Duquesne will add 3 women's sports over next 2 years

Duquesne University will add three women’s sports over the next two years — triathlon, golf and acrobatics and tumbling — raising the school’s total sport count to 20 and the number of student-athletes on campus to more than 500.

Athletic director Dave Harper said the additions are expected to attract as many as 72 new students.

“Duquesne is strongly committed to achieving both the letter and spirit of Title IX in regard to opportunities for student-athletes,” Harper said in a statement. “We are adding additional women’s sports to ensure we are balanced with the right proportion of available activities for our campus.”

Harper said the new sports will help grow the undergraduate population.

Triathlon, a fall sport that comprises a 750-meter open-water swim, 20-kilometer bike ride and 5-kilometer run, is expected to begin competition in the fall of 2023. No venue has been established for triathlon, but Duquesne will not serve as host for meets in the first year, a spokesman said. Triathlons have been held previously at Moraine State Park in Butler County, and university officials are in the process of identifying possible home sites.

Golf and acrobatics and tumbling will be established by the fall of 2024. Acrobatics and tumbling compete in six to 14 events between February and April.

All acrobatics and tumbling events will be sanctioned through USA Gymnastics. The sport involves tumbling, tosses, acrobatic lifts and pyramids.

Acrobatics and tumbling and triathlon are classified under the NCAA Emerging Sports for Women program.

The National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association currently has 30 NCAA colleges and universities sponsoring the sport.

Duquesne has begun the mechanics of implementing the programs. Women’s golf will seek conference affiliation this summer while the other two sports will take part in association competitions.

University officials said they will “quickly” begin national searches for head coaches while starting to recruit student-athletes.

The additions are the first at Duquesne since the debut of women’s bowling in 2016-17. Duquesne women’s bowling is ranked 10th nationally and earned an NCAA Championship appearance last year.

Duquesne will now sponsor six men’s sports (basketball, cross country, football, soccer, tennis and outdoor track) and 14 women’s sports (acrobatics and tumbling, basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, triathlon and volleyball).