There is a new dimension to athletics that is taking shape at some of the nation's historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
The dimension involves sports that, until recently, were offered primarily by historically white higher education institutions. Women's soccer, sailing and golf are three such activities.
Howard University is breaking new ground as the nation's only HBCU that has a women's soccer team and Hampton University, located on the Virginia's coast, is developing its sailing program. Benedict College, where the coach is looking to improve the resumes of its graduates who go into business, has a golf team in place for the first time. However, the team will not officially be competitive until next year.
At Spelman College, parental interest in soccer and student interest in golf is growing to the point where the school is considering forming teams to compete intercollegiately.
Howard Making Athletic History
In its second year at Howard, women's soccer obtained varsity status partly because of Title IX, the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) gender equity provision. Support from the men's soccer program also played a key role in the women's game being added to the school's sports mix.
Howard's inaugural season of 1995 was much like that of an expansion team in professional sports. The Bison were winless in ten matches and coach Michelle Street recalls several instances when referees asked her if she wanted to stop the matches because her team was losing so badly. She declined all invitations to throw in the towel.
Although the Bison, which competes at the NCAA's highest level, hasn't joined a soccer conference yet, the team fills its slate with Division I schools such as Youngstown State (Ohio), American (D.C.), Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth, Radford College (Va.), Georgetown, Buffalo, Niagara, and University of Maryland-Baltimore County. During that inaugural season, Street had problems scheduling Division I opponents because the Bison's level of competition was so far below par that teams didn't want to play them.
