Manhattan ? Kansas State University plans to drop equestrian as a sponsored sport and replace it with women’s soccer.

The university announced Monday the equestrian team will compete through 2016. The women’s soccer program will start in 2017.

The university said fewer than 40 NCAA institutions sponsor equestrian as a sport and only 19 are Division I schools.

Athletic director John Currie said equestrian is no longer projected to count as one of the NCAA’s approved school-sponsored varsity programs. He says the Kansas State needs to sponsor 16 varsity programs to remain a Division 1 FBS program.

Kansas State is the only Big 12 school without a women’s soccer program.

In 14 years of competition, the school’s equestrian program won five individual national titles and three team Reserve National Championships.