Cal Poly to Cut Swimming and Diving, Citing House Settlement
Cal Poly is cutting its swimming and diving programs, its president announced in a letter on Friday.
The decision was one aspect of a larger letter on “budget and organizational changes” distributed by president Jeffrey D. Armstrong. In addition to reorganizations of student affairs, the Division of Research and various other initiatives, Armstrong cited “financial realities” that made axing swimming and diving, “unavoidable.”
Swimmers and divers met with Director of Athletics Don Oberhelman prior to the decision. Scholarship commitments will be honored to swimmers who elect to stay at the school, and an FAQ has been posted.
From the letter:
Unfortunately, Cal Poly is not immune to the rapidly evolving and changing NCAA Division I landscape, which presents many challenges and uncertainties for collegiate athletics programs. The House vs. NCAA settlement, which addresses past and future compensation for student athletes related to name, image and likeness (NIL) rights, will have a significant financial impact – resulting in a loss of at least $450,000 per year for our programs. This comes amid additional national class-action lawsuits pending against the NCAA, further compounding financial and operational challenges for collegiate athletics.
Cal Poly is a Division I program that swims in the Big West conference for men and women, having moved over from the MPSF in 2024. Its last NCAA qualifier was in 2015. The aquatics program is the only one affected at the moment.
“I want to be clear that we remain committed to the student-athlete model and excelling both in the classroom and in athletic competitions,” Armstrong wrote. “However, that requires us to make difficult decisions, such as today’s, to maintain and sustain a viable athletics program. At this time, no other Cal Poly sports programs are at risk of being discontinued. However, the university continues to look at roster management to ensure we field the most competitive teams while providing a top-tier experience for our student-athletes.”
The swimming decision came amid numerous cutbacks by the university in non-athletic sectors that are aimed at strengthening Cal Poly’s commitment to its educational mission and its sustainability.
