California Baptist University (CBU) announced today that they will be cutting their men’s swimming and diving program at the conclusion of the season.
Earlier this afternoon, CBU posted a press release announcing the discontinuation of the wrestling (which is just men’s), men’s golf, and men’s swim and dive citing the “ever evolving intercollegiate athletic landscape.”
They went on to say, “We have closely monitored the shifting landscape of intercollegiate athletics that has affected institutions across the nation. While we had hoped to continue offering our full slate of athletic programs in this new environment, it has become clear that changes are required to realize the university’s goal of achieving greater competitive excellence that the new Division I era demands.”
The university is getting ready to transition into the Big West beginning in July 2026. The conference just revived their swimming and diving championship in 2026, holding the first conference meet since 2010.
The men’s program was successful last season with two individual men, Remi Fabiani and Mark Kovacsics earning individual NCAA invites in their events. Fabiani qualified or the ‘B’ final in the 100 freestyle, finishing 13th to score four points for the Lancers.
Fabiani transferred to ASU at the start of the season, and has seen significant improvements, currently leading the country in the men’s 200 free.
Kovacsics is swimming is senior year at the program, and he recently went a season best time in the 500 free of 4:20.60 at the UNLV Invite.
The program recently completed the Division I transition, starting the process in 2018 shortly after cutting their men’s volleyball program. They completed their transition just over three years ago, with athletes earning the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Championships in August of 2022.
This highlights a trend we have seen recently of programs making the Division I transition and then needing to cut programs or see major changes to their athletic landscape.
Earlier this year, Queens University merged with Elon University. Queens was one of the most successful Division II programs in NCAA history, winning 14 team titles between 2015 and 2022 (7 men and 7 women). They began their Division I transition in 2022, completing it earlier this year after new legislation shortening the timeline to three years.
UC San Diego is another example, starting the Division I transition in 2020 (after the student body voted to more than double student fees to fund the move), and completed the move in the fall of 2024. In April of 2023, the school announced they would be cutting their diving program to focus on the swim teams.
This phenomenon isn’t unique to swimming. UMASS Lowell completed their Division I transition in 2017, and in 2018 they cut their women’s volleyball program as a result of increasing costs.
An early 2000s study showed that schools who transitioned from Division II to Division I saw an increase in spending of $3.7 million and only increased revenue by $500,000
Awful, horrendous, and attrocious
I would like to know WHEN the administrators at CBU knew that they were going to cut the male swim program. They state that have closely monitored the situation. Who and how long have they known that they would cut the program? Anybody any idea on where I could get this information?
If competing at the Division I level is truly so much more expensive, then perhaps the pursuit of Division I status itself—particularly for programs like basketball, which CBU is unlikely to ever win at that level—played a role in this outcome.
I coached at CBU through all three divisions: NAIA, Division II, and Division I. I can say without hesitation that the order of enjoyment and athlete experience was best in NAIA, second in Division II, and least in Division I. At the same time, the level of complexity, regulation, and expense increased with each move upward—often as the joy of participation decreased.
Before the move to Division I, we could bring recruits into the water, video them, and immediately show them—and sometimes their… Read more »
Why should Congress make that decision? The universities should decide. They need to balance what they think is fair not the government
University-control landed us where we are today…
No, NCAA control got us here… The guys at Texas must be pretty happy, full ride plus cash. While the football team actually pays their bills.
I have 0% faith the government can do better.
Athletes should be able to get paid whatever they can sell themselves for, basic capitalism.
And maybe the universities should consider the model of D3 schools that aren’t cutting anything.
And finally, a bunch of schools are going to close over the next 20 years just due to demographics.
Cal State Bakersfield is next
They actually can’t cut swimming without dropping below the required sports to be D1
CSUB SWIMMING and DIVING has full support of AD and university. Coach Ryan Brimer is doing a great job with the team. CSUB has a great swimming history with 14 D II championships and D I qualifiers. CSUB is a fine place to learn and swim.
CSUB has @7 men and 21 women swimmers and divers.
27 men
Thanks Grant!
This is and always will be the ncaa’s fault
And who set that system up?
Uhhh grant house?
Over 100,000 athletes opted into the settlement. Someone else would’ve been the class representative if not grant house. If you know anyone who has swam d1 since 2016, there’s a high chance you know someone that got money from the settlement. It makes no sense to blame someone this would’ve happened with or without instead of the governing body who had a system in place that allowed this to happen with no backup plan besides begging for a government bailout
People need to give d3 schools a shot, especially those in SoCal near CUI and CBU. The SCIAC conference is super competitive and you don’t have to worry about getting cut. There’s no scholarships but many of the schools offer financial aid, and it’s better than not getting to swim at all. A lot of the schools have better academics too.
I agree. The level of competition at many D3 schools is equal to or better than D1/D2. This is certainly not the same in other sports, which is why people get hung up on “going D1.”
Unfortunately, not everybody can afford those private schools without the athletic/academic scholarships that are offered at D1 or D2 schools. When these programs are cut, you are losing swimmers whose families don’t earn enough income to pay for private schools outright, but aren’t “low income” enough to qualify for need-based scholarships or grants.
Total expense at most small expensive schools usually ends up very competitive with any out of state public school
A lot of the SCIAC schools have very extensive need-based scholarships that cover up to the full price of admission for students with demonstrated need. That said, most of the schools in the conference are very selective and not everyone can get in.
Yes, those private schools generally have more money to give out.
Whenever I use the phrase “‘demonstrated’ need”, I include the quotes around “demonstrated” because who determines what a family can pay for school? – The school themselves (seems like a conflict of interest to me)!
As someone who went to one of those private schools, I never met anyone who thought their financial aid decisions weren’t fair, and instead knew many who said their aid packages were more than generous. Can’t say anything about schools I didn’t go to though.
And how good is the university at finding a place at the government trough.
Not to compare apples and oranges, But I had a student in high school who left my institution because he wanted to go into BIG TIME High school football. YOU ALREADY KNOW THE CONCLUSION:
THE VERY FIRST GAME of the NEW FOOTBALL SEASON he blew out his knee and that ended his football career forever.
I suspect that CBU won’t be doing very well at D1 even after sacrificing all of these men sports.
Jesus was clearly not impressed by CBU’s swimming program.
Jesus was there when we used to win NAIA and second at Division II after only two years after the transition. And He could well have been impressed at the level of leadership and the percentage improvement as compared to most NCAA swimmers in the four years they swim at CBU. Our graduation rate was superior as was the level of spiritual growth (you don’t have to be religious to attend or to graduate). I’m not speaking for Jesus as much as I am for how wonderful an experience CBU is and was over the last decades. These decisions are man made from all perspectives, but the program is and always has been blessed. You’d know that if you were… Read more »
So in the CBU article it was quoted by the VP of athletics that this was done to have more competitive teams upon entering the big west, nothing about title 9 etc. Well the men’s team had 2 NCAA swimmers and a NCAA diver, that sounds pretty competitive to me along with 2nd in conference last year. Also a solid 2025 class for a mid-major. This by far is a very competitive team
No doubt. Disingenuous statement by admin. Reason = Budget pressures and Title IX compliance. Unfortunately CBU won’t be the last school trying to lie about why they are cutting men’s sports.
Its pretty obvious to me that mens football should just be removed from everything for title IX purposes.
I understand the intent is to create more womens scholarships, and i think that would be a good outcome, but its pretty clear that what actually is happening at the moment is that it is reducing opportunities for men involved in sports other than football.
CBU doesn’t play football