Written by Brad Stevens, MBA, Millersville University Class of 2002, Former Millersville University Track and Field Team Captain, centralparunner@gmail.com.
Background
Millersville University is dropping men’s cross country and men’s indoor and outdoor track to save money. Dropping the three programs will “strengthen existing teams’ competitive opportunities and ensure a sustainable financial future for the athletics department,” according to Aminta Hawkins Breaux, vice president of student affairs. “This direction was made after careful deliberation when trying to concentrate diminishing budget dollars,” Breaux said… The cuts will save $200,000. About 30 men participate in the programs…
The above excerpt comes from an article written by LNP staff writer Dan Nephin following the February 2012 announcement by Millersville University to cut the men’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field programs. Immediately after the announcement, a group of alumni and former coaches came together to fight the decision and go on a fact-finding mission. The group would call itself Coalition to Rescue our Sports, or CROS.
The Cy Fritz Foundation was established in 2016 “to ensure that the current athletes are properly funded to stay competitive…It is the mission of (the) Foundation to enhance and promote personal development and competitive opportunities for athletes participating in cross country and track and field at Millersville University.” The Cy Fritz Foundation has created a timeline of events that transpired starting with the announcement that the programs were being eliminated. You can read the entire timeline at the link below.
Excerpt from cyfritzoundation.org/the-fight:
CROS looked into each of the excuses MU used to cut the programs. In their press release, MU administrators pointed to recommendations from the Oliver & Lindemenn Report and the Blue Ribbon Task Force Report to eliminate the programs. Ironically, those reports concluded that the McNairy administration wasn’t doing enough with athletics. They stated that MU sports teams were at a competitive disadvantage compared to other PSAC teams. Both reports provided specific changes that needed to occur to rectify the shortcomings of the Athletics Department. The McNairy administration chose to ignore the recommendations of the very reports they commissioned.
Within 48 hours, CROS disproved EVERY excuse MU used to cut the programs. Through Right to Know requests, CROS obtained the internal emails of top MU administrators. The emails, coupled with the relentless push by CROS, proved that the administration, including then MU president Francine McNairy and then Vice President of Student Affairs Aminta Breaux, fabricated many of the excuses that were used to cut the programs. In the days after their Feb. 14th announcement, MU rescinded many of the excuses specifically because of the efforts of CROS.
CROS was able to confirm that the total savings from cutting the three programs was $120,202, not $200,000. So, the University saved $120,202 to turn around and give up 30+ tuition checks per year. In other words, the University made a bad business decision. To make matters worse, the University turned down a donor’s gift of $300,000 which was to start an endowment for the track and field program.
Part 1: The Financial Argument
Dropping the three programs will “strengthen existing teams’ competitive opportunities and ensure a sustainable financial future for the athletics departments” – Aminta Hawkins Breaux, vice president of student affairs
This statement from then VP of Student Affairs Breaux often lingers in my mind. As a Millersville University alumnus and former track and field team captain, I stay informed about how the athletics programs at Millersville have performed. During my time there, Millersville offered very little scholarship money to any male on the team. Despite being a consistent point scorer at our conference meets and holding two school records, I only received a $500 scholarship in my senior year. This underscores that Division II programs can build competitive teams with minimal scholarship funding.
According to Millersville University’s website, the annual cost for a full-time, in-state resident living on campus is $23,958. Reinstating the men’s cross country and track and field teams and building a roster of 45 athletes, with half living on campus, would generate an additional $893,520 before financial aid or scholarships are applied. Given the declining attendance across the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, this seems like a straightforward way to boost annual enrollment by at least 45 students. Millersville’s enrollment has dropped from 8,047 in fall 2013/2014 to 6,752 for the fall 2023/2024 academic year, a reduction of over 19% in the last decade. The cost savings from eliminating the men’s program 12 years ago was $120,000. Adjusting for inflation, this cost would be approximately $173,000 in 2024 terms. Even with scholarships and financial aid, it’s difficult to see how Millersville would not improve its financial situation by reinstating the men’s programs.
Student-athletes who would have come to Millersville to compete in cross country or track and field are now finding other colleges. Millersville essentially told 30+ non-scholarship student-athletes to go elsewhere. If the men’s program could grow to the size of the women’s program, 65 additional student-athletes could enroll at Millersville, with half living in residence halls and getting meal plans. This could generate roughly $1,290,672.50 in additional revenue before financial aid and scholarships. This more than covers the cost for two additional part-time coaches, transportation, entry fees, and per diem.
The Financial Verdict: It did NOT make financial sense to cut Men’s XC and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field
Part 2: The “Improve Competitiveness” Argument
Apart from the notable investment and improvements made in baseball by former Athletic Director and Millersville University baseball player Miles Gallagher, the anticipated benefits to other programs from cutting men’s cross country and track and field have been hard to quantify, with season-to-season performance remaining inconsistent. Football, the program presumably expected to benefit most from these cuts, has averaged just two wins per season since 2013, finishing 1-10 this season. Since the cuts, the football team has a record of 25-96 (.260) and has been outscored 4105-1985.
I’m not suggesting Millersville cut the football program, but they do need to provide more scholarships to make the team competitive. Without football, about 100 fewer males would enroll at Millersville each year. This fact supports the argument for reinstating up to 45 spots for men in cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field. After all, tuition checks help keep the university financially stable.
The Dixon Cup Trophy is awarded annually to the best athletic program in the PSAC and is probably the most objective way to measure progress in athletics amongst peer institutions. Notably, it has only been since COVID that Millersville has put together a string of 3 consecutive years in the top 10 over the course of the last 2 decades. This is largely due to the success of the Men’s Baseball, Soccer, and Golf programs, and the Women’s Field Hockey, Golf, and Track and Field programs.
Since 2013, here is a listing of Millersville’s PSAC Championship teams by sport and by school year (Covid years not included):
Men’s Athletics
- Soccer – 23/24, 21/22, 18/19
- Football
- Golf – 23/24, 13/14
- Wrestling
- Basketball
- Tennis
- Baseball – 21/22, 14/15
Women’s Athletics
- Soccer
- Field Hockey – 13/14
- XC
- Volleyball
- Golf – 15/16
- Swimming
- Indoor T/F
- Basketball
- Lacrosse
- Tennis
- Softball
- Outdoor T/F – 21/22
In the last decade, Men’s Soccer (x3), Golf (x1), and Baseball (x2) have won PSAC titles while Golf (x1) and Outdoor Track and Field (x1) have picked up titles for the women.
The “Improve Competitiveness” Verdict: The decision to cut the Men’s Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field programs did not significantly enhance the competitiveness of other sports. Millersville’s Dixon Cup average finish was 10.6 in the 10 years before the cuts and 9.8 in the 10 years following. An improvement of just 0.8 does not justify eliminating these programs. Furthermore, Football, which accounts for nearly 45% of the male athletic participation rate at Millersville, has become one of the bottom 10 programs in Division 2.
Part 3: The Title IX Argument
”No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” – Title IX
The Women’s Sports Foundation does a great job breaking down what Title IX does as it relates to sport. Below are direct excerpts from their website (linked), shown in italics:
There are three parts to Title IX as it applies to athletics programs: (1) effective accommodation of student interests and abilities (participation), (2) athletic financial assistance (scholarships), and (3) other program components (the “laundry list” of benefits to and treatment of athletes). The “laundry list” includes equipment and supplies, scheduling of games and practice times, travel and daily per diem allowances, access to tutoring, coaching, locker rooms, practice and competitive facilities, medical and training facilities and services, publicity, recruitment of student athletes and support services.
Title IX compliance is assessed via a total program comparison. In other words, the entire men’s and women’s programs are to be compared, not just one men’s team to the women’s team in the same sport. This broad comparative provision was intended to emphasize that Title IX does not require the creation of mirror image programs. Males and females can participate in different sports according to their respective interests and abilities. Thus, broad variations in the type and number of sports opportunities offered to each gender are permitted.
Title IX does not require equal expenditure of funds on male and female athletes. The only dollar for dollar expenditure requirement is in the athletic financial assistance area, where schools are required to spend dollars proportional to participation rates. Thus, if $200,000 is awarded in athletic scholarships and the participation ratio of male to female athletes is 50/50, $100,000 must be awarded to female athletes and $100,000 must be awarded to male athletes. In other areas, the equality standard is one of equal opportunity.
With regard to Title IX’s participation requirements, a school can meet the standard via three independent tests. The first test is a mathematical safe harbor. If the school offers athletic participation opportunities (number of individual athlete participation slots, not numbers of teams) proportional to the numbers of males and females in the general student body, the school meets the participation standard. If the school does not meet this mathematical test, it may be deemed in compliance if it can (1) demonstrate consistent expansion of opportunities for the underrepresented gender over time or (2) show that the athletic program fully met the interests and abilities of the underrepresented gender. The courts have ruled that “boys are more interested in sports than girls” is not an acceptable defense to lack of equitable participation opportunities.
The bolded excerpt in the paragraph above is how Millersville is able to show they are in compliance with Title IX, even if there are more male athletes competing in sports than female athletes. Millersville offers every women’s sport sponsored by the PSAC. Only 5 of the 18 member schools offer every sport to female athletes and Millersville is one of them.
Here is the current total number of student athletes at Millersville University, by sport, per the athletic department website:
| Men’s Programs | # of athletes | Women’s Programs | # of athletes |
| Baseball | 38 | Basketball | 13 |
| Basketball | 14 | Cross Country | 29 |
| Football | 98 | Field Hockey | 33 |
| Golf | 11 | Golf | 9 |
| Soccer | 25 | Indoor T&F | 64 |
| Tennis | 7 | Lacrosse | 25 |
| Wrestling | 33 | Soccer | 26 |
| Softball | 23 | ||
| Swimming | 17 | ||
| Tennis | 8 | ||
| Outdoor T&F | 64 | ||
| Volleyball | 18 | ||
| Total Men | 226 | Total Women* | 329 |
The Women’s Sports Foundation goes on to say:
It is also important to recognize that Title IX does not require the reduction of opportunities for male athletes in order to increase opportunities for female athletes. Schools that choose this manner of compliance are not meeting the spirit of discrimination laws, which is to bring members of the disadvantaged group up to the participation or benefit levels of the advantaged group rather than to bring male athletes down to the current level of poor treatment or no opportunity to play experienced by female athletes. If athletic budgets do not increase and schools desire to maintain current levels of participation for male athletes and increase participation levels of female athletes, the solution is to give all teams a smaller portion of the budget pie.
The Title IX Verdict: Millersville would NOT be in violation of Title IX if they were to bring back Men’s XC and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field.
Part 4: The Impact of the CY Fritz Foundation
The women’s cross country and track and field program at Millersville has grown the size of their team since the men’s teams were cut. In 2012, the women’s outdoor track and field program had a roster of 25. Their 2025 outdoor track and field roster currently sits at 64.
The women’s track and field program has performed well at PSACs since the men’s program was cut. This success can be attributed to Head Coach Andy Young and Assistant Coaches Akil Stokes and Brittany Hartman, who collectively have over 45 years of coaching experience at Millersville. The Cy Fritz Foundation (CFF) also deserves recognition for its support. Over the last three years, the CFF has donated an average of $50,000 annually to the Millersville XC and Track and Field Programs. In the upcoming 2024/25 academic year, the CFF is expected to donate $100,000 to these programs. From 2014 to 2020, annual donations increased from approximately $10,000 to the current level of $50,000 per year.
These donations have been used for:
- Supplement the student/athlete scholarship program
- Compensation for additional part-time coaches
- Supplement equipment replacement or enhancement of items not covered by the athletic department budget
- the 2024/25 significant increase in donation is to support needed Track and Field facility enhancements
- Donations were also used to help subsidize team travel to special trips including Myrtle Beach and Greece
The Cy Fritz Foundation (CFF) aims to support the Millersville University Women’s XC and Track and Field Programs and advocate for the reinstatement of the Men’s XC and Track and Field Programs. The CFF Board is primarily led and composed of men who were former Millersville University XC and Track and Field athletes. Most donations to the CFF come from these former athletes, many of whom are men. Additionally, the majority of volunteers at CFF-sponsored events are also men from the former Millersville University XC and Track and Field Program.
Here is how the Ville women have performed at the PSAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships since 2012:
Remember, Millersville University’s average finish in the Dixon Cup Standings over the past decade has been 9.6. In contrast, the Women’s Track and Field program has consistently excelled, never finishing worse than 7th in the last 10 years. During this period, they have won 1 PSAC Championship, finished as runner-up twice, and secured 3rd place five times.
Part 5: The Request
Restoring Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field programs would put Millersville in a better financial position. By using the recently announced NCAA Division 1 roster limits as a benchmark, Millersville should aim to rebuild their men’s program to include at least 17 athletes for Cross Country and 45 for Track and Field. With Division 1 schools like Penn State needing to reduce their roster sizes, more athletes will be seeking opportunities to compete at the Division 2 and 3 levels, making this an opportune time for Millersville to attract and support these athletes.
Tuition for in-state residents at Millersville University is $464.25 per credit (according to millersville.edu). A student taking 30 credits per year would pay $13,927.50 before financial aid. Adding 45 student-athletes paying tuition alone would generate $626,737.50 for the university.
Hiring two additional assistant coaches would cost approximately $50,000 per year each in salary, rising to around $65,000 per year with benefits (a 30% markup for benefits). Providing 5 scholarships each to the Men’s and Women’s programs would cost the university $139,275.
Before considering travel, meet day registration, and per diem expenses, the university would still net a return on investment of $422,462.50.
Assuming most students stay on campus with a dining plan for their first two years, the cheapest on-campus room rate is $3,894 per semester or $7,788 per year, and the cheapest meal plan is $2,035 per semester or $4,070 per year. If 20 male XC and Track and Field student-athletes live on campus each year, in the cheapest housing option with the cheapest meal plan, this would generate an additional $237,160 in revenue.
Therefore, before financial aid, but including the additional 10 athletic scholarships (5 for the men and 5 for the women), Millersville University would bring in an additional $659,622.50 per year.
With additional financial resources provided by the Cy Fritz Foundation, and with an experienced coaching staff in place, with facilities and most equipment already in house, the question for Millersville University Administrators and Board Members should be “Why wouldn’t Millersville University bring back men’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field?”
Millersville University President Wubah, members of the President’s Cabinet, and Athletic Director Corcoran received the article in advance and were asked to provide feedback or counterpoints. The only response received cited “tightening budgets and the rising costs of higher education.” This seems a common response, yet one that doesn’t make sense from an overall University budget perspective. The University should allocate more money to athletics to bring back sports with high participation numbers. There is no doubt that bringing back Men’s XC and Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field would have a positive ROI.