Cal Poly’s swimming and diving programs won’t be reinstated despite fundraising efforts

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. (AP) — A fundraising campaign to save the recently eliminated Cal Poly men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs came up short and the programs will not be reinstated, university president Jeffrey D. Armstrong announced this week.

The school announced the elimination of the programs in March, citing the financial hardships expected to arrive next month when schools can begin sharing revenue with athletes.

The Save Cal Poly Swim and Dive group was formed to try and save the programs. It’s unclear how much the group raised, but Armstrong said in a statement it wasn’t enough.

“I appreciate the efforts of many to attempt to raise the permanent funds needed to reinstate the swimming and diving programs at Cal Poly,” he said. “While I appreciate the significant annual support and revocable bequests that have been identified, the fundraising effort has fallen well short of the goal to reinstate the program. As a result, the university is unable to reinstate the swimming and diving programs.”

He added that they extended the deadline and lowered the amount needed to give them a chance to save the programs.

“The university made several changes in good faith throughout the effort, including implementing multiple extensions to the deadline dates and lowering the threshold of permanent funds for an endowment to the absolute minimum that would be required to realistically support the programs,” he said.

The school said in March that athletes who were impacted by the elimination of the programs would have their scholarships honored as long as they are at Cal Poly or they can enter the transfer portal. Coaches did not have their contracts renewed after they expired in April. The school, a member of the Big West Conference, will sponsor 20 sports going forward.

The House settlement, which was approved June 6, is expected to financially benefit football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, who are likely to receive a big chunk of the $20.5 million per year that colleges are permitted to share with athletes over the next year. Schools across the country are deciding which sports to keep.

Armstrong said the move was difficult but that it was unavoidable.

“This is an unfortunate reality given the approved NCAA House settlement, state budget and the tenuous situation moving forward for both the state and the NCAA,” he said. “I want to reiterate that the significant and unequitable changes in the NCAA and the House settlement (and new organizations resulting from this settlement) had an impact that weighed heavily in this decision.”

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports