Presentation cancels women's soccer again
For the second consecutive year, Presentation is calling off its
women's soccer season less than a month before the season
opens.
"We are at or above our recruiting goals with all other sports,"
PC athletic director Brian Spielbauer told the Aberdeen (S.D.)
News. "However, we do continue to have challenges recruiting female
athletes that are interested in soccer."
Presentation was scheduled to play 18 games, 16 of which would
have been recognized by the NCAA, but only eight of which were to
be against Division III schools, starting with a game at
UW-Superior on Sept. 2. The other games were against
Minnesota-Morris, Crown, Finlandia (twice), Mount Mary, North
Central (Minn.) and MacMurray.
A year ago, then-athletic director Rick Kline said of the 2011
decision, "While this is disappointing, we feel this is the best
decision for the soccer student-athletes at Presentation, as well
as the soccer athletes at the other conference schools. It is
important student-athletes have the most competitive and positive
playing experience. A lack of players makes it more difficult to
field a competitive team."
Since then, Presentation has left the UMAC.
The move leaves Presentation with the minimum five women's sports
required for NCAA Division III membership for schools of fewer than
1,000 students. Presentation listed just 419 students on its most
recent Title IX filing with the federal government, although 335 of
them were women. That filing predated the school's addition of
football last fall.
Presentation coach Jeremy Anderson left to take a high school
basketball coaching and athletic director job in July.
The last time Presentation fielded a team, in the fall of 2010, it
went 0-16.
