Texas university cuts women's teams, sparking Title IX lawsuit and player dismissals

Stephen F. Austin State University, a public Division I school in Nacogdoches, Texas, announced in May 2025 that its beach volleyball, women’s golf and women’s bowling teams would be discontinued for budgetary reasons. The decision prompted a Title IX class-action lawsuit filed by senior athletes such as Ryann Allison, Brynn Dow0d, Sophia Myers and Berklee Andrews, who argue the cuts violate the law’s gender-equity requirements.

Although a judge issued a preliminary injunction requiring the beach volleyball program to be reinstated, the team’s head coach, Gretchen Hand, later removed Allison and Dowd from the roster, claiming they were not among the strongest players. The athletes contend the dismissals were retaliatory and inconsistent with the coach’s earlier reliance on them in competition. The dispute underscores broader challenges for women’s collegiate sports amid shifting legal interpretations of Title IX and new financial pressures from recent NCAA NIL settlements.