Concordia University Irvine Announces Discontinuation of Both Men & Women’s Swim and Dive Programs
In a zoom call to athletes earlier today, Concordia University Irvine announced the immediate discontinuation of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs. Athletes on the zoom call were given a variety of reasons for the decision, including rising insurance costs as a result of the fires that tore through Southern California at the start of this year. Additionally, a $6.5 million deficit in the school’s budget was cited.
The decision came as a shock to the team, especially considering CUI recently signed new athletes to the team, including American River College transfer Mia Verwoest less than a week ago.
In the email sent to Verwoest, school officials said:
After a thorough evaluation and much consideration, the decision has ben made to discontinue the Swimming and Diving program, effective immediately. This was not an easy decision, and it reflects broader institutional priorities and challenges – not the value or potential of our incoming student athletes.
The timing of this decision eerily echoes that of the Cal Poly Mustangs, who were informed of their team discontinuation on the same day as a committed recruit visiting campus. The transfer portal for NCAA Division I athletics closed on Friday, April 25th, providing virtually no opportunity for members of the team to seek continuation of their athletic career elsewhere.
The Eagles are coming off of a successful PCSC Championships earlier this year, which saw the men finish fourth out of nine teams, and the women sixth out of 13 teams. At that meet, the highest finish for the women’s team came in the form of a silver medal in one-meter diving from Chloe Dobie, the first diving medal in program history. The highest men’s finish at the meet was a relay title in the 400 medley relay. Head coach Bert Bergen described the season as extremely rewarding as a result of senior leadership mixed with freshman enthusiasm.
Concordia University Irvine Cannot cut Womens swimming. They are waaaayyy out of Title IX compliance. Contact Champion Women for strategies … and spread the word on other teams.
https://titleixschools.com/2023/05/20/eada-data/
Would love to reach out and talk about this more with you, feel free to reach out at hziadzeid@gmail.com
Cutting both men’s and women’s swimming and tennis might sound equal on paper, but in reality, it hits women harder. These are sports that have historically attracted far more women than, say, women’s rugby. It’s like going to a restaurant that claims to offer something for everyone, but then removes all the popular meals and leaves only the dishes that few people actually order. Technically, there’s still food, but not the kind most want.
That’s what Concordia has done by cutting women’s and men’s swimming and tennis. Both are programs that thousands of female athletes actually pursue, all the while keeping sports that draw far fewer women but disproportionately more men. On paper, it may appear gender-balanced. In practice, it gives most women fewer meaningful options. That’s not equality, it’s exclusion dressed up as fairness.
So, you can beef up the numbers on the woman’s rugby and stunt teams, but when a university eliminates the programs that best reflect a broader female interest, that can constitute a Title IX violation; not because women are explicitly denied opportunities, but because they are denied relevant ones. That’s not just disappointing, it’s discriminatory.
Concordia, Ann Arbor, Mi., had a surprise in February, 2024, that ended up destroying the University. It involved eliminating all sports and academic programs despite a record enrollment of almost 1,300 students. If Concordia, Irvine, isn’t aware of what happened at Concordia, Ann Arbor (CUAA), it would be critical for you to understand. Go to cuaacoalition.com to read about it. Scroll down to: “View the Timeline of Events.” And share it with others – your universities future may depend on it.