Ensuring compliance with Title IX — which, among other guarantees, provides equal opportunity for women in athletics — requires a constant balancing act.
 
Universities must understand their enrollment trends and keep a keen eye on budgets while providing sports opportunities that fit their school's traditional values.
 
It's also a good idea to keep in mind where the competition is coming from.
 
At UC Davis, that commitment to the intent of Title IX has been a hallmark of an Athletic Department that saw its first seven women's varsity sports added in 1972, the same year the watershed ruling was passed by Congress.
 
Now, with 16 women's sports and nine men's offerings, the Aggies are members of six conferences (the primary circuit being the Big West). Among the member schools of those conferences, only Stanford (36), California (29) and the Air Force Academy (28) offer more athletic choices than UC Davis. Only Stanford has more women's programs.
 
UC Davis provides opportunities for more than 350 female  athletes and remains in lockstep with the requirements of Title IX.
 
But it hasn't always been easy.
 
In 2010, a University of California system funding shortfall saw Davis required to trim $2.4 million from its athletic budget. As a result, women's rowing and three men's sports — swimming/diving, indoor track and field and wrestling — were cut. Another almost $500,000 in department spending was eliminated.
 
The next decade saw shifting enrollment patterns (of almost 40,000 students enrolled at UC Davis today, 60 percent are women).
 
A new strata of Title IX compliance was at hand. Five years ago, while many other universities had no choice but to eliminate men's programs to meet the required balance, the Aggies were benefiting from a renewed interest in gift-giving and endowments for athletics.
 
Then-Athletic Director Kevin Blue weighed the Title IX requirements and oversaw the process of compliance.
 
School- and community-wide nominations for new women's sports were sought. Proposals were embraced as criteria stated "there must be 40 to 45 new participation opportunities for female student-athletes." Facility availability, sustainable benefactor involvement and NCAA sponsorship also were taken into consideration.
 
When the smoke cleared, equestrian and beach volleyball made their debuts in 2018.
 
Now, after four years of competition, beach volleyball and equestrian have found their footing and have taken another step forward for UC Davis Athletics.
 
Equestrian rides into the picture
 
With a team of 39 riders on an equivalency of 4.8 scholarships, the Aggie equestrian squad embraces the very essence of the history of what was once known as the University Farm.
 
Offering four divisions, UCD women compete in western events (reining and horsemanship) and jumping (flat and fence).
 
"We knew it was going to be a lot of work," explains inaugural equestrian coach Jessie Weisinger. "You're not stepping into a program that's already developed. But getting the opportunity to build how you want to, from the ground up … it was a challenge, but something I wanted to do."
 
Weisinger, came from Texas A&M where she was an assistant coach. UC Davis knew they were getting someone special — the Texan had helped coach A&M to the 2017 national championship, after riding for the school's 2002 national titleists.
 
Weisinger says attracting accomplished riders to Davis hasn't been difficult. On the West Coast, universities with equestrian teams are few and far between (there are only 26 varsity squads nationwide).
 
But it's the offerings of UCD that make this campus such a logical choice.
 
The world-renown School of Veterinarian Medicine, commitment to a true student-athlete environment, the "welcoming campus and the support from everybody" have made Weisinger's job a little easier …
 
"At first, it was like 'UC Davis? Where's that?' But it's amazing now, the student-athletes that have seen the progression we've made as an equestrian program.
 
"And, oh my gosh, this is a top-five university. Women understand 'I can go to UC Davis; I can get an amazing education while riding on a team — something that I love. Why not?' "
 
Earlier this year, the Aggie riders were honored by having 17 women named to the National Collegiate Equestrian Association All-Academic team. To qualify, one had to maintain a 3.5-grade-point average and compete in 70 percent of a school's events.
 
But near the Muriel Gill Barn at the Equestrian Center on campus, there's been some eye-popping accomplishments on the ground, too.
 

 
The Aggies debuted in 2018 with a 1-9 season. The team was getting just cinched up and Weisinger felt there was real potential.
 
Four years later, UC Davis is giving the best riding schools in the land all they can handle.
 
The Aggies were 4-8 in 2021-22. But the improvement has been crystal clear …
 
On Nov. 4 last fall, UCD lost to No. 3 Southern Methodist, 14-6. This spring, in the Eastern College Athletic Conference rideoffs, the Aggies smoked South Dakota State, 15-5, before almost toppling then-No. 1 SMU (losing, 10-9, on the last ride).
 
Weisinger tipped her hat to Title IX for the very existence of the Davis riding program, adding "Obviously, I'm a woman. (Helping) provide an equal opportunity for other women is huge to me. Without Title IX, equestrian wouldn't be here at UCD."
 
Beach Volleyball: Making a Splash Inland
 
It was clear that the emerging sport of beach volleyball would be a good fit for UC Davis.
 
In defining which new athletic programs would be added in 2018, the beach volleyball check list was almost complete:
 
• The sport was thriving in the Big West Conference.
• It's of great participant and spectator interest in California.
• Having 20 roster spots helped the Title IX goals.
• And there was an anonymous benefactor ready to fund four "beach" courts on campus.
 
The missing link? Find the right coach. And, of course, that "right coach" came from the Sierra Foothills.
 
What? Where?
 
Ali McCulloch, a former All-Big West selection at Long Beach State and later an All-Pac 12 player from UCLA, was the perfect choice.
 
She knew the school, the area, the state, the game …
McCulloch and her husband Kevin ran Viper Beach Volleyball Club. She had an extensive professional career, including international and AVP experience.
 
McCulloch knew instantly how her sport fit into the Aggie psyche:
 
"The outdoor aspect, the friendliness of beach volleyball and where we've set the courts (off Howard Way near the entrance to campus) ... We get a lot of public activity that comes through.
 
"Also, another thing I've noticed in my four years here, the number of people who are on the courts when we're not (practicing or competing). The courts are covered with students who play recreationally."
 
And the convenience of having those courts on campus has been a feather in the program's cap.
 
"It's an ordeal to actually be at the beach," McCulloch explains. "Set up, break down, keep an eye on equipment, transportation …
 
"We're so fortunate we have four courts on campus. We don't have to go anywhere to play or practice. Our girls can go straight from (the courts) to class."
 
And speaking of class …
 
McCulloch points to a team 3.5-grade-point average as proof that the Aggie Way turns out not only brilliant athletes but diverse students who go on an contribute in the real world.
 
"We get amazing student-athletes because they want to come to UC Davis," continues McCulloch. "And then, of course, we've built a program that is a really great culture … women that want to work really hard. They all have similar aspirations on the academic side, but they all love the sport, too. They love competing, training and all buy into the system.
 
"They want to compete at a very high level."
 
That "very high level" meant UC Davis took on three top-10 teams in 2022 — and beat Big West rival No. 5 Hawaii, 3-2, on March 25.
 
Overall, the Aggies finished 14-16 … an improvement of five wins over the previous season.
 
While Davis is working off 2.4 beach volleyball scholarships (the NCAA allows six), McCulloch knows the draw to UC Davis has little to do with financial aid.
 
"The kids come here because they love the school; they're the highest academic kids and they're great athletes," notes McCulloch. "So, we're able to pull it all together because we're UC Davis."
 
Notes: As luck would have it, both McCulloch and Weisinger are leaving UC Davis after building the foundations for new traditions. McCulloch and her husband are headed to Georgia were Kevin will run a national group of volleyball camps and tournaments. Weisinger's husband Jeremy remained in Texas where he's in construction. Jessie will be moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth region. … Says McCulloch: "Northern California beach volleyball is still very raw, unknown to a lot of people. We're trying to get the game out there. But I think UCD beach volleyball has brought a lot of awareness to (the region). There are a lot of unique opportunities, in terms of academics, that you don't see at other universities."