Clarkson University has added Women's Softball to its intercollegiate athletic offerings with competition at the NCAA Division III level slated to begin in the 2013-2014 season.

Athletics Director Steve Yianoukos said that in the coming weeks the University will conduct a nationwide search for a head coach. "We think this will be a great new program for Clarkson University and incoming female student-athletes," said Yianoukos. "Softball is a popular sport at the collegiate level and we believe this will be received as a good addition to our athletic landscape."

In the past academic year, Clarkson had the largest percentage of female undergraduates in its history, and this fall expects the highest number of women ever.

"President Tony Collins has made it a priority to attract more female students to Clarkson," said Associate Athletics Director Laurel Kane. "Adding women's softball to our athletic offerings gives us a wonderful opportunity to build on the tradition and success of our current female sport programs.

"Female athletes at Clarkson have traditionally been leaders in not only our local community, but in business and industry as well. I am excited to be a part of this new opportunity and I look forward to watching the progress the program makes in the coming years."

Student-athletes participating on Clarkson's nine female intercollegiate athletic teams in the past year compiled an impressive overall 3.143 cumulative grade-point average. Clarkson female student-athletes have also earned over 30 College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America honors in the past years.

The new coach will be announced later this summer and will spend the majority of the upcoming year recruiting for the program.

Expectations are that the Clarkson softball team will be ready to compete in the 2014 spring season. During the 2012-2013 academic year, an on-campus playing field will also be under construction.

Women's softball will be Clarkson's 20th intercollegiate team. The Golden Knights are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and participate at the Division III level in the Liberty League, and at the Division I level in the ECAC Hockey league for men's and women's hockey.

Women's intercollegiate athletics has played a significant role in the quality of student life at Clarkson since the late 1970s and has provided numerous highlights for the University both in athletic competition and in the classroom.

The Golden Knights volleyball team has made three consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament, while Clarkson's women's hockey team has been a leading force in ECAC hockey, and participated in the 2010 NCAA Tournament.

The Golden Knights' women's Alpine and Nordic Ski teams have consistently been among the best in the United States Collegiate Ski Association (USCSA). This past March, Clarkson's women's Nordic ski team claimed the USCSA National Championship.

Clarkson University launches leaders into the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as a CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. Located just outside the Adirondack Park in Potsdam, N.Y., Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university for undergraduates with select graduate programs in signature areas of academic excellence directed toward the world's pressing issues. Through 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, sciences and health sciences, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and engineering innovation with enterprise.