Upon quick glance it appears the VT men’s sports will have close to 160 potential new scholarships under this proposed change. The VT women look like they will have almost 110 new scholarship opportunities. I understand VT will not have to fund all of these new scholarships, and most likely will not. But for discussions sake, if VT chose to fund two-thirds of the men’s new scholarships does this mean they will need to fund approximately 100 new women’s scholarships? Or would they have to fund two-thirds of the women’s total new scholarships available - meaning about 67? Either way, I believe softball and women’s lacrosse will be the biggest beneficiaries of this new change. Under this scenario, again just for discussion, if the men get two-thirds of their new scholarships funded it seems to me all new scholarships (100) for women may be funded. If the women only get two-thirds of their total allotment, meaning about 67 total, it will be interesting to see how VT allocates funding of these scholarships by sport. One approach could be allocating the lion’s share to sports like softball who are near the top of their sport, maybe giving them the bump to keep competing and win a national championship. Another approach could be allocating the scholarships based on the percentage of new scholarships provided by sport. Under this last scenario softball would get about 13% (8.7 scholarships) of the 67 funded women’s scholarships and women’s lacrosse about 26% (17.4 scholarships). I’m a fan of all Hokie sports, but these are the two I follow the most closely. I hope my thought process is correct because I’d like to see both sports get big boosts in the number of scholarships they can offer. The one thing I wish they would consider with this new rule is the status of walk-on. I’d like to see schools be able to offer a limited number of walk-on spots that would not count against the posted roster limits. Some of the walk-on stories are inspiring and what college sports is about, providing opportunities to continue playing a sport one loves at a high level and having the chance to earn a scholarship. I love these stories. A limited amount of walk-ons will promote a positive environment and provide some players a chance who may not get one otherwise. ** Edited by WhoDatVT at 7/28/2024, 7:45:47 AM ** Edited by WhoDatVT at 7/28/2024, 7:50:56 AM