On March 4, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the UMSL Athletics Department posted an announcement that its men’s and women’s track and field teams would be terminated at the end of the spring semester. The program was short-lived, with its inaugural season taking place during the 2020-21 school year.
“We had all been so happy in the program, so it felt like it was coming out of left field for us,” said William Kaempfe, a junior exercise science major who runs on the cross-country and track and field teams.
UMSL cited multiple logistical challenges behind its decision. For one, the university doesn’t have its own track facility, meaning the men’s and women’s track and field teams must travel off-campus to Lutheran North High School for practices and cannot host meets. Other factors listed in the statement include “budget considerations” and “program enrollment trends.”
“This was a difficult decision, but our priority remains providing our student-athletes with the best possible academic and athletic experience,” Executive Director of Athletics Holly Sheilley said in the UMSL’s online statement. "By streamlining our offerings, we can enhance support for our cross-country teams while uplifting our 15 total sport programs, ensuring they remain competitive and well-resourced.”
UMSL Athletics declined to provide further details on the matter to St. Louis Public Radio when contacted via email.
The news was shocking to track members of the track team, who had been informed in an all-team meeting before the news was made public.
“Everyone was joking and having a good time, and then the mood changed pretty quick when we saw the AD (Senior Associate Director of Athletics Jessica Chandler) walk in. She was clearly unhappy about something,” said Kaempfe. “We all kind of knew it was not going to be a positive meeting, but I think the last thing that all of us expected was for her to pull the rug on the whole program and give us the ‘you guys are done’ talk.”
Kaempfe said the news was particularly difficult to bear because he had sat through a similar meeting just last year when Lindenwood announced that it would be cutting 10 athletic programs, including track and field. He had transferred to UMSL so that he could continue running.
“It felt like a big slap in the face because when I came to UMSL, I was pretty sure that after going from university to university and then landing here, I was almost certain that I’d found my home,” he said. “The bonds that I’d made with my teammates here were stronger than any team I’ve ever been on, high school and college combined.” Kaempfe says that having already transferred schools twice, he plans to remain at UMSL to complete his degree.
A freshman runner said that UMSL’s announcement left him in a similar state of disbelief. STLPR is not using his name due to concerns that his decision to speak out might put his athletic scholarship at risk. UMSL has stated publicly that it will continue to honor athletic scholarships for the eight students who exclusively compete in track and field, and that students who currently participate in cross-country and track will continue to receive their scholarships as well.
“When I was walking in there, I kind of thought it was going to be a routine end-of-season talk,” he said. “That was for sure one of the last things I expected to happen. It kind of took me a little bit to realize what was going on, because I honestly just couldn’t believe what I was hearing at the time.”
For him, the news was life changing. “I’m in the transfer portal already, but I’m still not entirely certain what I’m going to do,” he said. “They didn’t really give me much time to think about it. I probably had more time as a senior in high school to figure out my future than I do this year.”
He wants to continue competing in track and field on a college level, a goal he has been working toward for years. The sport also serves as an important outlet for him. However, he is hesitant to leave behind the friendships he’s made during his time at UMSL and worries about having to start over at a new school.
UMSL has stated that it has no plans to reinstate its track and field programs at this time. Despite this, student-athletes and alumni began organizing campaigns calling for reinstatement almost immediately.
“One of the biggest things that I would say almost forced our hand to push back against it was the dishonesty and sugarcoating from the university, particularly in their initial press release about the cutting of the track program,” said Kaempfe.
Members of the men’s and women’s track and field teams said that they take issue with UMSL Athletics’ claim that only the eight student-athletes who participated exclusively in track and field and not cross-country would be impacted by its decision.
“Track is my primary sport. I’m in cross-country so I can run track – it’s not the other way around,” said Ella Tynan, a senior majoring in elementary education. She had initially planned on earning her masters at UMSL while completing her track eligibility. Now, she plans on graduating and entering the job market in December, a time when open teaching positions are considerably more scarce.
Tyanan says many of her teammates feel similarly and will not be willing to compete in cross country alone. Running cross-country in the fall and track in the spring allows athletes to train continually throughout the school year, making them stronger runners regardless of which sport they prefer.
According to Tynan, around 70% of returning athletes on the cross-country team are considering transferring, meaning that UMSL’s cross-country program will undoubtedly suffer as a result of track being cut. The students also speculate the UMSL will have difficulty adding new recruits to its cross-country team, saying that colleges that don’t offer both sports are less attractive to serious runners.
An Instagram account, @save_umsl_track, has been created to share statistics and promote support for restoring the men’s and women’s teams. Students have also organized an email campaign, asking local running organizations and concerned individuals to write UMSL Athletics voicing dissent for the removal of its track program. A change.org petition to “Reinstate Track and Field at UMSL” has garnered over 2,400 signatures at time of publication, and a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $50,000 has received approximately $580 in donations.
“This is set up to go towards funding for the ‘required’ facilities that the administration claims need to be built in order to bring the program back,” states the fundraiser’s description. “We do not expect to receive 100% of the funding from the GoFundMe, but we do expect to raise enough to show the administration that there is more support for the program than they think. In the end, the money would be given back to the program via a donation.”
A community run and protest were held outside UMSL’s Millennium Student Center on April 1, calling for reinstatement of the track and field program. A federal civil rights complaint against UMSL was recently filed through the Department of Education because of its decision to cut the women’s track and field team.
According to Jacob Warner, an UMSL alumnus who ran track, the removal of the women’s track team means that UMSL is no longer moving toward an equitable ratio between male and female athletes at UMSL, violating a provision of Title IX that requires educational institutions receiving federal funding to provide proportional participation opportunities and program resources to male and female student-athletes.
Multiple UMSL athletes echoed sentiments of feeling robbed of the opportunity to build a legacy through the young track and field program. Both the men’s and women’s teams have earned numerous accolades during their brief tenure. UMSL track and field has sent 11 athletes to all-conference competitions. Two athletes have competed on the all-regional level, and one made national qualifiers.
“It’s been so cool to be part of a new program, and to be able to see the success that we have had so far,” said Tynan. “We were promised the chance to build our legacy, and to build a program that we would have wanted to be a part of from the beginning that we thought would draw people in. It’s just really sad that we’re not going to be able to see that.”
