STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

More

Share and Enjoy [?]

Where does Florida Gulf Coast University's new swimming and diving program go from here?

That's the big question.

Even with the facility in place and with Wednesday night's hiring of Florida Atlantic University associate head coach Neal Studd to lead the program, there is uncertainty as to where the path will lead the program that will begin competition on the Division I level in 2007.

FGCU already has accepted the Atlantic Sun Conference's invitation to join, but the A-Sun does not have conference swimming. Only three other A-Sun schools — Campbell University, Gardner-Webb and the University of North Florida — currently compete in women's swimming.

During A-Sun meetings in Macon, Ga., on Tuesday, FGCU athletic director Carl McAloose hopes to help create a swimming league within the conference.

"We'll really put our heads together, I think, and see if we can form something, and certainly we would love to do it within the Atlantic Sun Conference," said McAloose, noting he already has discussed this with a receptive A-Sun commissioner Bill Bibb.

"That would definitely be the best-case scenario," Studd said. "We want to be in line with the other sports."

McAloose said he believes two more A-Sun women's swimming programs would need to be added to begin conference competition.

Studd is well-versed on this issue. FAU made the move from the A-Sun to the Sun Belt Conference last year (and the Owls won the women's swimming title). Prior to that, FAU competed in the National Independent Conference. But Studd said so many teams left the NIC that it has "disappeared."

"If the Atlantic Sun doesn't happen, the NIC, unfortunately, isn't there anymore," Studd said. "Obviously if there was enough interest, we could get coaches to reinstate that and kind of run our own conference."

As FGCU officials and coaches well know, life as an independent isn't so enticing. The reason FGCU is bolting from Division II to Division I is it could not secure conference affiliation at the D-II level. That hampered not only scheduling, travel budgets and time, but also the creation of rivalries and widespan fan interest.

Studd can relate.

"When we were in the NIC and were doing good things, it just didn't have the same importance on campus and within the community as winning the Sun Belt title," Studd said.

If the A-Sun fails to come up with a league within itself, FGCU's swimming program could join that of another conference.