The men’s and women’s swim teams at Utica University (NY) were recently dropped as they are shutting the pool down permanently. The two primary reasons that are cited from an email sent from the school include declining student interest and high renovation costs. The swim team had multiple incoming freshman who put deposits down as well as returning athletes who were getting ready to compete this upcoming year. We were told Monday (6/12) night that this was a very lengthy decision. However, the team was never notified by the school that this could be our last season until less than 24 hours before an email was sent to the entire school. Additionally, this news comes with the recent addition to a women’s gymnastics team as well as a men’s and women’s wrestling team at the varsity level to Utica athletics. The reasoning for lack of funding is truly hard to wrap your head around with the upbringing of three brand new sports, which is a costly manner. 

Consequently, we were stripped away from having even acknowledgement and preparedness that this would be our last year. As a result of these actions, these student athletes are left without a team, feeling disposable by the athletics department, and missing important milestones of their athletics career such as their senior year.

We are asking you to help us bring immediate attention to the disrespectful manner in which this process has been handled, and help us fight to have one more year as a swim program. This could be done through fixing the pool at Utica enough to compete one more year or outreaching to a local pool to be able to hold practices off campus.