Michigan State could be close to reinstating its men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, according to the Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive advocacy group that has fought for their return since the 2020 cuts.
MSU is now officially working with the Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive group to collect donations to help cover operating expenses for both teams. In less than three weeks, they are already “pulling within reach” of their goal: $6.5 million over five years.
“As we continue to connect with those donors, we are confident that our next public release will be announcing the return of the Michigan State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams,” the Battle group said in a statement on Friday.
Last December, interim MSU president Teresa Woodruff told remaining Spartan swimmers that reinstatement was a reasonable expectation if the Battle group assisted with funding. The university reached a settlement the next month with 11 former swimmers that stopped short of guaranteeing the return of MSU swimming, but it did provide several Title IX protections for the future.
The university can no longer pad its women’s athlete total with novice rowers, and it won’t be allowed to drop a women’s team through 2030. If the gap between male and female athletes exceeds 28 in favor of male athletes for two consecutive years, or is higher than 16 athletes for one year, MSU must immediately add a women’s team or implement a roster management process across men’s and women’s teams.
The university’s appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected in December. A week later, a board trustee said MSU officials “do not see a viable path to establish a swim and dive program.” That surprising announcement came after court rulings last August determined MSU violated Title IX by cutting the Spartans’ swim and dive program at the end of the 2020-21 season. Last July, Battle for Spartan Swim and Dive drafted a budget proposal claiming to have secured about $10 million in prospective donations for the program’s reinstatement.
The past couple years have been a rollercoaster for supporters of MSU’s swim and dive programs — not the fun kind — but the wild ride seems to finally be reaching the finish line.
