Marshall University announced it would be cutting the women’s swimming and diving team at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season due to financial strain and facilities that do not meet NCAA competition standards. In response, the female student-athletes have filed a class-action lawsuit against the school, alleging this move violates Title IX.
According to SwimSwam, the 15 female student-athletes requested a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to stop Marshall University from cutting any women’s team while the case is considered by the court.
“For years, Marshall has failed to offer women equal opportunities to participate in varsity sports,” said Joshua Hammack, an attorney representing the swimmers. “And now the school seeks to cut a women’s team. The brave women on the swimming and diving team want nothing more — but also nothing less — than the equality Title IX demands.”
Marshall University’s swim and dive team has an annual budget of $819,000, and the current aquatics facilities on campus are in need of a renovation to meet the NCAA’s competitive standards.
In a statement, the university said, “The university takes all legal matters seriously and is committed to engaging in the judicial process in a transparent and respectful manner. Because this matter involves pending litigation, Marshall will not comment on the specifics of the filing, other than to reiterate the university's previously disclosed position. Marshall reaffirms that the decision to discontinue the program is in the best interest of the institution as a whole. President Brad D. Smith said that while the decision was difficult, the rationale remains sound and unchanged.”
Compounding the devastation for the female swimmers is an announcement made by the university days after it informed them that the swim and dive teams would be cut, that the university would be adding women’s STUNT as a varsity sport.
School officials claim the annual budget for STUNT would be less than half the budget required for the swim and dive teams, making it a more financially viable option.
“This was not an easy decision,” said Marshall University vice president and director of athletics, Gerald Harrison, “but we believe it remains the best option at this time. Our priority remains the well-being of our student-athletes and the trust of the entire Marshall community.”
