Marshall University has made the decision to cut its women’s swimming an diving program after the 2025-26 season.<\/p>\n
The Thundering Herd are currently in the American Conference and are heading to the conference meet next week, Feb. 18-21 in Greensboro, N.C.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis decision was made after evaluating what is required to provide the highest-quality student-athlete experience over the long term,\u201d Marshall Athletic Director Gerald Harrison<\/strong> wrote in an email to the team, multiple sources have reported.<\/p>\n \u201cSwimming requires significant ongoing facility, locker room, and infrastructure investment to support health, safety, training, and recruiting at the level our student-athletes deserve. At this time, we cannot commit to the level of facility and infrastructure investment necessary to support swimming and diving in the way our student-athletes deserve and expect from Marshall Athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n The school does not have a men’s team.<\/p>\n Marshall released a Q&A for swimmers to help them understand why the decision was made at this time and what the immediate future looks like.<\/p>\n Q: Why make this decision now?<\/p>\n Because waiting doesn\u2019t make the challenge smaller\u2014it makes it harder to solve. Being transparent now allows us to support student-athletes properly and plan responsibly.<\/p>\n Q: Why not raise money instead of cutting swimming? Q: Is this about Title IX?<\/p>\n This decision is about student-athlete experience and sustainability. Title IX compliance is a responsibility we take seriously, and this move expands participation opportunities for women while keeping aid proportional.<\/p>\n Q: What message does this send to Olympic sports?<\/p>\n It sends the message that we are committed to offering sports we can support at a high level. That means facilities, staffing, and daily experience\u2014not just sponsorship in name.<\/p>\n Q: Will my scholarship be honored at Marshall?<\/p>\n Yes. All current swimming student-athletes who remain enrolled will have their scholarships honored through graduation.<\/p>\n Q: Is swimming being cut because of performance?<\/p>\n No. This decision is not related to competitive or academic performance.<\/p>\n Q: Will Marshall help with transfers?<\/p>\n Yes. Student-athletes who choose to transfer will receive appropriate support and documentation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Marshall University has made the decision to cut its women’s swimming an diving program after the 2025-26 season. The Thundering Herd are currently in the American Conference and are heading<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3915,"featured_media":436953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[36751],"class_list":["post-636913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-college","tag-marshall-university"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\nWe explored options, but fundraising alone doesn\u2019t address the scale of capital investment required. Responsible leadership means acknowledging when a model isn\u2019t sustainable.<\/p>\n