On July 28, an email was sent to UTD athletes notifying them that the track and cross country programs would be discontinued into the foreseeable future. Three days later, former UTD president Richard Benson sent a notice to the affected athletes informing them that the programs would be reinstated for the 2025-2026 academic year.
In the July 28 email, Director of Athletics Angela Marin said the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track and field and men’s and women’s cross country programs would be discontinued starting fall 2025 because of ongoing budget constraints and a lack of on-campus facilities. Nicholas Holland, a sophomore track and cross country athlete, said the decision to cut the programs came as a shock to the athletes.
“[Before] we got that email, we were thinking, ‘Okay, we’ve got three more weeks of summer training, we’re going to move back in, start really building as a team and getting ready for our first race.’” Holland said. “That’s all anybody’s mind was on. No one had even a thought that the program might not exist … It’s just one of those things that you don’t expect to happen until it does.”
The email further explained that all athletic scholarships the track and cross country athletes had been offered would still be awarded for the 2025-2026 academic year. In addition, UTD would assist any student athletes looking to transfer to other schools with track or cross country programs.
Following the cut, 66 student athletes across both programs were no longer able to compete for UTD, many of whom were specifically recruited by UTD for their athletic prowess. The late notice also made it difficult for student athletes to transfer to other programs if they wished to compete in the fall 2025 semester. The coaching staff hired for the track and cross country teams were also set to lose their jobs.
The decision to axe the programs just weeks before classes began caused an uproar among athletes, athletes’ families and alumni who had been on the teams. Business analytics alum John Joseph-Youssef, a former UTD track and cross country athlete, started a petition to demand UTD reinstate the cut programs that garnered over 2,500 signatures within days of being proposed. Joseph-Youssef said he made the petition to aid the student athletes as they faced an enormous roadblock in their athletic careers.
“A lot of [the student athletes] have had to enter the transfer portal to try to find a new home,” Joseph-Youssef said. “Realistically, they’re not gonna find one. They’re stuck at UTD for the fall at least … They’re gonna have to explain to coaches why they haven’t put up any performances for a certain gap of time, and it makes their case a lot harder … I felt like I had to give back [to the team] in some form, through petitions, [because] you never know if [UTD is] even gonna do anything.”
“A lot of [the student athletes] have had to enter the transfer portal to try to find a new home. Realistically, they’re not gonna find one.”
— John Joseph-Youssef
On July 31, Benson sent an email to the affected athletes announcing the programs’ reinstatement, allowing the athletes to compete during the 2025-2026 academic year again. Benson said the decision was reversed because of the community response and feedback from the UT System administration. Holland said UTD’s handling of the situation made it appear like the decision to cut the programs was made hastily.
“I’m not quite sure what they expected the response [to cutting the programs] to be,” Holland said. “They cut the program on Monday, and they got so much backlash that they turned around and reinstated the program that Thursday. It almost makes it seem like they didn’t completely think it through.”
“They cut the program on Monday, and they got so much backlash that they turned around and reinstated the program that Thursday. It almost makes it seem like they didn’t completely think it through.”
— Nicholas Holland
Despite the reinstatement of the programs, track and cross country athletes have not yet regained confidence in UTD Athletics. The programs were only explicitly reinstated for the 2025-2026 academic year, leaving the future of the programs uncertain. As a result, many athletes are planning to transfer out of UTD in search of universities with more stable track and cross country programs. Holland said that even though he and many others on the teams plan on transferring out, the athletes intend to make the most out of the upcoming season.
“[The upcoming athletic season] is going to be very interesting,” Holland said. “I think that once we get together as a team and begin to train again, we will begin to put the pieces back together and enjoy what we have left, but for many of us this year is simply a year to build our athletic resume to transfer.”
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