In an era where swimming & diving programs are frequently on the chopping block at the college level, there’s some huge news out of the midwest: three colleges are adding women’s swimming & diving teams, prompting the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NISC) to add the sport to its ranks.
The University of Mary (Bismarck, ND), Augustana College (Sioux Fall, SD) and The University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Fall, SD) will each add women’s swimming & diving to their athletic departements beginning with the 2016-2017 season.
The addition of those three programs leaves the NSIC with 7 swim teams on the women’s side. The Division II conference requires just 6 teams to officially recognize a sport as a conference sport. The NSIC will officially start sponsoring women’s swimming & diving starting with the 2016-2017 season.
Below are press releases from all three schools and the NSIC:
University of Mary:
BISMARCK, N.D. – Adding its first major sport in two decades, the University of Mary will begin competing in women’s swimming in the 2016-17 season. Women’s swimming becomes the Marauders 17th varsity sport.
“This is a perfect time to add a sport to the University of Mary athletic department and women’s swimming is a great fit with our campus and community,” said Marauders Athletic Director Roger Thomas. “We have strong swimming programs locally and in the state. One of the best aquatic facilities in the region is located in Bismarck. We have had tremendous success with our women’s athletic programs overall and feel that women’s swimming will be another successful sport for Marauders athletics.”
The swim program will begin taking shape this summer with the search for a head coach. Once a coach has been identified, the recruiting process for student-athletes starts, along with developing a schedule for 2016-17 and other program needs. It is estimated the team will field 15 swimmers initially before growing to a roster of at least 25.
“Women’s athletics have been essential to the growth of our Mary community over the years,” said University of Mary President Monsignor James Shea. “As we begin another pivotal time in our history with the start of Vision 2030, the addition of women’s swimming demonstrates our willingness to seek out and meet the needs of students throughout our region. Additionally, the Northern Sun would like to see swimming grow to the level of a championship sport in our conference and we are excited to share that vision.”
Mary becomes the seventh Northern Sun school to offer women’s swimming, joining Augustana, Minnesota State University, MSU Moorhead, Northern State University, St. Cloud State University and the University of Sioux Falls. Both Augustana and Sioux Falls also announced today that the two schools would also begin competing in women’s swimming in 2016-17.
Augustana College:
Women’s swimming is the first sport added at Augustana since women’s soccer began competition in the fall of 2000.
“Women’s swimming as a sponsored sport for Augustana makes great sense at this time in our history,” Augustana College President Rob Oliver said. “This is a program that the NSIC is seeking to grow to a championship level sport, is already sponsored by several conference members, and utilizes one of our existing campus facilities. Additionally, the academic profile of women who have dedicated themselves to excellence in this sport fits perfectly with the academic profile at Augustana. We look forward to welcoming these students to our Augustana Viking community.”
Augustana is one of seven Northern Sun Intercollegiate members to sponsor women’s swimming as a varsity sport. Augustana joins the University of Mary, Minnesota State, MSU Moorhead, Northern State, St. Cloud State and Sioux Falls. U-Mary and USF also announced today the commitment of women’s swimming for 2016-17.
Located in Sioux Falls, S.D., Augustana College is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
University of Sioux Falls:
SIOUX FALLS – In an ongoing effort to expand student opportunities, the University of Sioux Falls will add women’s swimming and diving for the 2016-17 year, according to USF Director of Athletics Josh Snyder.
“The addition of women’s swimming will allow us to reach a new base of students and enhance the athletics offerings of our current NCAA-sponsored sports. We hope to continue growing our student enrollment at USF, and this decision enables us to potentially add another 20 student-athletes to our athletics department while continuing to provide the same first-class collegiate athletics experience for our students,” said Snyder.
USF will look to hire a head coach for swimming and diving to begin recruitment of prospective student-athletes to fill the squad during the 2015-16 academic year. The addition of swimming and diving expands USF’s intercollegiate athletics offerings to 17 teams, including 10 for women and seven for men.
Discussions on adding swimming and diving began over two years ago as the NSIC was considering an initiative to add women’s swimming and diving as a sanctioned conference sport.
Today, USF, along with Mary and Augustana, are jointly announcing the addition of women’s swimming for the 2016-17 year. As such, the league will now have seven league members sponsoring the sport. USF, Mary and Augustana join St. Cloud State, Minnesota State Moorhead, Minnesota State-Mankato and Northern State as league schools hosting women’s swimming and diving.
Located in Sioux Falls, S.D., the University of Sioux Falls is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC):
Burnsville, Minn. – Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Commissioner Erin Lind announced that women’s swimming & diving will be sponsored as the league’s 18th championship sport beginning in the 2016-17 academic year. The NSIC sponsored women’s swimming and diving during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 academic years with the aide of affiliated members.
With Augustana College, University of Mary and University of Sioux Falls announcing the addition of women’s swimming and diving at each campus, the NSIC now has seven institutions that sponsor the sport, one above the NSIC minimum for recognizing a championship sport. NSIC schools sponsoring women’s swimming and diving in 2016-17 will be Augustana College; University of Mary; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Minnesota State University Moorhead; Northern State University; University of Sioux Falls and St. Cloud State University.
“We are proud to bring back women’s swimming and diving in the NSIC and are grateful for our institutions that are committed to the sport and student-athletes for the long term,” said Lind. “The NSIC saw great success in the classroom and in the pool during the first two years and we are excited to be able to expand on that and showcase all of these outstanding student-athletes.”
With the addition of women’s swimming and diving, the NSIC can provide a place in the Upper Midwest for student-athletes to compete at the Division II level.
The NSIC currently sponsors the following 17 NCAA Division II Championship Sports: Baseball; Men’s Basketball; Women’s Basketball; Men’s Cross Country; Women’s Cross Country; Football; Men’s Golf; Women’s Golf; Men’s Indoor Track & Field; Women’s Indoor Track & Field; Men’s Outdoor Track & Field; Women’s Outdoor Track & Field; Women’s Soccer; Softball; Women’s Tennis; Women’s Volleyball and Wrestling.
This is great news for college swimming and especially DII. Not only will it provide additional opportunities for student athletes, it also helps brings stability to the other four NSIC programs at St. Cloud State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, Northern State University and Minnesota State University Moorhead.