Marshall University Reinstates Women’s Swim & Dive Program

One month and one day after officially cutting its women’s swimming & diving program, Marshall University has reversed course.

The school announced Wednesday that its women’s swim & dive team will be retained next season while continuing to move forward with its plan of adding a women’s STUNT program to “expand participation opportunities for female student-athletes.”

News first broke that Marshall was planning on cutting the program on Feb. 13, one day after Athletic Director Gerald Harrison informed team members. Four days later, the school made the news official, announcing they were adding a women’s STUNT program to maintain Title IX compliance.

The decision to reinstate the team was made during a special meeting of the Marshall University Board of Governors on Wednesday morning. The school said the move “reflects an updated implementation strategy for advancing the university’s commitment to Title IX participation opportunities, financial stewardship, and the long-term sustainability of Marshall Athletics.”

Last week, 15 members of the Marshall women’s swim & dive team filed a class-action lawsuit against the school over its decision to cut the program on Title IX grounds.

Marshall President Brad Smith said the initial decision to eliminate the program was due to three realities currently facing college athletics: “expanding participation opportunities for women, managing the financial realities of intercollegiate athletics, and addressing the infrastructure investments required to sustain Division I swimming facilities.”

Although he said those realities remain unchanged, the school has changed its stance after learning that cutting the team could put it in violation of Title IX.

“What changed was the recommended implementation strategy for achieving those goals,” Smith said. “External Title IX consultation indicated that eliminating a women’s program could potentially place the university outside the safe harbor framework of Title IX, even when the long-term result would be an increase in participation opportunities for women.”

According to Federal Data, about 57% of Marshall’s undergrads are women, and before this cut, about 60% of Marshall’s athletics participants are men.

The school might have some questions to answer in front of a courtroom in the future. https://t.co/Aqj9LNuHzv

— Braden Keith (@Braden_Keith) February 13, 2026

“When new information changes the pathway forward, responsible leadership reassesses,” he continued.  “This decision allows us to retain the Swim & Dive program while continuing to expand opportunities for women and moving forward constructively for our student-athletes and our university.”

Smith also spoke about the strong advocacy that team members, alumni, family members and the broader Marshall and swimming communities have shown for the program over the last month.

“The passion and pride shown by these young women and their supporters reflects the very best of Marshall University,” Smith said. “Their voices were heard, and we respect the way they advocated for one another and for a program they love. We remain committed to expanding opportunities for women in athletics while ensuring that Marshall Athletics operates responsibly and sustainably.”

Allison Dodd, a junior member of the team, said: “We are really happy Marshall is not only keeping our team but is going to help us make the team stronger for the long term. We are also thankful for the tremendous support we got from alumni, our families, and the Marshall community. It meant a lot.”

Harrison said the school plans to develop a broader participation and financial strategy to support women’s athletics and Olympic sports.

“By retaining Swim & Dive while continuing to add STUNT and expand participation opportunities for women, we are strengthening Marshall Athletics and maintaining our commitment to Title IX participation goals,” he said.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that Marshall Athletics continues to grow opportunities for student-athletes while operating with disciplined stewardship. We are grateful for the passion shown by our student-athletes, alumni, and supporters, and we look forward to working with those who want to help strengthen these programs moving forward.”

In addition to filing the Title IX lawsuit, four team members, Dodd, Madison Bowen, Charlotte Thompson and Lauren Ramsey, attended the Capitol supporting SB-502, the “Women’s Collegiate Sports Protection Act,” which was passed in the West Virginia Senate on March 14. The bill, which aims to “protect and support” women’s collegiate Olympic sports, allows public Division I universities in West Virginia, such as Marshall, to establish women’s athletic endowment funds.

Now that the team has been revived, MUSD alumni have introduced the Marshall Swimming & Diving Legacy Fund, which they plan to be “a long-term effort to build a restricted endowment that protects and strengthens this program for generations to come.”

The group hopes the fund will provide long-term financial stability for the program through an endowment, along with increased student-athlete scholarships and resources, facility improvements and program investment, and expanded opportunities for women in sports as a whole.

The alumni said they were working towards building a $10 million endowment, starting with a Phase 1 goal of $500,000.

• See the GoFundMe page here.

“This is a meaningful moment for our entire alumni community,” the alumni group said. “We appreciate Marshall’s willingness to listen, reevaluate, and take this step forward. Now, we’re ready to work together to ensure a strong, lasting future for Marshall Swimming & Diving.”