GCIT Swimming Now Known as Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club

SEWELL, New Jersey, December 22. GCIT Swimming, a USA Swimming-affiliated program located in Sewell, N.J., will now be known as Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Club (GPAC). The team will continue to train out of the Gloucester County Institute of Technology Aquatics Center in Deptford, N.J. A new corporation has been established (Greater Philadelphia Aquatic Enterprises, LLC) and will operate the program.

This name change completes the transformation the program recently undertook as the previously public, institutionally-owned club has become a private, coach-owned organization.

The process was set in motion this summer as the school indicated a desire to cease operating the program, but was still open to hosting the club at the school.

The school is guaranteed to see pool rental fees equal to the money the team has brought in to the school over the past few years.

"This is an opportunity to provide for the swimmers on the team in a more direct manner," GPAC head coach and CEO Matt Sprang said. "When the team was owned by the school district, there were a lot of different hoops we had to jump through to get necessary equipment or travel approved. Many times, we were a round peg getting placed into a square hole. Now the focus of the program is more defined, and the support for performance at the highest levels is more direct. At the same time, the school will still see the same revenue as in years past, but without the liability of operating the program. It is a much better situation for both sides."

GPAC currently has 260 full-time team members, an increase of 30 percent from the 2007-08 season. GPAC employs one full-time and eight part-time coaches. Three GPAC high school seniors have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their swimming careers at the collegiate level. Emily Creran will attend Ohio State, Hayley Edwards will attend Villanova, and Ian Keyser will attend Seton Hall.

For more information: www.swimgpac.org

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use