Women's Swimming 5/13/2014 3:12:00 PM Brendan Bittner

Quincy University To Sponsor Women's Swimming, Women's Lacrosse

QUINCY, Ill. – The Quincy University athletic department announced Tuesday (May 13) the addition of a women's swimming program that will begin competition in the 2015-16 academic year. The department also announced that it will add a women's lacrosse program, which will launch in 2017-18.

The department will begin a coaching search for women's swimming in the coming weeks with the aim of having the coach in place to recruit and build the foundation of the program during the 2014-15 school year.

"We are very excited to launch our women's swimming program," said QU director of athletics Marty Bell. "We have received a great deal of interest on this front from a local level and feel the time is right to begin expanding our athletic offerings at the University. With eight other GLVC members sponsoring women's swimming, it allows QU to connect regionally with prospective student-athletes, as well as high school and club programs."

Quincy will be the ninth school in the Great Lakes Valley Conference to sponsor women's swimming after the University of Missouri-St. Louis reinstated its program for 2014-15. The conference also features Drury University and Truman State University, which have combined to win 17 of the last 18 national championships in women's swimming and diving. Drury this season claimed the inaugural GLVC Swimming & Diving Championship and won its fifth national championship in six years.

The announcement of women's swimming at QU comes months after the University announced a partnership with the Quincy YMCA to allow the YMCA Dolphins Swim Team to use the QU Health & Fitness Center pool for practice sessions, allowing QU students to help in coaching the sport.

The new women's lacrosse program will begin competition in the spring of 2018 with the hiring of a coach coming during the 2016-17 school year.

"We will be launching women's lacrosse in the 2017-18 academic year," said Bell. "It is a sport that has grown in popularity in the Midwest. The time frame we have set forth will allow us to secure conference affiliation once we see how the sport continues to evolve in our region."

Currently, two schools in the GLVC – Rockhurst and McKendree – sponsor women's lacrosse. The minimum number for GLVC sponsorship is six. The number of NCAA Division II schools sponsoring women's lacrosse doubled from 38 in 2005-06 to 76 in 2012-13.

The addition of the two programs will bring the athletic department's offerings to 17 varsity sports. These are the first new programs launched since the restoration of men's and women's cross country in 2010.

Founded in 1860 by Franciscan friars, Quincy University (www.quincy.edu) is a Catholic, co-educational, residential university offering undergraduate, graduate, and adult education programs that integrate liberal arts, active learning, practical experience, and Franciscan values. Quincy University's intercollegiate sports are members of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference for men and women. For more information, please contact the Quincy University athletic department by calling (217) 228-5290.

Print Friendly Version