03/18/26 01:03:00
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03/18 13:01 CDT Marshall drops plans to eliminate women's swimming and diving a
week after student-led lawsuit
Marshall drops plans to eliminate women's swimming and diving a week after
student-led lawsuit
By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
Marshall University dropped plans to eliminate its women's swimming and diving
program on Wednesday, citing concerns raised in a lawsuit over compliance
questions involving Title IX.
The reversal was announced after a special meeting of the Marshall Board of
Governors and came a week after a group of swimmers filed a lawsuit seeking to
retain the sport.
"Leadership is about making difficult decisions and tradeoffs, and sometimes
those decisions are unpopular," Marshall President Brad Smith said at a news
conference. "But leadership is also about having humility to listen, to learn,
and to adjust course if new facts and information emerge. And that's what we
have done here."
Marshall swim coach Ian Walsh said he was "incredibly proud" of those within
his program, especially the athletes.
"How you've navigated the past month has been nothing short of exceptional,"
Walsh said.
Last month, Marshall announced it would drop swimming and add stunt --- a sport
that incorporates aspects of cheerleading --- to its women's sports offerings.
The swim team found out the day before the start of its conference championship
meet that its program would end after 23 years.
Athletic director Gerald Harrison told the Marshall Board of Governors on Feb.
17 that the swim team has a $819,000 annual budget, its facilities don't meet
NCAA competition standards and that the athletic department couldn't commit the
funding needed to upgrade the facilities and sustain the program. Stunt, which
could support up to 65 athletes, would cost an estimated $320,000 per year,
according to Smith.
Title IX ensures equity between men and women in education and prohibits
discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity
receiving federal funds. Compliance can be measured in multiple ways, including
whether the overall program's gender breakdown is proportionate to that of the
general student body.
The swimmers' lawsuit brought to light an independent audit conducted last fall
showing Marshall has struggled to meet Title IX requirements for athletic
participation opportunities for women. Smith cited the audit Wednesday, saying
that eliminating women's swimming "could potentially place our university
outside the safe harbor framework of Title IX."
Smith said that information was different than the advice it received entering
the process. Wednesday's decision also was influenced by the costs of a
potentially lengthy lawsuit, he said.
Marshall will continue plans to add stunt as a varsity sport, Smith said.
Over the past year, a growing number of universities have added or dropped
entire sports programs as dramatic changes roll through college athletics under
a $2.8 billion NCAA settlement.
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