Duquesne Title IX cuts ran deep

Duquesne cuts ran deep

Andrew Heck and his Duquesne baseball teammates gathered for an afternoon meeting in January 2010, thinking it was routine. Athletic director Greg Amodio's attendance suggested otherwise.

The university concluded that baseball, men's swimming, men's golf and wrestling would be eliminated in the name of gender equity and fiscal restraint.

Heck, a right-handed pitcher from North Hills, had made a name for himself with the Dukes, recording a freshman-record 156 hits. Now he would be forced to quit playing after his junior season or transfer.

He opted to transfer to Oklahoma State.

Two years later, when Heck hears Title IX, he thinks of Duquesne.

“I cannot necessarily blame Title IX,” he said. “Girls should be given equal rights, but at the same time, they should be meaningful. What I don't like to see is schools going out and giving girls scholarships for no reason but to fill the Title IX spots.”

Today, Duquesne fields six men's and nine women's teams, reflecting the higher percentage of women who attend the university.

“You can't argue with the success that Title IX has brought to women's athletics,” Duquesne associate athletic director Phil Racicot said. “It just forces you to think about and to make decisions that are difficult.”

— Meredith Qualls