Western Kentucky Swimming and Diving Loses Funding; Will Not Return Team After Five Year Suspension

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Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold

The Western Kentucky Swimming and Diving program, which was suspended five years in 2015, lost its funding and is unlikely to return in 2020, according to the Bowling Green Daily News.

The program was initially suspended in 2015 for evidence of hazing, sexual misconduct and harassment.

Western Kentucky’s athletic department lost $1.14 million over recent months as part of the university-wide cuts, according to the Bowling Green Daily News. These cuts included the elimination of all of the funds allocated toward the swimming and diving team.

Money that was previously allocated to the swim team was averted toward the cost of attendance during the suspension.

Cost of attendance funds “are intended to cover the real costs of attending college not covered by the previous definition of a full scholarship, which included tuition, room and board, required fees and books,” per the NCAA’s website.

Unless the university can attain the nearly $1 million it needs to fund the team, the school will not return its swim team in 2020 as previously intended.

Western Kentucky’s swimming and diving team was suspended for five years in April 2015 after former swimmer Collin Craig filed a complaint with the Bowling Green police department where he reported multiple assaults and hazing incidents.

The men’s team won 15 conference titles since 1970, and the women’s team had won nine conference titles since 1998. Western Kentucky also featured eleven NCAA qualifiers, three All-Americans, most notably 2016 NCAA champion Fabian Schwingenschloegl and 2012 United States Olympian Claire Donahue.

Schwingenschloegl won his NCAA title at the University of Missouri where he was joined by fellow Hilltopper and NCAA All-American Nadine Laemmler.

To read the full report from Bowling Green Daily News, click here.

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