UTC cutting men's track and field teams

Bill Gautier

Bill Gautier didn't sleep much Monday night.

Gautier, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga track and cross country coach for the last 23 years, worried about a meeting with athletic director David Blackburn scheduled bright and early at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday.

He expected it to be bad. It turned out to be worse than his nightmares.

Blackburn told Gautier that the men's indoor and outdoor track programs would be eliminated at the end of the school year to improve UTC's compliance with Title IX federal requirements.

"I do understand that we have a problem with Title IX," Gautier said. "I do understand that Mr. Blackburn had to make a tough decision.

"That doesn't make it any easier for me or these young men."

The decision came after several months of trying to determine UTC's best move as it nears the end of a five-year Title IX process designed to bring the athletic department in compliance with federal law.

UTC is in solid compliance in regard to the general sections regarding equal scholarship opportunities for men and women as well as equal facilities, health care and training opportunities, according to Blackburn. But the school had a disparity between the percent of women participating in athletics compared to overall student population, which is about 55 percent female.

"When I got here (in April 2013), they informed me that they were in the midst of a Title IX recovery process," Blackburn said. "About six months ago, we said it's time to get down to brass tacks and we began hard conversations."

The first idea was to add another women's sport. There were thoughts of adding lacrosse, bowling, crew or sand volleyball. UTC ultimately decided it wouldn't be able to afford a new sport over the long haul.

"It's one thing to add a sport; it's another thing to sustain it," Blackburn said. "We're not in position to add a female sport."

That left cutting as the only option. Men's indoor and outdoor track made the most sense because they're counted as different sports.

"It affected the fewest number of individuals but had the most impact in discrepancy," Blackburn said. "We spent time trying to figure out how we could impact the fewest number of people."

By eliminating the track programs, Blackburn said, UTC goes from a discrepancy of 14.7 percent to about 10 percent.

"It doesn't put us fully in line with Title IX, but it moves us forward," Blackburn said. "So when the end of the five-year process is up, we can look people in the eye and show improvement."

The men's track athletes practiced Tuesday afternoon knowing they have at least two more meets during the indoor season and the entire outdoor season to follow.

"One of them told me, 'It's kind of hard to run my heart out for the university which is no longer supporting my program,'" said Gautier, who will remain on staff to coach the women's track teams and cross country squads with assistant coach Anneli Morrison.

"I see the struggle, but they don't want to disappoint me," he said. "I can tell some want to go sit in a corner and cry, but they don't."

UTC vice chancellor and athletic director David Blackburn has a target of a 10 percent increase in the department's revenues and budget in the next few years.

The 16 have the option of transferring to another Division I program and would be eligible in the fall at that school. Those who run cross country can remain on UTC's team, which will lose participants as another part of Tuesday's cuts to stay in line with Title IX requirements.

Or the track guys can remain at UTC and continue their education with the athletic department honoring all current scholarship agreements. Last spring, the athletes accumulated a 3.6 grade point average, which ranked No. 1 in the nation among men's track and field teams.

"This group has been so good in the classroom, we felt like the right thing to do was honor their aid," Blackburn said. "We'll do that through their graduation. It's something I wanted and (chancellor) Dr. (Steve) Angle was firmly in line with."

The news came as a complete shock to Gautier and the runners. He had a recruit on campus Monday.

"Life as we know it has changed," Gautier said. "I don't think anybody will be able to process it for a while.

"It's been a very tough day and I can't begin to say how disappointed I am. I do appreciate the university allowing the kids to finish out their degree."

Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.