In spite of a nation-wide fundraising effort that stayed Wright State cutting its swim program for another season, the school announced on Friday that this would be the Raiders’ last season in the pool.
“Wright State will not allocate further funding or accept additional external funding to operate the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams after this season,” the press release from the school said. That statements indicates that there won’t be another last-ditch effort to save the program like last summer’s $85,000 push led by the CSCAA.
The cuts come amidst a university-wide budget cut that is scheduled for $10 million this year, including deep cuts to athletics.
The school says that student-athletes who remain at the school after the Spring of 2018 will keep their existing athletic scholarship, and that the university will help student-athletes who want to transfer. They’re encouraging swimmers to make that decision before November 1st to “preserve opportunities for the student-athletes.”
“In the face of adverse financial conditions, many people who love these student-athletes and programs stepped up this summer to make sure they could compete at Wright State for one more year in 2017-18,” said Bob Grant, director of athletics.
“But it is clear we are not able to fund operations of these programs after this season. And counting on external funding alone to pay for operations is not sustainable nor is it fair to the student-athletes and their families because of the uncertainty it creates year-to-year,” said Grant.
The team has a limited schedule this season, and will likely swim their last meet at the Horizon League Championships in Cleveland in late February.
The news that Raiders swimming/diving is no more is nothing less than soulcrushing. This shock has only reenforced the pain when receiving word of the passing of Coach Matt Liddy (1960-2010). Matt, may we entrust the Raider aquatic’s spirit to your everlasting care. And, may everyone of us who has crawled into the WSU natatorium at zero-dark thirty, keep faith with each other, as well as those who have unswervingly supported the program.
Matt: When the time comes, have a few craft beers ready for me, while you ask Him to pencil me in for the 1650. I expect that you will use an empty one in lieu of a lap counter. For motivation, of course.
Let’s shut down swimming and support more football. Because swimming is so bad for you and football is such a great sport. No injuries ever
Monika – Wright State doesn’t have a football team.
Hmm, our school is in massive financial crisis and has declining enrollment. Let’s permanently eliminate an enrollment avenue and thumb our noses at > $500,000 in tuition revenue annually. Genius!
“…..will not allocate further funding or accept additional external funding…..” This statement says it all. They don’t want a swim program nor, in my opinion, do they want the costs associated with keeping a pool operating. Sad to see the potential demise of yet another pool in the Dayton, Ohio area.
don’t ever donate to schools that say they need X amount of money to keep a sport. It’s a scam, they won’t keep the sport, this has happened many times.
i stopped donating to my school (central michigan) long ago. They dropped swimming in 1982 but kept call for $ specifically for football and basketball.
It is my opinion that any AD who resides over a school that drops a sport is a complete failure and should be fired. That position should be there to protect and foster ALL sports at a school and when one is dropped they cannot be any more of a failure.
As someone who swam on the that ’82 cmu team. Thank you for your statement.
I have never contributed one cent to my alma mater, Kent State, due to the fact that they dropped mens and womens swimming, then built a new pool which the said was too short for competition (later proved to be a lie), then tore that pool down in order to build a pool that would be inadequate for a small YMCA. They can not even hold any aquatics classes in it.
WHAT???? I thought they were saved.. this is sad.
Very sad, but glad these kids will be able to prepare better this time.