During their Thursday meeting, several members of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents brought up a pertinent issue: varsity status for the Michigan women’s ice hockey team.
Although the Wolverines have been at Michigan for 28 years, the program has remained planted in club status. As the team gained buzz and several people urged the University and the Michigan athletic department to begin taking some action, the regents began listening.
Regent Denise Illitch (D) brought the matter up in the March meeting, pointing out the void for women’s hockey in the state of Michigan. Although the state of Michigan has seven universities with Division I men’s hockey teams, it has zero varsity women’s teams. Illitch called for the University of Michigan to take action, and begin working toward that elusive varsity status.
“We’re in a historical moment,” Illitch said. “It’s time for the University of Michigan to have a varsity team for its women’s hockey program.”
University President Santa Ono has attended several games and even paid for the team’s ice time costs this past season, showing support for the women’s hockey program. In response to Illitch, Ono was very receptive.
“I will be following up on that,” Ono said. “And as you know, I’ve asked for a feasibility study and I know our athletic director is not here, but he will be reporting back to us shortly.”
Other members of the Board of Regents added to the conversation, echoing Illitch’s position by advocating for the women’s hockey program as well.
“I would strongly encourage both you and athletic director Warde Manuel to have this feasibility study,” Regent Jordan Acker (D) said. “Because ultimately … it’s about this: the time has come for the people of Michigan to have a women’s hockey team and not force our elite female hockey players to go elsewhere.”
The first step in working toward varsity status for the women’s hockey program is to conduct a feasibility study, which takes about three months to complete. The study, which is paid for by the NHL, assesses several factors including a cost breakdown and the necessary steps to proceed. Michigan coach Jenna Trubiano is excited at the prospect of taking those steps.
“It’s energizing to be recognized for our efforts as a program and a true credit to all of our current players, alumni and coaches who have put their time and energy into our women’s hockey program,” Trubiano told The Michigan Daily in a statement.
There’s a lot of work necessary to get the Michigan women’s hockey team to varsity status, and on Thursday, the Board of Regents took a step in the right direction.