Growth in team resources, coaching expertise, athletic facilities and fundraising opportunities have bolstered four teams that have secured national championships, top rankings and outstanding win/loss records at the club level.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] - Brown University will transition four club athletics teams to varsity status as of July 1, 2026, reflecting the teams' significant growth in team achievements, coaching expertise and athletic facilities, all backed by philanthropy to support the teams' long-term financial sustainability.
Competing at the club level since 2020, the teams - women's golf, men's golf, women's squash and men's squash - have secured national championships, top rankings and outstanding win/loss records. Those results, as well as the fact that many NCAA Division I programs are reducing investments in sports like golf and squash, position the four well-resourced Brown teams to grow into highly competitive varsity sports.
A key component of the teams' transition is a new financial model that will ensure the long-term sustainability of Brown's golf and squash programs, with the move to varsity enabling each team to operate as a fully donor-funded program.
"Our goal is to provide a championship-caliber experience for our varsity student-athletes," said M. Grace Calhoun, Brown's vice president for athletics and recreation. "From world-class facilities and coaches to new partnerships, these teams now have the necessary elements to compete successfully at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics, supported by generous donors willing to invest in a varsity program."
