Swimmers Peter Gollands and Sean Ellis made their case to the Student Association Monday night in a presentation informing members of the Syracuse University Athletic Department's decision to cut the swimming program because of facility issues.
"We're told to show a tradition of excellence, and this is a very traditional team. We have years of academic and athletic history," Gollands said. "What we're confused about is why would one of the top academic teams at this university be cut?"
The men's swim team had the highest GPA of SU's 2006-07 athletic teams.
"We all love Syracuse - go Orange - but it's too bad when athletics becomes more of something about money, and not about academics and integrity," he said. "What the administration has said we need is a $40 million, 50-meter pool facility."
SA sees the disconnect.
"This is a university; we're not the New York Yankees," said Meaghan Monfort, SA recorder. "We're not trying to turn a profit and just become an athletic thing. That's just not what we are."
Swim practice has been held in Archbold Gymnasium since the six-lane, 25-meter Ted Webster pool was built in 1950. It was state-of-the-art when it was constructed, but regulations have changed since then.
The Webster pool does not satisfy NCAA requirements for meets and is too old to be considered an adequate facility for a championship winning team, said Director of Athletics Daryl Gross in a 2005 interview with The Daily Orange.
Ellis does not believe an Olympic-sized pool makes winning athletes.
"I was actually privileged enough to swim with Ian Crocker, one of the Olympic gold medalist butterfliers, when he was on my club team when I lived in Maine. In the state of Maine, there is no 50-meter facility," Ellis said. "He trained in a four-lane, 25-meter pool."
William Nottingham Senior High School, on East Genesee Street, has a 50-meter pool. The facility could be rented to the university at a minimal cost, if any, because of coaching connections, Ellis said. Archbold would remain the main facility; Nottingham would be used only for meets.
The Nottingham pool has hosted a past Big East Championship meet.
Yet administrators proposed that $40 million would be needed in order to create a sufficient facility for the swimming and diving programs on campus.
The cost of a new swimming facility varies anywhere from University of Tennessee at Knoxville's $17 million to Rochester Institute of Technology's $21 million, according to the athletes' presentation.
There were plans to construct "phase two" of Goldstein Recreation Center until the last athletics director stepped down, Gollands said. The center would have cost $14 million and would have had a 50-meter pool in addition to other services.
The swim team has proposed a solution if a new facility is the only cause of their cancellation.
"We have numerous amounts of alumni corporations that have approached us, and likewise approached the administration, willing to pledge to keep the swim team going - even if it's for three years or five years after that," Gollands said. Proposals to become self-sustained could be formed in that extra time, he added.
"We are able to fund operation cost, coaches' salaries, etc. It's just that we have not been given the permission to," he said. "It's frustrating when you do have the money and you know you could be a team."
No representatives from the SU Athletics Department attended the meeting. SA President Ryan Kelly verbally notified Senior Associate Director of Athletics Henry Wildhack of the swim presentation two weeks ago and sent an e-mail reminder this past week.
"Dr. Gross called me this morning to let me know he could not make the meeting today," Kelly said.
The cancellation of the SU swim program was leaked and published in The Post-Standard on May 31.
"We had no formal contact with the administration until later that morning when they proceeded to call us after the leak was reported in the newspaper," Ellis said.
SA member Bill Markt lived with a swim team member last year on South Campus and has been aware of the situation since the summer.
"They literally had the rug pulled out from under them. I think they haven't been given a fair chance, and I'd really like the SA to help out," Markt said. "I think it's extremely important and it's one of the main reasons, among other things, why we come together."
SaveSyracuseSwimming.com was created this summer to rally support. The Web site highlights the history of Syracuse swimming and provides outlets for visitors to take action.
The online petition has 3,929 signatures as of Monday night.
SA member Greg Klotz sees Otto's Army as a potential tool to generate support on campus for the swim teams.
SA Comptroller Mike Rizzolo also hopes to help fund the printing of "Save Syracuse Swimming" T-shirts.
Monfort suggested the situation be discussed with Associate Provost for Academic Affairs Sandra Hurd next week during the Middle States conversation. The Middle States report addresses future goals for SU.
Swimming has already been placed in the retired sports trophy case at Manley Field House, alongside wrestling and baseball, Gollands said.
Unless some plan is approved by the university, the 2007-08 season will be the program's last.
SA plans to draft a resolution in committee within the next week, yet University Affairs chair Larry Seivert wants to extend his support for the swim program past the written resolution.
"It might be a little funny, but if you guys have an extra Speedo, I'll probably wear one to class," Seivert said.
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