BRISTOL, R.I. - On behalf of RWU Athletics, I am excited to share some strategic resource adjustments to be implemented for the upcoming academic year.
Coach Sean Livingston has served as Head Coach for both Women's and Men's Cross Country and Track teams for the since 2009 and we are grateful for his generous time commitment to both programs involving over 80 athletes annually. Both programs have been successful in the Commonwealth Coast Conference and have additional opportunities to grow and compete regionally and nationally. In order to provide more coaching and recruiting resources to both programs, Sean will become the Head Coach of Men's and Women's Cross Country and serve as the full-time Assistant Coach of Track & Field. Current Assistant Coach Maura Logan G'22 has been named Head Coach of Men's and Women's Track & Field and full-time Assistant Coach of Cross Country.
Another change coming to the department is a full-time assistant for our highly successful and nationally ranked Sailing program under the direction of Coach Amanda Callahan. The Sailing program practices and competes in both fall and spring semesters and the recruiting footprint spans nationally and internationally. Sailing won a team racing national championship in Team Racing in 2011, finished in second place nationally in both 2021 and 2022, and has been designated as a strategic area of excellence by the University. Adding this position will help the program consistently compete for national championships, increase our recruiting outreach, and the Assistant Coach will develop a high school Sailing Summer Camp at the Bready Sailing Center. This position will be partially funded by the very successful fundraising program (alumni, parents, supporters) established by Coach Callahan during her tenure with the Hawks.
Unfortunately, the above investments in Track & Field, Cross Country, and Sailing have resulted in a reallocation of resources. After much thought and consultation, the decision has been made to discontinue the Women's Polo program, effective immediately, due to limited varsity competition in the area and the highest per-athlete participation cost amongst our sports. I informed the team of this decision last month and want to thank Coach Ted Torrey for his commitment and dedication to the program and the sport over the past several years.
The Women's Polo program was established in 2015, but did not compete in official intercollegiate competition until 2018. They played their first contest on October 25, 2018, beating Brown, 14-6. The team finished the 2018-19 season with a record of 4-1. Since their inception, the Women's Polo team has compiled an overall record of 6-7. Men's Polo was discontinued in spring 2020 due to low roster numbers, despite winning a national championship in 2017. Both Women's and Men's Polo still have the opportunity to reassemble and apply for membership as a club sport – the status that an overwhelming majority of collegiate Polo teams currently hold.
I am excited about the additional resources RWU is providing to these sports, which altogether involve more than 100 student-athletes annually, to support our athletics programs and our student-athletes in having a well-rounded, vibrant college experience.
