The student-athletes of the Equestrian Team have had a home on the UC Davis campus for the past eight years. But for the 33 girls on the roster, their current competition season will be their last as DI athletes.
"It's really disappointing that the university wants to take away that opportunity for these young women," Franke said.
UC Davis Equestrian won back-to-back conference championships in 2023 and 2024, while also participating in the NCEA national championships following both their inaugural 2019 season and the 2024 season, according to the team.
UC Davis leaders said in a statement that they consulted a third-party firm to review the program and the team's demotion came down to competitive alignment, student-athlete participation, academic performance, Title IX obligations and financial sustainability.
UC Davis leaders also referenced the fact that the university is one of just 14 DI schools nationwide to sponsor a dual discipline equestrian team.
"A club sport has no financial backing from the university. So that's fully self-funded, and just the level of competitiveness is very different. At the NCAA level, we're competing against the best riders," Lance said.
"The girls that get recruited for the NCAA team have spent their entire riding careers, from elementary school on, trying to achieve that. It's just a different animal," said Christine Smith, whose daughter is a freshman on the team.
"It's a little bit shocking in the sense that UC Davis prides itself on being an agricultural school," Lance said.
The equestrian team riders also serve as a mascot themselves, taking on the role of "Maggie the Aggie" at home football games.
"Maggie the Aggie" on field at UC Davis Football UC Davis Equestrian TeamThe West Coast options for a transfer are slim. The only other DI equestrian team in California is at Fresno State.
"There's nowhere else for her to go unless she moves to South Carolina or Georgia or Texas. That's where the other NCAA teams are. There were only two in California, and now we're going to have one. It's really sad that they're taking away so many opportunities for folks that live on this side of the country," Smith said.
"What impact will this have on other women's sports? What impact will this have on other equestrian teams? Because if Davis is willing to do this, possibly other teams are too," Lance said.
UC Davis says it will sponsor Equestrian as a varsity program through the 2026 academic year.
The team's final regular-season meet is at UC Davis versus UT Martin on Saturday, March 7.
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