What is really frustrating about the lack of Division III coverage from SwimSwam is how it perpetuates this "JV" view of D3 to the (very impressionable) younger age group that reads their site. Talented swimmers and that are, very soon, going to be looking for schools to attend. Like it or not, all of those kids care about the "hype" and presence of a school when recruiting. Seeing/hearing absolutely zero coverage of any Division III competitions from these big publications is really harmful, and it's made even more ridiculous by the fact that top D3 programs would, as you pointed out, oftentimes blow out many D1 schools in a meet.
Many swimmers I've spoken to who have solid (e.g. not D1 NCAA, but competitive) times completely ignore D3 recruiting as they are so obsessed with the idea of "going D1", when, in fact, going D3 would give them a better education and more opportunities to compete at the highest level (Conferences, Nationals) instead of never making the travel team in their career. Swimswam, as the largest swimming publication, has a responsibility to fairly report the successes of all levels of college swimming.
This is adjacent to the "anti-D3" attitude that the head editors at SwimSwam have taken. Last year, when they took weeks to publish any coverage of NCAA invite times and got called out in the comments, Braden Keith (or one of the admins) proceeded to tweet something along the lines of "this is why we don't give attention to Division III). So ridiculous.
I share your frustration. At the top of D3 there are athletes who are as good as any in college swimming. And more broadly throughout D3 there are great stories of upstart programs, perseverance, and the occasional transcendent moment. I don't pretend to understand a publication about swimming that does not want to write about this.
I see some encouraging signs. First, more of the top club programs - after decades of mixed experiences with D1 programs - are encouraging even elite swimmers to look at the top D3 programs. I've heard Bruce Gemmell tell a room full of parents that the best swim experiences possible in college are to be to be found at schools like Hopkins or Kenyon. Of course, his daughter went to Texas, but she's going to be swimming in the Olympics. And for swimmers who are not going to the Olympics and who want to swim in college, i increasingly hear experienced club coaches extolling the virtues of schools like Emory or Pomona-Pitzer.
Plus, the quality of athletes I see in D3 swimming right now leads me to believe things are going to be ok.
Finally, swimming is quantitative. Time and distance. We can compare teams for ourselves. It was so satisfying to do those comparisons today. Of course Emory can (and does) routinely beat D1 schools. What got me excited was seeing Geneseo and CMU test-out so much better than those D1 programs. That was a fun exercise.
Anyway, really appreciate your thoughtful comments. And like you, when I look at SwimSwam, I just shake my head.
Just graduated from BSC as a swimmer, and reading this brought a smile to my face. We've all gone through a lot, and even though the Emory meet has always been one of those weekends we just have to laugh through and have fun, I know the Panthers appreciate and are grateful for the chance to see what D3 programs are capable of. If anyone reading this wants to show their support for BSC, please help us email State Treasurer Young J. Boozer III at young.boozer@treasury.alabama.gov and call him at (334) 242-7501 to help our students and alumni fight for the funding that was promised.
Can you help me understand a little better? Are you saying that some of the promised loan money is being held back by the state? Or were there supposed to be other streams of funding to supplement it, that are not coming through?
Further from the President: "The College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on April 5 to keep the College open based on good-faith assurances that should enabling legislation establishing the loan fund pass, BSC was positioned to borrow up to $30 million in bridge funding.
That legislation did pass; in fact, it passed unanimously by the Alabama Senate and by a two-thirds majority in the Alabama House and was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey on June 16, 2023.
Since then and through yesterday, we have continued the discussions with the Treasurer. We meet every one of the qualifications for this funding. We have presented him with financial restructuring plans that have us back on our feet by Academic Year 2026-2027. We have answered every question and provided detailed information with full transparency."
This is really unfortunate. I can’t tell what game the treasurer is playing. I will mention this in the wrap up but realistically this publication does not have the reach to help much with this. But let me think about it. There may be a few other options.
From BSC President Coleman to students and alumni a few days ago: "Treasurer Boozer has denied BSC's application for funding through the Distressed Institutions of Higher Learning Revolving Loan Fund. This stunning news came this morning after more than a year of discussions with him beginning in August 2022, in which at no time did he say or signal that BSC would not receive the bridge funding we have worked so hard to secure."
What is really frustrating about the lack of Division III coverage from SwimSwam is how it perpetuates this "JV" view of D3 to the (very impressionable) younger age group that reads their site. Talented swimmers and that are, very soon, going to be looking for schools to attend. Like it or not, all of those kids care about the "hype" and presence of a school when recruiting. Seeing/hearing absolutely zero coverage of any Division III competitions from these big publications is really harmful, and it's made even more ridiculous by the fact that top D3 programs would, as you pointed out, oftentimes blow out many D1 schools in a meet.
Many swimmers I've spoken to who have solid (e.g. not D1 NCAA, but competitive) times completely ignore D3 recruiting as they are so obsessed with the idea of "going D1", when, in fact, going D3 would give them a better education and more opportunities to compete at the highest level (Conferences, Nationals) instead of never making the travel team in their career. Swimswam, as the largest swimming publication, has a responsibility to fairly report the successes of all levels of college swimming.
This is adjacent to the "anti-D3" attitude that the head editors at SwimSwam have taken. Last year, when they took weeks to publish any coverage of NCAA invite times and got called out in the comments, Braden Keith (or one of the admins) proceeded to tweet something along the lines of "this is why we don't give attention to Division III). So ridiculous.
I share your frustration. At the top of D3 there are athletes who are as good as any in college swimming. And more broadly throughout D3 there are great stories of upstart programs, perseverance, and the occasional transcendent moment. I don't pretend to understand a publication about swimming that does not want to write about this.
I see some encouraging signs. First, more of the top club programs - after decades of mixed experiences with D1 programs - are encouraging even elite swimmers to look at the top D3 programs. I've heard Bruce Gemmell tell a room full of parents that the best swim experiences possible in college are to be to be found at schools like Hopkins or Kenyon. Of course, his daughter went to Texas, but she's going to be swimming in the Olympics. And for swimmers who are not going to the Olympics and who want to swim in college, i increasingly hear experienced club coaches extolling the virtues of schools like Emory or Pomona-Pitzer.
Plus, the quality of athletes I see in D3 swimming right now leads me to believe things are going to be ok.
Finally, swimming is quantitative. Time and distance. We can compare teams for ourselves. It was so satisfying to do those comparisons today. Of course Emory can (and does) routinely beat D1 schools. What got me excited was seeing Geneseo and CMU test-out so much better than those D1 programs. That was a fun exercise.
Anyway, really appreciate your thoughtful comments. And like you, when I look at SwimSwam, I just shake my head.
Just graduated from BSC as a swimmer, and reading this brought a smile to my face. We've all gone through a lot, and even though the Emory meet has always been one of those weekends we just have to laugh through and have fun, I know the Panthers appreciate and are grateful for the chance to see what D3 programs are capable of. If anyone reading this wants to show their support for BSC, please help us email State Treasurer Young J. Boozer III at young.boozer@treasury.alabama.gov and call him at (334) 242-7501 to help our students and alumni fight for the funding that was promised.
Can you help me understand a little better? Are you saying that some of the promised loan money is being held back by the state? Or were there supposed to be other streams of funding to supplement it, that are not coming through?
Further from the President: "The College’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously on April 5 to keep the College open based on good-faith assurances that should enabling legislation establishing the loan fund pass, BSC was positioned to borrow up to $30 million in bridge funding.
That legislation did pass; in fact, it passed unanimously by the Alabama Senate and by a two-thirds majority in the Alabama House and was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey on June 16, 2023.
Since then and through yesterday, we have continued the discussions with the Treasurer. We meet every one of the qualifications for this funding. We have presented him with financial restructuring plans that have us back on our feet by Academic Year 2026-2027. We have answered every question and provided detailed information with full transparency."
This is really unfortunate. I can’t tell what game the treasurer is playing. I will mention this in the wrap up but realistically this publication does not have the reach to help much with this. But let me think about it. There may be a few other options.
Oh no. That’s alarming. I’m traveling but will go through this later. Thanks for the update.
From BSC President Coleman to students and alumni a few days ago: "Treasurer Boozer has denied BSC's application for funding through the Distressed Institutions of Higher Learning Revolving Loan Fund. This stunning news came this morning after more than a year of discussions with him beginning in August 2022, in which at no time did he say or signal that BSC would not receive the bridge funding we have worked so hard to secure."