The Blinn College Athletic Department will be hitting the links next fall.

At its regular October meeting held Tuesday night, the Blinn College District Board of Trustees approved the addition of men's and women's golf teams beginning in the Fall 2019 semester. With the addition of golf, Blinn will have 12 athletic programs, including football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, cheer, and dance.

"Blinn College is proud to provide new opportunities for local student-athletes seeking an affordable, first-class education," Athletic Director Scott Schumacher said. "We look forward to welcoming new student-athletes to our campus and sharing key values such as integrity, responsibility, teamwork, and respect through the lens of intercollegiate athletics."

The new golf programs will be based on the Blinn-Brenham Campus, and College officials anticipate that the new teams will attract approximately 20 male student-athletes and 10 female student-athletes to campus. The team would play in four to five tournaments during the Fall semester, and another five during the Spring semester, including the regional and state tournaments, where students can advance to the national tournament.

Blinn will hire a head coach and assistant coach to oversee the programs.

There currently are nine two-year college men's golf programs and five women's programs in the State of Texas, though none are located in the region. For more information regarding the golf programs, call the Blinn College Athletic Department at 979-830-4170 or email debbie.watson@blinn.edu.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 38 NJCAA national championships since 1987.