Head coach Dave Sheets explained the decision, "Today at 10:30 AM I was informed by the athletic department that the men's program here at Duquesne was being discontinued due to financial strains over the long term on the athletic department. Along with men's swimming three other programs will be dropped (wrestling, men's golf, baseball) I was also informed that to keep the program running long term we would have to come up with over $ 2.5 million dollars for an endowment. Along with this cut, Coach Bocci's position was also eliminated. If any of you now want to step up to the plate the time has come.
Duquesne is a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference where they finished 3rd last year and had two Conference champions. Coach David Sheets has done an excellent job of bringing the Duquesne Men’s team from perennial doormats to consistent finishes at the top of the Conference. During his tenure they have had 20 individual and 7 relay Conference champions. Currently they are ranked in the top 25 of the CSCAA Mid Major poll. They have had a Conference “Swimmer of the Week” and “Rookie of the Week” already this year. In addition to their accomplishments in the pool the Duquesne swimmers have excelled in the classroom. They have consistently been ranked in the top 15 of the Scholar All American teams and finished 12th last year with a 3.25 GPA. This summer coach Sheets was recognized for his efforts in raising funds for the March of Dimes in the Chesapeake Bay swim. With the retention of the Women’s team at Duquesne it is difficult to understand the criteria used to evaluate the teams that were dropped. The team was informed today just 3 weeks before its Conference Championships.
