The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) swimming and diving team has just received its largest donation in the history of its program.
An anonymous donor has established a $250,000 endowment, specifically to benefit the swimming and diving athletes. UALR Sports Information Assistant, Tyler Morrison, told SwimSwam that the university had been working with the donor in the fall of 2014 and that the money will “go towards scholarships and student welfare.”
Head Coach Amy Burgess called the gift a “game changer” for the program. “A gift of this magnitude can change the face of our program by providing scholarship support equal to our peer conference competition,” she said. UALR competes within the Division I Missouri Valley Conference, with such rivals as Illinois State and Missouri State.
The UALR Athletics Director of Development, Sheena Howell, views the donation as a catalyst for the program’s matching gift initiative, encouraging alumni and the entire swimming community to give to the UALR program.
With 15 swimmers and divers on its roster, the Trojans of UALR finished 6th at this past season’s Missouri Valley Conference Championship meet, with several athletes coming away with recognition. Sophomore Jinson Kang was named to the Missouri Valley All-Conference Team, while Courtney Coe, Tori Fryar and Kayla Grimm brought home All-Conference Honorable Mentions.
Maybe now they will be able to update their air quality system.
The team does not own the facility. The gift was for the team, not the Rec center. The swim team has nothing to do with the air quality (several air handlers are damaged and actually scheduled for repairs, but an anonymous donation to the team has nothing to do with that!)