On the heels of the recent release by the NCAA of their 2010-2011 participation study, the women’s swimming numbers will get a bit of a boost in 2012-2013. That’s because Division I school UNC-Ashville has announced that they will be reviving their women’s program beginning next season.
With the completion of Syracuse’s run after last year (and remembering that Clemson will maintain a diving program, and thus still be counted), this brings the total number of women’s Division I Swimming and/or Diving programs to 195.
UNC-Ashville had a co-ed program previously from 1972-1976 that was coached by Betsy Montgomery, who is the mother-coach of 1972 Olympian Mary Montgomery (she finished 6th in the 400 IM in 4:09.98 at only 15 years old in Munich).
The Bulldogs currently compete in the Big South Conference for their other sports, which does not field women’s swimming. Instead, they have formally applied to membership in the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association, where other Big South swim teams compete, that currently has 13 schools. Among the bigger names in the conference are Davidson, College of Charleston, Florida Gulf Coast, Liberty, Gardner-Webb, and VMI.
The program has begun a nation-wide search for a coach, and UNC-Ashville Athletics Director Janet Cone says that “the interest has been tremendous.”
The team will train and race in the Student Recreation Center pool on campus, which is a 6-lane, 25-yard facility. This addition is part of ashifted focus by the University to focus on health & wellness that includes brand new athletic, health, and recreation centers that just opened to the tune of $42-million dollars (connected to the pool).
UNC-Asheville has a decent sporting history; the most notable of which is their men’s basketball program. They made headlines in 2008 when they won the services of 7’9″ Kenny George, who was the tallest player in the nation.