(10-13-2020 04:31 PM)Zorch Wrote:  

(10-13-2020 03:18 PM)Tribe3455 Wrote:  

(10-13-2020 09:06 AM)Zorch Wrote:  

(10-13-2020 08:44 AM)Tribe3455 Wrote:  

(10-13-2020 06:37 AM)Tribe4SF Wrote:  Swimming and golf have a shared team budget and shared coaching staffs.

Got it. Thanks. So Golf raised more money per student-athlete than swimming and would, logically, cost less in other overhead costs. Less training staff needed. less academic support (though both, especially swimming have great students), less weight room needs, etc. And twice as many teams compete in the CAA (and around the country) in golf than in swimming. I'm not going to deep dive into the numbers of every sport but the decision between the two sports here make sense to me. The impressive fundraising number LAST year to me was men's gymnastics. But there just aren't enough schools competing.

Men's Swimming has won 6 CAA titles in a row and the women have won at least 2 in that same timespan. That is useful to know if the Athletic Department is serious about wanting 35 CAA championships in 5 (7?) years. Has men's golf or women's golf EVER won a CAA championship?

Neither program has moved the needle much nationally though I'd say golf arguably has had the most success. Golf has had a handful of NCAA regional qualifiers.

I'd say that "arguably" is definitely the right word. First off, I was referring to the AD's stated goal of 35 CAA championships. Swimming has that, golf does not. Individual regional qualifiers is not the same thing. Besides, haven't you heard about swimmer Colin Wright, who just graduated. This is from his bio (note that "NCAA Invitation" refers to Nationals, not Regionals):

Named All-American by the CSCAA in both the 50 free and the 100 free, after the NCAA Championships were cancelled due to CoVID-19 ... Earned NCAA invitations in both events, the first for a W&M men's swimmer since 1963 ... Voted the VaSID State Men's Swimmer of the Year ... Also first-team all-state in the freestyle and on the 200 free relay ... Second-team All-State on both 400 free relay and the 400 medley relay ... Named the CAA Swimmer of the Year ... Ranked fourth in the nation in the 50 free and eighth in the 100 free ... Most Outstanding Swimmer of the CAA Championships for the second year in a row ... Won all seven of his CAA events for the second year in a row ... Broke the conference's all-time records with 24 event wins and 15 relay wins ... Set the CAA all-time record in all seven events ...

So, I'd say that that is "moving the needle".

Great athlete, no doubt. But the first NCAA swimmer in 35 years.

I simply stand by the fact that golf is pretty much a mainstay in NCAA athletics. Eight teams compete in the conference. Swimming is represented by less than half the schools as golf and the CAA only has five representatives. Sadly it happens to be a sport that universities cut. I am not saying swimming should be cut I am simply stating that I understand why golf is kept instead.