I know we go through this every year - but here goes another program.
While I am sad to see a swim program go, I just can't see how you can keep these programs running with the budget crunch in the state. They said the annual budget for the teams (men and women) is $400,000. That does not sound like all that much, but they have only about 40 athletes. Why would the state spend $10,000 per year per person on these athletes to be able to swim in college ???? They should be paying extra for the coaching and facilities. Most colleges have the best swimming facilities in town - I just came back from Santa Barbara - that pool is amazing, while the city pool downtown is a dump.
I loved swimming in college, but I see the European club based system on the horizon ....
UC-Irvine leaves a great legacy in swimming. Not only did UC-Irvine in 1970 and 1971 (well, OK, maybe there were other years: that's all I can remember) win NCAA’s College Division championship, but they won it with style. To people who swam in the Cold And Frozen East, they defined swimming in Orange County, and maybe Southern California – back before anyone cared about Mission Viejo, and before Division II and Division III. The loss of this program is really a shame.
UC-Irvine leaves a great legacy in swimming. Not only did UC-Irvine in 1970 and 1971 (well, OK, maybe there were other years: that's all I can remember) win NCAA’s College Division championship, but they won it with style. To people who swam in the Cold And Frozen East, they defined swimming in Orange County, and maybe Southern California – back before anyone cared about Mission Viejo, and before Division II and Division III. The loss of this program is really a shame.
