Title IX: Ohio State Adds Soccer, Lacrosse, Rowing & Hockey

The Ohio State University Department of Athletics is proud to sponsor 17 women’s varsity sports and an additional three co-ed sports. Ohio State is among the national leaders in sponsorship of women’s sports, and it is tied with our rivals from the north, Michigan, with the most Big Ten Conference-sponsored women’s sports: 14.

Organized intercollegiate athletics competition for women within the Department of Athletics began in 1965-66 when many of the university’s women’s club teams began the transition to intercollegiate teams. By the mid-1970s, Ohio State featured 12 women’s sports.

Ohio State’s last major expansion of women’s sports came in the last 25-30 years with the addition of four sports: soccer in 1993-94, lacrosse and rowing in 1995-96 and hockey in 1999-2000. Soccer just completed its 30th season; lacrosse and rowing are competing in their 28th seasons this spring, and hockey is in the midst of its 24th season.

All four sports have proud histories and traditions:

• Soccer has been to 16 NCAA tournaments, advanced to the College Cup in 2010 and has won Big Ten tournament championships in 2002, 2004 and 2012.
• Lacrosse has produced 13 All-Americans, qualified for four NCAA tournaments and in 2023 started playing matches in its brand new, Ohio State Lacrosse Stadium home, located in the Athletics District.
• Rowing has been among the nation’s elite NCAA programs, winning three NCAA championships (2013, 2014 and 2015), competing in 21 NCAA team championships and winning nine Big Ten championships, including six consecutive from 2013-18.
• Hockey won the 2022 NCAA championship and has been the No. 1 team in the nation throughout this 2022-23 campaign. The program has set records for wins and conference wins and has twice won the WCHA Tournament championship.

The Ohio State University Department of Athletics maintains entirely self-supporting operations. All grants-in-aid, buildings and capital expenditures, including debt service, are funded by the department’s generated funds without subsidy from the university. No student fees, tax dollars or university funds are used to support the programs of the Department of Athletics.