Guilford College Expands Women's Sports Following Lawsuit Settlement

Guilford College has agreed to improve its women's sports program. The move is part of a legal settlement two years in the making.

The original lawsuit was filed in the fall of 2017 by roughly a dozen students and two coaches. It alleged that the school offered more athletic participation opportunities for men than for women. At that time, Guilford College actually provided the same number of teams for both, but the plaintiffs countered that the student body's female majority meant male athletes had up to 20 percent more spots.

In May that changed with the signing of a compromise agreement by the college and plaintiffs. In the settlement publicly announced late last month, Guilford College agreed to add two women's varsity sports teams: rugby and triathlon. The list of improvements also includes providing better facilities and access for female athletes, creating equitable schedules for use of practice facilities and more.

The addition of two new sports teams brings Guilford's total to 22 — 10 for men and 12 for women.