A Portland attorney representing Colby College, said Thursday that the school denies allegations in a federal lawsuit that school officials are violating the provisions of Title IX by denying women equal opportunities to participate in sports.

Five female athletes filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Bangor earlier this week. According to court documents, they are seeking an injunction to end what the women allege is Colby’s “unequal, discriminatory and unlawful treatment of female student athletes.”

According to the college’s Portland attorney Jerrol Crouter, Colby has had a system in place since the mid-1990s that assigns a numerical value to each head coaching position. Head coaches in winter sports are given a slightly higher number than spring or fall sports because of a longer season, although both men’s and women’s coaches receive the same number.

“There is no Title IX violation with respect to the coaching issue,” Crouter said. “This system was designed by a gender equity task force to ensure that men’s and women’s sports are treated equally.”

With respect to other claims, the attorney said that the athletic department budget provides the same amount of money for meals and hotel rooms for male and female athletes when teams are on the road. The budgeting for equipment and facilities are handled the same way for men and women, he said.

Crouter said that to his knowledge the college has not been sued previously over Title IX. The school has 60 days to respond once it has been served with the lawsuit.

Title IX, a 1972 law credited for huge growth in girls’ and women’s sports, prohibits discrimination based on sex in sports or academics by a school or college that receives federal money.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.