccles Ice Center, the current home of USU’s club hockey team, would likely need major upgrades to host D-I hockey if Utah State chose not to build a new facility.
3. Baseball would be one of the most straightforward additions. The Mountain West currently sponsors baseball, with eight member institutions fielding teams. Utah State, Wyoming, Boise State and Colorado State are the four Mountain West schools that sit out. The biggest hurdle for the Aggies in adding this sport would be constructing a proper D-I baseball field.
   Photo by Chantelle McCall.

   An Aggie swings during a 2019 game against Idaho State. 

4. Adding men’s soccer would not require significant resources since the facilities exist already for the women’s team. The main challenge seems to be scholarship and travel costs. Conference-wise, the Aggies could try for the Western Athletic Conference, which houses men’s soccer for Air Force, UNLV and San Jose State. San Diego State’s men’s soccer team competes in the Pac-12 but due to the high competition level, it could be a long shot for a new USU program to join.
5. Women’s lacrosse is another potential addition. Currently, San Diego State plays women’s lacrosse as an independent. The Aggies could opt for the same route, but it could be difficult, with few teams playing the sport at the D-I level nearby. For men’s lacrosse, the Aggies could hope to jump in the ASUN Conference, where Air Force and Utah compete.

It can be interesting to think about what new sports could look like at Utah State, but at the end of the day, Hartwell reiterated his focus on elevating USU’s current student-athletes and teams before spending resources in new areas.

“One of the things we pride ourselves in is making sure that all of our student-athletes are provided the tools and resources necessary to have success — first off in the classroom, and then on the various fields of play, too, ultimately to prepare them for life after Utah State and after their athletics career is over and done with,” Hartwell said.

Featured photo by Chantalle McCall.