University of Southern Indiana AD Proposes New D2 Swimming, Diving Program

Jon Mark Hall, the athletics director at the University of Southern Indiana, has proposed the addition of men’s and women’s swimming & diving programs to the school’s varsity sports offerings.

USI is an NCAA Division II school that competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

With the planned opening this summer of a new aquatic center on campus, Hall proposed a timeline to a Board of Trustees meeting this week that would have a head coach hired in the fall of 2021 and the team to begin competition in the 2022-2023 season.

Hall presented a budget of about $375,000 annually that would include swimming and diving programs, plus scholarships. The target is about 25 male and 25 female student-athletes.

The new aquatics center is part of a $65.5 million project that includes a new 4,500 seat basketball arena, a renovation of the school’s student recreation center, and a new natatorium.

The pool will be a 25 yard by 25 meter tank that includes 8 competition lanes and two warmup and cooldown lanes. In addition to the college program, several local high schools are expected to use the facility. When completed, the facility will include bench seating for 200 spectators, two locker rooms, and full timing and scoreboard equipment.

The old on-campus pool was removed to build the aforementioned Screaming Eagle Arena.

The University of Southern Indiana is located in Evansville, which is also home to the Division I swimming & diving program at the University of Evansville.

USI, a public school, has a total enrollment of 10,204 students. That total includes 6,739 degree-seeking undergrads, 1,766 graduate students, and 1,699 dual-credit high school students.