TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State has added women's triathlon and women's lacrosse as varsity sports.
Both sports will begin during the 2017-18 school year.
The addition of two women's sports follows the upgrade to Division I men's hockey last year. Arizona State received a $32 million donation, largest in school history, to elevate the hockey team to Division I and sponsor additional women's programs to comply with Title IX.
The school also was one of 10 to receive a women's triathlon emerging sport grant from the USA Triathlon Foundation. The Sun Devils will be the first power-five conference to officially adopt triathlon as a sport. A dozen more NCAA schools have pledged intentions to sponsor varsity triathlon, along with 10 schools that received the grants.
With Arizona State adopting a women's lacrosse team, the Pac-12 Conference will field six lacrosse teams within the league â the minimum number of teams required for a conference championship. With women's soccer and lacrosse competing at alternate times of the year, ASU will use the same field and facility for the two programs -- soccer in the fall and lacrosse in the spring.
Women's lacrosse is sponsored by more than 100 Division I schools in the country.
From USA Triathlon, Sun Devil Athletics will receive a grant of $140,000 distributed over the course of three years to develop, implement, grow and sustain women's triathlon programs at the NCAA-level. The collegiate sport of triathlon will compete at the sprint distance, which includes a 750M swim, a 20K bike ride, and a 5K run.
