Cumberland Announces Addition of Five Athletic Programs

LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland Athletics announces the addition of five new programs as the Phoenix continue to expand opportunities for student-athletes. Beginning in the upcoming academic year, Cumberland will add Men's and Women's Powerlifting, JV Women's Flag Football, JV Men's Volleyball, and JV Men's Golf to its growing list of athletic offerings.

The addition of the five programs reflects the department's continued commitment to growth and providing more opportunities for students to compete at the collegiate level while representing the Phoenix. Cumberland University will now sponsor 37 sports in total including all varsity and junior varsity programs.

"We continue to grow the athletic department by adding these five new sports," said Ron Pavan, Vice President for Athletics. "The demand to participate in a sport from high school to college shows that student-athletes want an affinity group."

Powerlifting continues to grow rapidly across the collegiate landscape and will provide an opportunity for strength athletes to compete in a structured team environment. The sport focuses on three primary lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. The best lift in each category is then added to the competitor's total, and the highest total in each weight class is declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the competitor with the lowest body weight earns the win.

The sport has seen increased participation at both the high school and collegiate levels. Currently in the NAIA, there are 12 men's programs and 12 women's programs.

JV Women's Flag Football adds another pathway for female student-athletes to compete in one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. Flag football continues to expand nationwide, including at the NAIA level, as institutions build programs to meet the rising demand from high school athletes. This is the first year the Phoenix are competing in flag football.

JV Men's Volleyball will support the continued development of the sport at Cumberland by providing additional roster opportunities and a competitive pipeline for the varsity program. With men's volleyball rapidly expanding at the collegiate level, the JV program will allow more student-athletes to continue their playing careers while strengthening the Phoenix program.

JV Men's Golf will serve as a developmental program that increases roster opportunities for golfers and strengthens the depth of the Cumberland golf program. The addition allows more student-athletes to compete while continuing to build a strong foundation for the varsity team.

With the addition of these programs, Cumberland Athletics continues its mission of expanding opportunities for student-athletes while strengthening the Phoenix athletic department.

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