Mike Bottom, CSCAA Director Samantha Barany to Speak on Behalf of Michigan State Swimming

Photo Courtesy: Michigan State Athletics

Mike Bottom, CSCAA Director Samantha Barany to Speak on Behalf of Michigan State Swimming

Former University of Michigan coach Mike Bottom and CSCAA executive director Samantha Barany will address the Michigan State Board of Trustees this week in support of that school’s campaign to reinstate varsity swimming and diving.

Bottom and Barany will cut short their stay at the ASCA World Clinic this week to travel to East Lansing to advocate for Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive. The board and interim university president Teresa Woodruff are meeting Friday.

Bottom spent the last 15 years leading Michigan, the Spartans’ rival in the pool but a supporter in their battle to reinstate varsity swimming since being cut at the end of the 2020-21 season. Bottom’s Wolverines were one of many schools to sign on to a scheduling pledge to add Michigan State upon reinstatement, and he’s written to potential donors on BSSD’s behalf.

Barany, a long-time swim coach and the former associate commissioner of the Colonial Athletic Association for women’s basketball and Olympic sports, has likewise harnessed her organization’s resources to support BSSD.

“The advocacy of Bottom and Barany underscores the immense potential of a renewed MSU Swim and Dive program,” Battle for Spartan Swim Dive wrote in a press release. “With their expertise and counsel in areas such as selecting coaches, recruiting talent, and creating successful systems, Michigan State has the opportunity for a rapid return as B1G and NCAA leader.”

BSSD is approaching its established fundraising target of $6.5 million to cover five years of operating costs. It has also made headway in identifying donors for the $20 million required to upgrade the university’s aquatic facilities. The campaign has a more receptive audience in a new administration, after the athletic director and university president that presided over the cuts both left their post.

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