Flyers to partner with University of Delaware for women's D1 team

[LadyStanley]

Click to read more...

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Delaware playing varsity hockey makes a lot of sense. Surprised that it's seemingly just a move for the women's side and not a push for a men's team, too, though.

 

[ponder719]

Delaware playing varsity hockey makes a lot of sense. Surprised that it's seemingly just a move for the women's side and not a push for a men's team, too, though.

I clicked through an article on UDel's sports website, and it seems that there's a Title IX compliance issue related to the move of Delaware's football team to FBS, so adding both men's and women's hockey wouldn't alleviate the issue; this will.

Delaware to Add Varsity Women’s Ice Hockey, Joining College Hockey America - University of Delaware Athletics

NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware will add women's ice hockey as a varsity sport and join College Hockey America (CHA), effective July 1, 2025, it ...

bluehens.com

 

[GKJ]

They must have wanted to add the program though because why would you use hockey to do it? It's expensive and not great ROI. I suspect eventually it happens though because they're clearly investing in their sports.

 

[Sparty]

Pretty cool (as long as their hockey helmets don't also look like Michigan's)

 

[JMCx4]

They must have wanted to add the program though because why would you use hockey to do it? It's expensive and not great ROI. I suspect eventually it happens though because they're clearly investing in their sports.

Per the UD announcement ... "Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said ... "I'm confident women's ice hockey will have success on and off the ice, and joining the CHA allows us to surround ourselves with aspiring institutions and some of the best competition in the nation." Translation of the bolded part: "This isn't an 'all in' decision for DI women's hockey. We're starting slow & seeing how things go."

 

[Spydey629]

Per the UD announcement ... "Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said ... "I'm confident women's ice hockey will have success on and off the ice, and joining the CHA allows us to surround ourselves with aspiring institutions and some of the best competition in the nation." Translation of the bolded part: "This isn't an 'all in' decision for DI women's hockey. We're starting slow & seeing how things go."

While the smallest D-1 league, the CHA is a perfect geographic fit for UD. With three schools in PA (Robert Morris, Penn State, & Mercyhurst), plus two in New York (Syracuse & RIT), the only real outlier IS the outlier - Lindenwood. It's a good league to build up in, and with a lot of name recognition on the schedule.