Marshall cuts swimming, diving crew

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) – Marshall University is slicing its swimming and diving crew on the finish of this season.

The transfer was permitted in a digital Board of Governors assembly Tuesday.

The board additionally voted to create a brand new stunt program.

The swimming and dive crew is getting ready to compete within the American Conference swimming and diving championships in Greensboro, North Carolina. That occasion will probably be held Wednesday by way of Saturday.

Marshall President Brad Smith says the three components resulting in this determination are monetary, infrastructure and Title IX alignment proportionality.

He says $819,000 have gone to the swimming and dive crew yearly, and the stunt crew is predicted take $330,000 to fund. Smith says they count on to save lots of $2 million over the subsequent three years.

In a statement, Smith mentioned, “Today, the Marshall University Board of Governors permitted a troublesome determination. Following our crew’s upcoming convention championship, Marshall will discontinue our girls’s swim & dive program and add a brand new crew — girls’s STUNT.

Before addressing the rest, I need to communicate on to what issues most — our student-athletes, their households, our coaches and the alumni who constructed this program. I do know this hurts. Over the previous week, I’ve heard from a lot of you personally, and I’ve learn your messages rigorously. Your love for this crew and the best way you might have advocated for each other has been highly effective, and it deserves respect.

I additionally need to deal with the timing. We shared this after we did to make sure our student-athletes have entry to the total spring switch window and each out there choice. Delaying this determination wouldn’t have modified the monetary evaluation, Title IX participation evaluation or the power realities — but it surely may have diminished choices for the younger girls most impacted.

Let me be clear about what this determination is — and isn’t.

This just isn’t a efficiency determination. Our swim & dive program has represented Marshall with satisfaction, competing with power and reaching greatness within the classroom. This is a structural determination about sustainability and alignment in a quickly altering NCAA surroundings.

Three components in the end drove this determination:

• Participation and Title IX alignment: Swim & dive carries a roster of roughly 27–30 student-athletes, whereas STUNT can help as much as 65, considerably increasing girls’s participation alternatives.
• Financial sustainability: Swim & dive prices roughly $819,000 yearly. A totally developed STUNT program is projected to value roughly $330,000 and generate multi-year financial savings exceeding $2 million.
• Facility actuality: The Fitch Natatorium has served Marshall effectively for many years, however sponsoring Division I swimming at a championship degree requires substantial capital and facility upgrades we can not responsibly decide to presently with out compromising broader athletic priorities. The pool will proceed to serve tutorial applications, recreation and neighborhood wants.

Most importantly, Marshall will honor each present swim & dive scholarship for any student-athlete who stays enrolled by way of commencement. We are offering advising and transition help, and for many who select to switch, we’ll help them by way of the switch course of. We are usually not abandoning these younger girls — we’re strolling with them by way of this transition.

At Marshall, we regularly speak about Herd Mentality. Herd Mentality means doing what’s finest for the entire, even when it’s arduous — and these are by no means straightforward moments. But management requires honesty, self-discipline and care — and a dedication to doing what’s finest for Marshall’s long-term power.

To our student-athletes — you’ll at all times be a part of the Herd. And we’ll honor your house right here with the help and respect you deserve.”

Athletic director Gerald Harrison says it’s a decision rooted in responsibility, and it has nothing to do with the team’s performance or character.

The team consists of 28 student athletes, and only two of those are seniors.

Harrison says 17 of the 28 members of the team have entered the transfer portal. He says the university will continue to provide aid they currently receive to the team members who choose to stay.

Harrison says he informed the team about the decision last week. Smith says delaying the decision would hurt the student athletes’ options moving forward.

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