The University of Delaware officially announces its adding varsity women’s ice hockey.
UD will add women’s ice hockey starting in 2025 as a member of College Hockey America. UD becomes the 45th college or university to sponsor a Division I women’s ice hockey team.
UD will join Penn State and Syracuse in College Hockey America which also includes.
As UD prepares for its 2025 women’s ice hockey debut, a national search for a head coach begins next month with the goal of having a full year of recruiting prior to season 1 on the ice.
Women’s ice hockey has been a club sport at UD since 2003, and that club has earned a top-10 ranking 10 seasons in a row. The club team will remain.
But is the addition of women’s ice hockey a sign of more sports being added at UD? Athletic Director Chrissi Rawak.
"We're in a really, really, good place. Really proud of the 22 that we have. We support them in a way - and I've said this before - where they have the ability to compete for championships, and that's something that we're committed to,” said Rawak. “And President Assanis alluded to this, we are committed across the university. This is not something that is new to the University of Delaware."
The addition of women’s ice hockey is linked to UD announcing football moving to FBS. The university needed to add a women’s sport to match the additional scholarships coming to football and stay Title IX compliant.
The Blue Hens will play their games at the Fred Rust Ice Arena on campus, and Rawak says not much work has to be done to the facility to get it ready for NCAA action.
"We're in a really good place, there's certainly going to be a few things like a women's locker room that we're going to need to add, coaches offices, but it is incredibly - it's insignificant, honestly - I mean money's money and I'm not denying that," said Rawak.
Rawak notes when the NHL and College Hockey America made site visits, the facility received high marks.
This announcement also includes a partnership with the Philadelphia Flyers making UD the first women’s college ice hockey program to have a partnership with an NHL team.
More details on that partnership will be shared in February in Philadelphia.
