Clemson adds two new sports, announces starting dates for competition

CLEMSON — When Clemson announced in April that it was going to continue its men’s track and field and cross country programs, it also announced that it would be adding at least one women’s sport.

We now know that the Tigers are adding two and what the two are.

Clemson will begin competing in women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics in the future, Tigers Director of Athletics Dan Radakovich announced Thursday morning.

Clemson will compete in women’s lacrosse beginning in the 2022-23 school year and women’s gymnastics in 2023-24. Approximately 50 women’s student-athletes will compete in the two sports, which will help Clemson remain Title IX compliant moving forward.

“We are thrilled to be able to add these two high-profile women’s sports and expand opportunities for female student-athletes,” Radakovich said in a statement. “Over the past six weeks, we’ve heard from many representatives of various potential sports and spent a great deal of time examining several possibilities and ultimately evaluating which sports would be best for Clemson Athletics. The combination of women’s lacrosse and gymnastics gives us the ability to compete for ACC and NCAA Division I Championships, and we know our community will embrace these new programs.”

The two new sports are being added after the Tigers recently started their softball program. It has been wildly successful under head coach John Rittman as Clemson won the ACC regular-season title and made the NCAA Tournament in its first full season of competition this past year.

Clemson will join the more than 100 Division I schools that compete in women’s lacrosse and the more than 60 Division I gymnastics programs. There are eight other ACC women’s lacrosse programs, while Clemson will compete regularly against ACC and SEC programs in women’s gymnastics. Women’s gymnastics will become the ACC’s 28th sponsored sport in 2023-24.

The next step for Clemson is to hire coaches and update facilities in order to be ready for competition.

“The ACC continues to be committed to maximizing the educational and athletic opportunities for our student-athletes — in the classroom, in competition, and in life,” ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said. “The addition of women’s lacrosse and women’s gymnastics at Clemson, combined with adding women’s gymnastics as the league’s 28th sponsored sport, only enhances our incredible collection of athletic programs.”