UC Davis has thrown its Division I equestrian team off the varsity roster, announcing last Friday that the program will be dropped to club status starting in July 2026 while the women's STUNT program moves up to NCAA varsity. The mid-season call affects 33 student-athletes, many of whom say they were blindsided and gutted by the news, even as they try to finish out their current campaign and rally public support.
What UC Davis said
In a press release, UC Davis Athletics said the move followed an external sport-sponsorship review that weighed competitive alignment, student participation, academic performance, Title IX obligations and financial sustainability. Equestrian will remain a varsity program through the 2025-26 academic year, the department said, and all current athletics-related financial aid and coaches' contracts will be honored through undergraduate degree completion. UC Davis also said STUNT will compete as an NCAA Championship sport beginning in 2026-27.
Students and alumni react
Former team captains and All-Americans told reporters the announcement hit like a sucker punch. "It's really disappointing that the university wants to take away that opportunity for these young women," Margaret Franke said. With 33 student-athletes on the roster, the decision feels deeply personal. "It does feel like it erases all of our hard work," Kendall Lance said. An online petition and vocal community pressure quickly followed, with thousands signing in protest, as reported by CBS Sacramento.
Why the university made the call
UC Davis officials said the review highlighted shrinking competitive access for equestrian. The National Collegiate Equestrian Association has tightened its national-championship field, and only a small number of Division I programs remain, making it harder to justify long-term investment. The school said reallocating resources to sports with clearer NCAA championship pathways would support both financial sustainability and gender equity. Elevating STUNT is framed as part of that strategy, with the university arguing it needs to align institutional investment across programs. As outlined by UC Davis Athletics, those competitive and structural realities weighed heavily in the decision.
Scholarships and support
Parents and riders warn that shifting equestrian to a club sport effectively shuts off NCAA-level scholarship opportunities for future recruits, even if current athletes are protected for now. Reporting by KCRA notes that UC Davis has pledged to honor and maintain athletics-related financial aid for current equestrian student-athletes through degree completion and to continue academic and medical support during the remaining varsity years. The university also said coaches' contracts will be honored through their existing terms.
Where riders can go
Transfer options on the West Coast are thin. CBS Sacramento reports that Fresno State is now the only other Division I equestrian program in California, meaning athletes who want to stay at the NCAA level may be looking at cross-country moves. The Aggies still have a regular-season home meet scheduled against UT Martin on March 7, and riders say they plan to compete through the season while they sort out their futures. That tight window adds pressure on students weighing transfers, fundraising, or legal and advocacy strategies to preserve varsity-level competition.
Pushback and next steps
Parents, alumni and students have launched a petition calling for reinstatement and are demanding public forums and meetings with campus leaders. The Change.org page shows it was created on Jan. 11 and has drawn thousands of supporters. Local coverage and organizers say they will keep pressing the athletics department for hearings and will pursue fundraising and advocacy efforts to keep NCAA competition in Davis, according to reporting by KCRA. University officials, for their part, say they will coordinate with affected student-athletes during the remaining varsity sponsorship period while STUNT is elevated, leaving timing and possible remedies to be worked out in the months ahead.
Title IX and the bigger picture
UC Davis said Title IX obligations were part of the equation, tapping into federal rules that can require schools to balance roster spots, scholarships and competitive opportunities for men and women. Federal guidance from the U.S. Department of Education lays out the "three-part test" institutions use to show they are meeting Title IX athletics obligations, and those standards often guide decisions about which sports receive varsity backing; see the U.S. Department of Education for background.
For now, the move leaves one of the few West Coast varsity equestrian programs in limbo and has student-athletes scrambling to protect their seasons and scholarships. The Aggies are slated to ride out the 2025-26 varsity season while community members push for more transparency, more dialogue and, if they can get it, a full reversal.
