QU to add men’s and women’s swimming programs in 2022

QUINCY — The Quincy University athletic department is ready to make a splash again.

The school will revive its women’s swimming program and add men’s swimming as an intercollegiate sport beginning with the 2022-23 school year. With the addition of sprint football next fall as well, QU will sponsor 13 intercollegiate programs for men and 11 for women.

Quincy will not offer diving as part of its aquatic programs.

The Health & Fitness Center pool on campus will house both programs and provide a quality environment with the capability of hosting meets in the future.

QU originally launched a women’s swimming program in 2016, but suspended it in 2017 due to personnel changes and other unanticipated challenges. This will be the introduction of men’s swimming at QU.

“This will allow us to attract new students to our campus who will represent QU in the sport they love,” Quincy athletic director Josh Rabe said. “At a time when several universities nationwide have eliminated their swimming programs, we recognize the pressing need for more opportunities for student-athletes in this Olympic sport.”

The Great Lakes Valley Conference currently has 10 men’s and nine women’s swimming and diving teams, with more than 400 student-athletes expected to participate in the 2022 conference championships. 

Southern Indiana announced last April it will be adding swimming and diving in 2022.

​​”The United States recently won an impressive 30 Olympic medals for swimming,” said Dr. Brian McGee, QU’s president. “However, despite the remarkable number of youth swimmers in this country, some universities have eliminated swimming programs in recent years. We are proud to add women’s and men’s swimming as the 13th and 14th Olympic sports at QU and to provide new opportunities to these student-athletes.”