Marquette University is adding a sport.
MU athletic director Mike Broeker announced on May 7 that the school will add women’s swimming as its 17th varsity sport.
The program will begin competition as early as the 2025-26 season and compete in the Big East conference against Butler, Connecticut, Georgetown, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier. MU will not feature a diving program.
“Adding women’s swimming will improve gender equity in athletics and provide a revenue generation opportunity for the university, while offering a competitive Division I experience for our student-athletes. It’s a win-win for our department and university,” Broeker said in a statement.
The program will be MU’s first varsity addition since women’s lacrosse in 2013. The athletic department has undergone reshaping in recent years, including making men’s and women’s tennis and track and field non-scholarship sports.
The women’s swimming team will train and compete in the school’s Wellness + Helfaer Recreation facility, which recently underwent a renovation. It has a six-lane, 25-yard pool and space for spectators, big enough for dual meets.
The school will begin a national search for a coach.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette University is adding a 17th varsity sport, maybe in time for the 2025-26 season
Reporting by Ben Steele, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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