BUFFALO, N.Y. – D'Youville University has announced the addition of men's track & field to its growing lineup of intercollegiate athletic programs, continuing the university's commitment of expanding opportunities for student-athletes. The program will set to begin competition in the 2027-28 academic year and will compete in the within the East Coast Conference (ECC).
"We're thrilled to add men's track & field to our growing roster of Saints programs!" Said Ona Halladay, Vice President for Athletics and Planning. "This expansion reflects the energy and momentum of D'Youville Athletics—creating more opportunities for student-athletes to compete, grow, and bring pride to our campus and community. We're equally excited to see Brendan McMaster continue to lead this growth, having already built a strong foundation of success with our women's program."
McMaster will head the newly added men's track & field team, building the program from the ground up. This is something that McMaster is familiar with, doing so with the women's team just a few years ago as they begin to start their third fourth season of competition.
"Having the opportunity to build the men's like I built the women's almost years ago is very exciting," McMaster said. "When starting the women's program, we had to implement new processes and build culture. After a few years of great athletes and people coming through the women's track program and helping build everything, the men being added have things set up for success. I'm really excited to see men compete alongside the women in events that we never have. Our institution is over 100 years old, and we get to continue making history in 2027."
The addition of men's track & field marks another significant step in D'Youville's ongoing athletic development and reinforces the university's mission to provide a holistic student experience through academic excellence, athletic achievement, and community engagement.
"Our program is run with three main principles: hard work, positivity, and respect," said McMaster. "All athletes are brought here knowing that our sport requires a level of work to be successful, but we want the experience to be enjoyable. Expectation of success in the first year will be low, but our first year within the women's program saw All-Conference selections. We will train every athlete to be their best version on the track and in the classroom."
The new program will complement D'Youville's existing women's track & field team, creating greater depth and balance within the Saints' athletic offerings. The men's team will provide opportunities across multiple disciplines including sprints, distance, jumps, throws, and relays, and will recruit student-athletes who exemplify the university's values of hard work, discipline, and leadership.
Having many successes early on with the women's track & field team, McMaster believes the same can be done with the men's and can build from there.
"In the Short term, we would be able to field a team that can compete in many events during the inaugural track season," McMaster said. "Having an All-Conference selection or two the first year would be seen as a success. Long term goals would be to match what the women's program has done over the last three track seasons - Conference records, conference champions, and All-Region sections will be in our future."
With the addition of men's track & field, D'Youville now sponsors 23 varsity programs, reflecting the university's continued growth and investment in athletics as a vital component of the Saints experience.
