By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
The University of Alberta announced Monday that it will cut its men’s and women’s swimming programs at the end of the 2024-25 season.
The school said the “difficult decision” was made due to both financial issues and complications stemming from there not being a competitive swimming facility on campus.
“We have made the difficult decision to end the University of Alberta’s swim program after the 2024/25 season,” U of A’s Deputy Provost of Students and Enrollment Melissa Padfield said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing financial challenges and complications of not having a competitive swim facility on campus, a swim program is not viable for the U of A at this time.”
The Golden Bears (men) and Pandas (women) swim teams are coming off their best finishes in recent memory at the 2024 U SPORTS Championships this past March. The men’s team finished 7th, their highest finish since 2017, while the women placed 8th to crack the top 10 for the first time since 2019. It also marked the first time both the Bears and Pandas finished in the top 10 in the same year since 2017.
Padfield said the swimmers will continue to compete the rest of the season while being provided support from the university in pursuing options for next season if they opt to continue their competitive swimming careers and transfer elsewhere.
The University of Alberta campus is located in the provincial capital of Edmonton, and the team trains out of the Kinsmen Sports Centre, which is less than 3 kilometers away from campus.
The school has a pool on campus, located in the Van Vliet Center, which features a 25-meter pool.
Over the last four years, the varsity team has partnered with one of the best clubs in Canada, Edmonton Keyano Swim Club, to combine coaching and training efforts. Paul Birmingham currently serves as head coach of both programs.
The U of A swim programs have competed at the varsity level since 1948, with over 500 graduated alumni and 12 swimmers having been inducted to the school’s Sports Wall of Fame.
So far this season, the Golden Bears and Pandas had an alumni meet in mid-September and raced the October Opener two weeks ago. They’ll race the Odlum Brown Colleges Cup this weekend at UBC and will then take on the Canada West Championships two weeks later in Vancouver.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: University of Alberta To Cut Swimming Programs At End of 2024-25 Season