The William & Mary swimming & diving team are taking an all-fronts approach in their effort to save their program after the school announced that it would discontinue the sport earlier this month.
Just 4 days after launching their website and pledge drive, the school has already received $850,507 in pledges from 484 donors.
That already makes them one of the most successful fundraising efforts among cut programs this offseason; so far, none of those efforts have successfully saved a team.
As part of their continued efforts to bring publicity to their efforts, one rising junior on the William & Mary swim team, Missy Cundiff, has produced a music video about the program and its cutting.
The video, which has shades of a ‘diss track,’ doesn’t just talk about the successes of the team. It actually distills the alumni fundraising group’s argument into a rhyming highlight of the case being made to save the program. Cundiff, under the name “Lil’ Mizzy,” directly addresses the school’s athletics director Samantha Huge.
Huge has been the target of criticism for alumni over the amount of money being invested into the school’s football and basketball programs, at the expense of swimming & diving and other programs.
One alumni, not directly affiliated with the fundraising group, told SwimSwam this week that he believes that the school’s culture doesn’t align with Huge’s aspirations, and that her goals might be more aligned with advancing her career than advancing the school’s athletics program holistically.
SwimSwam has made several FOIA requests from William & Mary for more financial information about the program and its endowment. The school has acknowledged the request but has not yet provided any of that information.
I don’t think that you can have a discussion about eliminating Olympic sports programs at major universities in favor of football and basketball programs without bringing up the elephant in the room. So I have to ask the question, even at the D1 mid-major level, are college football and basketball players really amateur athletes? With respect to the football and basketball programs, is the real intent of the University to educate student athletes, or to run revenue producing and brand building entertainment programs?
Love this video!!! Fight on for the Tribe! 💪👊
It’s over $900,000 now. That’s a lot of money raised.
For me, this seems like an opportune time for USA swimming to step up and be the hero of the day. Mentor these athletes and provide valuable input.
USA swimming should these teams that are being cut should switch club and run its self like a non-profit or even adapt a fraternity/sorority model. Swimmers pay dues to be on team. There are director and operator positions on the team. Each person becomes a moving part and an even instrumental contributor behind the scenes.
I mean we have the 101 and 201 club business program. Maybe reach out to these swimmers and show them how to run a club. … Read more »
Incredible team. Tragedy that an incredibly incapable AD made the decision to cut one of the most successful teams on campus. Samantha Huge- your decisions to further your own career rather than sustain success for William and Mary reflect on your personal character. Shame on you.
Good luck guys!! Keep the good fight. I feel you really well!! We lost CofC in 2015 😢
That was awesome. Wish this team the best.
Great job. This should be the walk-out song for the #1 seed in every A-finals race held this year – including Trials!! As much as this is a Tribe-focused effort, this speaks to the larger issue at hand – the sake of any swimming and diving team that’s cut for similar reasons.
AND…..SHE’S AN OLYMPIC TRIALS QUALIFIER!!! Is there anything this girl can’t do???
None of them can dance…just sayin
Not nice…just sayin
Perhaps you need to watch the video again Taa. They can dance – they even have an Irish Dancer in the mix! Missy is super talented and best of all – NICE!
I am just a hateful person. Swimmers have no rhythm downvote all you want
I guess you are hateful. Rhythm is the essence of rap music…and those kids can dance.
Maybe not. But that snake in the video sure does
Make the Olympic team.