South Georgia State College, a public college that competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), is cutting its swimming program.
The news of the program being cut was first told to SwimSwam by current head coach David Oliver, who said he was informed of the decision on Friday due to budget constraints.
The school made the announcement official on Monday.
“South Georgia State College announces it is suspending the Hawks’ swimming program at the end of the current spring semester,” the school said in a statement.
“The decision came from an extensive review of internal and external resources for the NJCAA Division I sport. Unfortunately, the College is not in a position to commit the necessary resources for its continued operation.
“The current swim team student-athletes will continue to be supported by SGSC during the transition process. The athletic department and SGSC staff will actively work to minimize the impact on the student-athletes.”
In his lone season as the team’s head coach, Oliver led the South Georgia State men to an eighth-place finish out of 13 teams at the 2024 NJCAA Championships in March, as the Hawks placed four relays in the top seven and had a 27-point effort individually from freshman Brody Williams.
South Georgia State had seven male swimmers and one female swimmer on its roster in the 2023-24 season.
The men’s team placed sixth in 2023, though the team turned over most of its top scorers.
During the season, Oliver, 64, said he lived in the dorms during the school week to be close to the team while also running swim lessons and teaching fitness classes at the school.
He said he had been actively recruiting when he heard the news, including having a meeting with a prospective student-athlete one hour after he received word the program was being cut.
The school will now only sponsor baseball, softball, men’s and women’s cross country, women’s soccer and men’s basketball in NJCAA Division I.
South Georgia State became Georgia’s first state-supported two-year college in 1927. In January 2013, it officially merged with Waycross College, and now has campuses in both Douglas and Waycross, Georgia.
The school has sponsored swimming since at least the 2011-12 season.
Didn’t see an article about it, but D3 Western Connecticut State announced on April 12 that they are cutting their Mens and Womens swim programs. Clearly not for budget constraints as on April 16, they announced the additions of Womens Golf, Mens and Womens indoor and outdoor Track and Field, and Mens and Womens Ice Hockey.
Heartbreaking- it was a great program. Former Coach Jenkins sent many swimmers to four-year programs after graduation from South Georgia. Not to mention he really helped young athletes become better people!