Wright State University announced new cost-cutting measures this week that will drop the school’s men’s and women’s swim & dive teams, effective immediately.
Wright State published a press release Friday morning making the announcement. The school says it expects to save about $500,000 a year by cutting the programs. As is typical in these situations, Wright State says it will honor scholarships for swimmers and divers until they graduate if they remain at Wright State.
The Raider men and women become the fourth and fifth swim & dive programs to get the axe this season. Buffalo cut its men’s program last month and North Dakota elected to drop both its men’s and women’s programs back in March.
Wright State competed in the Horizon League, with the men taking 4th and the women 7th this past season. The Horizon League could be dropping to just 6 women’s programs and 5 men’s programs. That’s because Wright State cut its programs and Valparaiso is expected to leave the conference for the Missouri Valley Conference next season.
The full Wright State press release is below:
Wright State University announced today that Intercollegiate Athletics will implement cost-cutting measures that will eliminate men’s and women’s swimming & diving, effective immediately.
Athletics expects to save approximately $500,000 annually in scholarship costs, salaries, team budgets, travel and facility maintenance, once all of the cutbacks are fully realized. The department will continue to honor the financial aid of all student-athletes affected until they graduate. These student-athletes will be permitted, by NCAA rules, to transfer to another institution without penalty.
“This is the most difficult decision I have been involved with since it will have such a large impact on the lives of our student-athletes and staff,” Wright State director of athletics Bob Grant said. “These student-athletes have been great ambassadors for the University, in and out of competition.”
“We have spent the past few months working with the University leadership to find ways to help with the financial crisis on campus,” Grant said. “Unfortunately, in these difficult times, we need to do what is in the long-term, best interests of the University.”
Grant met with the coaches involved in the decision yesterday, and the student-athletes were informed this morning.
Here’s a link to the petition started by the athletes where you can show your support for the team… https://www.change.org/p/curtis-mccray-save-wsu-swimming-and-diving?recruiter=11515079&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive
Wright State’s team tuition from their out of state students is another reason why I feel this was a stupid mistake on their part. My son had planned on coming there from out of state to pay a higher tuition just so he could work/ Dive with their amazing coaches who were pretty shocked at this development. The pool they use is the student body pool. They use the same pool for swim classes for credit. The pool is rented regularly by both UDayton & Washington Recreational Dive Teams for lessons, etc. They are not saving on pool maintenance unless they are no longer going to have the pool open at all. All they are really saving is on travel… Read more »
Sure puts the screws to the kids that JUST COMMITTED for next semester. Now what?? Too late to go anywhere else but the university will still take our money for our kid to attend there.
The madness needs to stop. Its another example of financial mismanagement where the students suffer. The WSU president David Hopkins stepped aside in March 2017 after years of fiscal incompetence. Widespread cuts were expected but not at the expense of a solid program which was significantly improving. For the first time in history 2 WSU swimmers competed in 5 events at the 2016 Olympic Trials .Numerous school and conference records have been broken in the last 4yrs.
Saving money is a joke . Mr Hopkins was compensated over $ 1 million in 2014 which equates to well over 50 full in state scholarships. It has been published that he is still on faculty at $200k /yr after running the… Read more »
Remember, WSU does NOT have football. They compete in the Horizon League which other than YSU, no schools sponsor football. If swimming can’t last at a no football school, this is scary.
Yes! This is VERY scary and so sad. My son swam at Wright State for 4 years and it was a great experience that helped propel him to the next level. . . qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 3 events! We are disgusted at the misuse of funds by Wright State University and their lack of understanding regarding the importance of taking care of their student athletes–swimmers and divers that work so hard in the pool and in the classroom. Future employers always want to hire college swimmers because they understand their high level work ethic. We have always spoken highly of Wright State but that ended today. . . . .Wright State’s biggest cheerleaders have become Wright State’s… Read more »
Okay. I’ve been saying this for four years and no one at USA Swimming seems to have the spine to listen.
If you want to save college swimming we need to press someone in the legislative branch of government to require any university which receives government funding must provide 80% of their athletic budget funding to Olympic sports. Sports should not be money making ventures for colleges. Athletics should be part of the college experience. Colleges who benefit from federal funding should support athletic programs that mean something to the international community. Stop feeling sorry for all of the cancelled swim programs and DO SOMETHING about it. The answer is simple and I’ll say it again.
I’m 100% with you on that… Unfortunately, the current legislative branch of government absolutely believes that sports should be money making ventures for colleges. They (And the executive branch) also do not want federal funding to go to any program that means something for the international community.
I think all I programs take a cut and not eliminate just one sport. That is wrong. Wrong for the kids involved & wrong for the school.
I would have never let this happen