I was surprised by Athletic Director Mark Harlan’s statements in the April 29, 2025 article “University of Utah is eliminating its beach volleyball program. Here’s why.”
NCAA beach volleyball has experienced explosive growth recently; the 2025 season featured a record 104 teams and TCU’s national championship indicates growing competition among conferences. In fact, three Big-12 schools including Utah finished with top 25 rankings this year.
When compared to top-level programs, Utah’s facilities have dramatic advantages, making Athletic Director Harlan’s statements unfounded. The program draws top talent despite the lack of funding for this specific sport. This season, Utah’s top-seeded pair, made up of freshman Quincy Stephens and junior Katie McAlister were named the number-two All-Big-12 pair in the conference tournament.
Coach Brenda Whicker built a program that was poised to continue winning and that deserved to be recognized and supported. Instead, Harlan’s decision to cut a rapidly growing women’s sport appears to ultimately signal a lack of support for women’s athletics and curtails an emerging area of strength for Utah. A more positive, forward-thinking approach would have been to commit to funding a championship-caliber program for the Utes.
Jeran Van Alfen
Bonsall, CA