UT Dallas cuts track and field programs ahead of fall semester – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Some North Texas athletes say they’ve been left scrambling after their sport was cut.

The University of Texas at Dallas announced Monday it is dropping its track and field and cross-country programs this upcoming semester.

“It’s like the perfect school that I wanted,” said incoming UTD freshman Saniya Bosby.

UTD is where Bosby, a Rockwall resident, thought she would start and finish her college career as a student and athlete.

Bosby said she signed with UTD earlier this year, accepting a track and field scholarship for the fall, and was shocked to learn—in an email—that the program is being discontinued.

“Track is the thing I wanted to do. It’s the college experience. I love making friends through my sport, I love the traveling. I don’t think I would’ve gone had I known that it wouldn’t be an option,” explained Bosby.

Bosby is among several athletes who’ve contacted NBC 5, frustrated by the timing of Monday’s announcement—just three weeks before the semester starts.

“It just breaks my heart, it does,” said Madison Avery, a track team member entering her sophomore year. “We have 65 athletes in this program, and there is no remorse, no emotion, sympathy for us at all.”

“It really is a part of who we are, so for something like this to be stripped away from us in the blink of an eye with no warning, no nothing, it hurts beyond compare,” said Randi Beckham, former women’s sprinting team captain.

UT Dallas says it decided to discontinue men’s and women’s track and field and cross country “because of ongoing budget constraints and a lack of on-campus facilities.”

“We recognize the disappointment this decision brings to our student athletes and the impact on their experience at UT Dallas,” Angela Marin, UT Dallas director of athletics, said in a statement to NBC 5 on Monday.

The announcement comes after UTD joined the Lone Star Conference earlier this month and as it transitions from a Division III to a Division II school.

“We were so excited about going D-2,” said Beckham.

Scott Casterline, a tenured agent, said the shifting NIL landscape in college sports is creating an uneven playing field.

“Any program like that’s going to get cut because they don’t make any money, unfortunately,” said Casterline.

UTD says athletes can keep their scholarships through the upcoming school year if they choose to remain at the school.

Bosby said she’s trying to figure out her next move to keep her college dream of being a student-athlete on track.

“We’re all very unsure,” said Bosby.

NBC 5 reached out to UTD for additional comment for this report, but has not heard back.