Real Orange Heroes: The Syracuse Swimming & Diving Program

From when we lost the wrestling program. I say bring back Mike Rotunda and let’s get that bad boy started back up. I know most don’t care about some of these sports but I like having a diverse athlectic department and not just being known as a “basketball school”. I understand when times get tough financially, people have to make choices that I would not want to make either but never makes it easier to accept. Good luck to Mr. Walker, Kuba, and the rest of those involved.

SU ought to be about continuing to provide as many as possible opportunities through academic, athletic or other scholarship assistance to students for a college education. We lost the wrestling program, the swimming/diving program and once upon a time, women’s gymnastics, rifle and men’s tennis. SU cannot cut too many programs, however, because if they did, the university would lose its Division I status and be forced down a level. The NCAA has guidelines on number of teams that must be offered in order to maintain Division I, II, and III status along with scholarship limits, etc. I’d like to see all of those ‘lost’ sports restored. But that won’t happen for a while, I think.

there are numerous high schools in the area with pools that are large enough and if I remember correctly were offering their usage to SU. And if memory serves, didn’t USC’s swim program have alot of success with facilities similar to SU’s? This seemed like a money saver and he wasn’t straight enough to call it like it was.

during my freshmen year. The Student Government at SU helped the swimmer’s and their families protest the cuts.

Originally the swim team and its scholarships were going to be stopped at the end of the year, but after the protests Doctor Gross agreed to “phase out” the program allowing the current swimmers to keep swimming until they graduated.

As a kid who did cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track in high school I know what it feels like to get the shaft just because your a “low profile team”

Overall I like Doctor Gross, but I am no fan of this move although I do understand the finances behind it.

Hopefully eventually we can bring the swim team back, AND start a men’s ice hockey D1 team. Its really the only sport that SU lacks that makes you say (really? they don’t have that?)