HAMPTON, Va. - Thomas Nelson Community College plans to expand its sports program by adding six new sports teams.
The Thomas Nelson Educational Foundation announced its donation of $500,000 in the next three years to support the college’s expansion of intercollegiate sports.
The college currently has teams for baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball, although there was no women’s basketball team in 2021-22.
For the 2022-23 academic year, the college will add women’s volleyball and softball, two more teams will be added for the 2023-24 academic year, and two more for 2024-25. This will bring the total of sports teams the college has to nine.
TNCC is still deciding which sports teams to add after the 2022-23 year. According to the college, possibilities include soccer, track and field, and cross country.
They also plan to hire an athletics director, who will have input on the final four teams to add.
“We hope to identify an athletics director for the college over the summer,” said Thomas Nelson President Dr. Towuanna Porter Brannon.
To be eligible to play on Thomas Nelson’s sports teams one must have full-time enrollment and good academic standing.
According to college officials, Thomas Nelson’s baseball team recruited 36 players for the 2021-22 academic year, which generated $281,500 in tuition and state funding. The basketball team enrolled 20 players which added another $156,400.
The college says the goal is for the sports teams to be self-sustaining within three years.
