Marshall University dropped its plans to eliminate women’s swimming and diving Wednesday, citing concerns raised in a lawsuit over Title IX compliance questions.
As reported by The Associated Press, 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, as reported by the AP's John Raby. “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. “How you’ve navigated the past month has been nothing short of exceptional,” Walsh said of his athletes.
Last month, Marshall announced it would drop swimming and add stunt 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, Raby reported.
Related: Marshall University Sued Following Announcement to Cut Women's Swim and Dive Teams
Per Raby's reporting, 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.
"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," Raby wrote. "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.
“What changed was the recommended implementation strategy for achieving those goals,” Smith said as part of a university press release issued Wednesday. “External Title IX consultation indicated that eliminating a women’s program could potentially place the university outside the safe harbor framework of Title IX, even when the long-term result would be an increase in participation opportunities for women.
“When new information changes the pathway forward, responsible leadership reassesses. This decision allows us to retain the Swim & Dive program while continuing to expand opportunities for women and moving forward constructively for our student-athletes and our university.”
