Western Connecticut State Cuts Men’s and Women’s Swimming

By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam

Western Connecticut State University is cutting its swimming and diving programs after the 2023-2024 academic year, effective in May.

The NCAA Division III school, which competes in the Little East Conference for swimming, announced its plans to discontinue the programs in a statement earlier this month.

The decision came after a full review of the school by all campus departments.

“Athletics has gone through thorough multiple reviews of its programs over the past seven years,” University President Manohar Singh said in the statement. “Results of the most recent reviews made it evident that at this moment we will not be able to continue men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams going forward.”

Western Connecticut State’s athletics department and university staff said they remain committed to supporting the impacted student-athletes throughout this transition, providing a variety of resources for students to seek guidance.

“The student-athlete’s contributions, not just in the pool but in the classrooms, labs, and in the community, are celebrated as valued members of our community,” said Athletic Director Lori Mazza. “Our top priority right now is to provide support to each affected student.”

Western Connecticut swimming had five male swimmers and four female swimmers on its roster for the 2023-2024 season.

The men’s team placed 5th out of five teams at the Little East Conference Championships, while the women placed 9th out of 10 teams.

Despite Western Connecticut cutting their swim programs, the state still has some positive news to share in relation to the sport. University of Bridgeport, about 20 miles away from Western Connecticut, just announced plans to reinstate their swimming and diving programs in the fall of 2025.

Western Connecticut State will continue to support its eight other sports programs for both men and women.

The school began the women’s swimming program in the 2012-2013 season, while the men’s program kicked off for the 2018-2019 season.

SwimSwam: Western Connecticut State Cuts Men’s and Women’s Swimming