Fresno State University announced late yesterday that beginning next fall, it was reinstating its women’s swimming and diving team, dropped after the 2003-04 season, and adding a new women’s sport, lacrosse. The move comes in the wake of FSU’s well-publicized gender-equity woes.

The announcement marks the return of women's swimming and diving which last competed in the 2003-04 academic year. Women's lacrosse will be a new sport for Fresno State and represents a well-established sport in the East that is on the rise in the Midwest and the West. Both were among the recommendations of the Gender Equity Plan Task Force, a 13-member campus-community panel charged by University President John D. Welty to develop a new five-year gender equity plan that will guide the university to continue to maintain Title IX compliance in its athletics program.

"The addition of these sports reflects Fresno State's commitment to Title IX compliance and strengthens the institution's position in meeting Prong 1 of the Interests and Abilities requirement of the law." Boeh said. "Additionally, these sport selections will infuse additional women's scholarship dollars into the program which will ensure the university's compliance with equitable athletic scholarship distribution as required by Title IX."

 

The decision was greeted enthusiastically by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America this morning. CSCAA Executive Director Phillip Whitten stated: “We are absolutely delighted with Fresno State’s decision to revive its women’s team. Over the years, FSU has produced some outstanding swimmers and has been guided by several superb coaches, notably Teri McKeever and Daniela Irle.’

Swimming – both women’s and men’s – has long been a popular sport at Fresno State, Whitten noted, and the decision four years ago to cut it, along with soccer, was met with months-long protests and fund-raising efforts. FSU administrators had claimed in 2004 that the decision to cut the two sports was a budgetary decision.

All of that conflict was forgotten yesterday as FSU Athletic Director, Thomas Boeh, and senior associate athletic director Betsy Mosher were all smiles and optimism in explaining the Title IX significance of their announcement.

By adding 26 women’s scholarships – 14 in swimming and 12 in lacrosse -- Fresno State should meet or come close to complying with Title IX mandates, Boeh said. "This is as good as it gets, when you get to do something that is positive and you get to advance the program," he added.

"The swimming community lobbied hard over the last several months to reinstate the women’s swim team,” Whitten noted, with both national leaders and local enthusiasts voicing their support for swimming. “The CSCAA as well as ASCA and USA swimming all voiced their support for reviving swimming and diving when ewe learned a few months ago that FSU planned to add two women’s sports. But undoubtedly, the major factor was the local support in the San Joaquin Valley.” The Gender Equity Plan Task Force continues its work to finalize recommendations in the 11 areas known as the `laundry list.' The entire work of the Task Force will be formalized into a five-year plan, which will be a primary component of Fresno State's NCAA Certification process, which is expected to be completed early in 2009.

Boeh said he expects coaches in the new sports to be hired and student-athletes recruited in time for the teams to compete in the 2008-09 academic year. Swimming and diving begins competition in the late fall and concludes in early winter. Lacrosse is a spring sport. The intention for the new swimming and diving team will be to practice and compete at a Clovis Unified high school in the near term. The university master plan includes phased construction of a competitive aquatics center.

“This is a great day for our sport,” Whitten said, adding “now about that men’s team….”