The University of Minnesota Morris has announced that it will add a men’s swimming & diving team beginning in the 2023-2024 academic year. The move will coincide with the elimination of the men’s tennis team following the 2023 season.
“I am very excited to see this new opportunity for men’s swimmers and divers, and to have the chance to lead our growing UMN Morris swimming & diving program,” said Molesworth. “I am looking forward to creating a fun, competitive environment for men to join a great collegiate sport.”
Minnesota-Morris is an NCAA Division III team that already sponsors women’s swimming & diving. Women’s team head coach David Molesworth will take over the joint program as head coach, and that they are currently conducting a search for a full-time assistant coach – the program currently has only a volunteer assistant.
The Cougars compete in the Liberal Arts Conference in swimming, a geographically-diverse campus from across the country that stretches from Asbury University in Kentucky to Williams Baptist in Arkansas, Illinois Tech and Pricnipia College in Illinois, Saint Ambrose in Iowa, and Minnesota-Morris in Minnesota. Previously, Minnesota-Morris was the only program in the conference without both men’s and women’s conferences.
The women’s team finished 3rd out of 6 teams this season. Five members of the team took home all-conference honors, and two were recently named to the CSC Academic All-District team.
The teams practice out of the 8-lane 25-yard Cougar pool on campus with a separate diving well.
“There were over 2,750 boys swimming and diving in 120 Minnesota high school programs in 2021-22. As Minnesota’s only public NCAA Division III university, UMN Morris is uniquely positioned to launch a competitive men’s swimming and diving team,” said Sandy Olson-Loy, vice chancellor for student affairs. “Men’s tennis has been a second sport opportunity for most of our athletes. We are excited to provide terrific academic and sports experiences for more students via swimming and diving.”
Minnesota-Morris is part of the University of Minnesota system and at a bill of about $14,000-per-semester for residents and just $16,500 for non-residents is one of the more affordable NCAA D3 experiences.
The school has an undergraduate enrollment of about 1,300 and is located about 2-and-a-half hours west-northwest of Minneapolis near the border with South Dakota.
The men’s tennis roster has 9 athletes this season, and Molesworth says they’re hoping to get to at least 10 athletes in the program’s first season. The women’s team currently has 12 student-athletes.
Recruitment for men’s swimming & diving will begin this spring. “There is no better coach to launch a new men’s collegiate swimming and diving program than Dave Molesworth.” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Matt Johnson continued, “Coach Molesworth established our successful women’s swim and dive program in 2004, is highly regarded amongst his peers across the country, and has great connections in Minnesota’s swimming and diving community.”
The school currently offers 19 varsity NCAA D3 sports with about a quarter of its undergraduate population participating in intercollegiate athletics.
UCLA, Michigan State, Arkansas…. Care to step up?
The school might as well have both genders of swimming! If you have a swim team, you might as well have both genders!
Cool
Michigan st where are you?
Uh, in Michigan.