Posted on: Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Women athletes outnumber men at UH

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Women athletes at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa will surpass men in athletic participation this year for the first time in the school's history.

"It is a very significant milestone," said Marilyn Moniz-Kaho-'ohanohano, UH associate athletic director, senior women's administrator and former Rainbow Wahine volleyball player.

Based upon information UH said it is submitting to the NCAA and the U.S. Department of Education under the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act, the school projects women to have 267 participation opportunities or 53.1 percent of those at UH this school year.

Women make up approximately 56.5 percent of the undergraduate enrollment. Last year women had just 46.7 percent of the opportunities — still the highest percentage to that point.

Participation opportunities are defined as roster spots, meaning a single athlete who, for example, competes in cross country and track would be counted twice. Actual numbers of athletes were not immediately available.

Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano projects that UH could reach equity "in the next year or two" if the school continues its progress. The current projections, however, "show we're right on track toward improving participation opportunities for women," Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano said.

A decade ago women had just 27 percent of the participation opportunities although they made up approximately 53 percent of the undergraduate enrollment, Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano said.

UH currently fields teams in 20 sports — seven for men, 12 for women and one (sailing) as a coed offering.

The rise in participation opportunities is attributed to larger squad size in several sports and the addition of indoor track last winter.

Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano said the Rainbow Wahine volleyball roster of 18 matches the program's all-time high of 1997. Similarly, basketball is expected to reach 16, an all-time high.

UH is required to add a men's sport by 2005 to retain its Division I-A status. New NCAA legislation requires schools to compete in at least six conference sports for men. Athletic director Herman Frazier has said he expects cross country to be added. That would add seven to 10 roster spots and likely require UH to take up another women's sport.

Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano said bowling, canoe paddling, gymnastics and wrestling would be among the sports UH would consider adding for women.

In addition, there is room for growth in track, which last year had a 36-member squad. The NCAA average last year was 38.9 and Moniz-Kahoohanohano said UH could reasonably operate with 40-50 athletes.

Schools shown not to be in compliance with gender equity or failing to make substantive progress risk losing federal financing campus-wide under Title IX, now known as the Patsy Mink Act.