Buffalo State (Div. III) Axes Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving

Photo Courtesy: Taylor Brien

Buffalo State (Div. III) Axes Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving

Buffalo State will discontinue its men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, the university announced on Thursday.

The cut is effective immediately. The decision followed, “a lengthy review of the sustainability of the programs.” Not lengthy was the university’s announcement on the changes, a dismissive and perfunctory 59 words that made no mention of the status of student-athletes in it.

“This difficult decision does not diminish the many significant past contributions of the swimming and diving student-athletes and coaches who have played such an important role in the history of Buffalo State Athletics,” the university bothered to write.

Both teams competed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). The women’s team finished seventh out of nine teams last year, with the men ninth.

The cuts leave Buffalo State with seven men’s varsity programs and 10 women’s programs. The swim teams’ rosters list 11 women and four men on the squad for the 2022-23 season. Both teams were coached by Mike Kroll, who had been hired in the summer of 2018, with three assistant coaches.

The men’s program produced 27 All-American nods for 13 individuals plus three relay All-American honors. Most of those date to the 1960s and 70s, including a robust diving program, Though as recently as 2018, Connor Mergler assembled a career with six All-American honors and three Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Meet at the SUNYAC Championships. Mergler in 2018 was the most recent conference champ for the men. The women’s team produced on All-American, diver Judy Elliott in 1981, and six SUNYAC champs, the most recent being breaststroker Kelly Stoklosa in 2006. The programs swam out of an on-campus pool, Kissinger Pool, renovated in 2014.

Buffalo State is not to be confused with the University of Buffalo. The Bengals are significantly smaller – some 7,000 students compared to the Bulls’ 30,000. Buffalo’s swim team competes in the Division I Mid-American Conference.

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