The Journal

Issue date: 4/5/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Jamie Ford Webster's pool is used for many different community purposes such as swim lessons and water aerobics. However, it will no longer be used for swim team practices.

The Webster University Athletic Department will no longer have a men's and women's swimming program. Athletic Director Tom Hart cited lack of recruitment, failing to meet NCAA requirements and the resignation of the fourth coach in five years as some reasons for the swimming program's demise.


The nine-person swimming team consisted of five women and four men. The team practiced two hours a night with optional practices in the mornings on Tuesday and Thursday. The team competed in eight meets from November 2006 through February 2007. Hart said this is the first sport to be cut in the 13 years he has been the athletic director at Webster.


Hart informed swim team members March 28 that the program was no longer going to be a Webster sport. In the meeting, Hart told swimmers they could continue swimming at Webster, but only as a club sport. According to Hart, swimming would become more of a student-driven activity than a school-sponsored sport. There wouldn't be any participation requirements, and the club would be run by its members. Hart told team members if they were to form the club and compete in tournaments, Webster would help with the cost.


"We would support the swimmers in any way that we could," Hart said.


When the swimmers heard from Hart about the meeting, they weren't sure what to expect.


"At the meeting, we were all caught off guard," Pfund said. "My eyes were welling up and he asked us if we had any more questions. We shot off a few, but now that we've calmed down we have so many more questions we would like answered. We would like to have a follow up meeting."


The team members haven't decided if they are going to form the club or fight to keep the sport afloat.


"We've talked about it and if that is the only way we are going to be able to swim here, then we are going to do it," sophomore Emily Pfund said.


According to team members, the week before spring break, Swim Team Head Coach Tim Lombardo resigned without giving notice to the team. Hart then informed the team of Lombardo's resignation via e-mail. Lombardo did not return phone calls by press time.

Continued...

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