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SWIMMING AND DIVING
Letter to the Editor
In their own words:
“You will graduate a Bobcat swimmer.”
“Ohio University is committed to its Men’s Swimming program.”
“Ohio University is committed to Olympic sports.”
“There are no Title IX issues at Ohio University.”
The current issue on the table is whether President Roderick McDavis and
Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt are men of integrity, willing to stand by
promises made to induce high school swimmers and divers to sign letters of
intent and after enrollment, to encourage student athletes to remain in the Ohio
University swim program. The above statements reflect repeated promises made to
current men’s swimming and diving team members regarding the program
throughout their tenure at Ohio University.
On Jan. 12, 2006 Athletic Director Hocutt sent a letter on Ohio University
letterhead to a number of swimmers “as a follow up to Coach Werner’s
conversation with you regarding a very difficult situation.” The conversation
that Mr. Hocutt referred to included all of the quotes above. Mr. Hocutt states
in the letter: “I want to assure you that the Athletics Department is behind
the Men’s Swimming & Diving program and will support you with all
available resources. As reflected in our five-year plan referenced above, it is
our department’s goal to ultimately return Men’s Swimming & Diving to
its 2004-2005 scholarship totals.”
Ohio University’s Core Values and Guiding Principles are outlined on pages
20 and 21 of the Vision Ohio document: “Interactions among all individuals in
the university community should be built on standards of civility, integrity,
caring, and collaboration.” Webster’s online dictionary defines
‘integrity’ as a firm adherence to a code of moral values. Integrity
involves honesty, honor, honoring your word and honoring your commitments.
On behalf of the United Swim Parents, Brad Stetson and John Schaefer met with
President McDavis, Athletic Director Hocutt and Associate Athletic Director Rob
Andrey on Feb. 16. We discussed the topics above and recommended a phase-out
option for the programs that were cut to allow the current athletes to complete
their athletic eligibility. This is the only fair course of action in light of
the specific representations by the swimming coaches and Athletic Director
highlighted above. Simply put, Ohio University has an ethical, moral and legal
responsibility to honor the words and commitments of its own representatives.
Current team members await President McDavis’ decision regarding whether
promises made will be promises kept.
United
Swim Parents
Your Turn: Athletic department debacle shows no class, integrity
Letter to the Editor
President McDavis,
It has taken me two days to absorb your letter; a polite letter in so many
words telling us to get lost! What truly irritates me is that you did not answer
our question, which you said you would after you had time to deliberate.
We asked you, “Does the university with a core value and guiding principle
of integrity have an obligation to honor its words and commitments, written and
verbal, to its student athletes? As John Schaefer pointed out in our meeting, it
is a simple “yes” or “no” answer. I would have thought a man of your
standing would have responded; why have you not? Does the university, does the
administration, does the athletic department have integrity? Please respond to
this question as you promised you would.
If you need an example of integrity you should have showed up at the MAC
Conference meet last weekend. Sportsmanship and integrity were the guiding
principals of the Ohio men’s swimming and diving team. Not only did they show
integrity, but so did the members of the girls’ swimming and diving team who
supported the men the entire weekend. More class and dignity were demonstrated
by the parents and the members of Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Miami and
Buffalo than anyone from the Ohio administration or athletic department.
I was disappointed for the members of the men’s team when I was told there
were no words of encouragement from the administration or the athletic
department prior to or during the meet. Not only does it appear that you are
unable to demonstrate any level of integrity, you also seem to be unable to
demonstrate any level of class or compassion to your own student-athletes.
Compassion was the Eastern Michigan parents and swimmers cheering OU, OU, OU,
which was immediately followed by the parents and swimmers of all teams
participating. While our men tried to join in, they couldn’t — their faces
were buried in their hands with tears coming down. The girls were crying knowing
they lost their brothers and workout partners, and the parents were crying
thinking this might be the last time they see their sons swim. That was truly
compassion.
Your letter talks about “careful” considerations, “passionate”
responses and the “charge” the Board of Trustees has given to you. All of
which are very hollow words in that there was no careful consideration as was
evidenced by the weak, vague and incredibly slanted PowerPoint presentation
produced by Mr. Hocutt. Passionate! The administration and the athletic
department has shown no passion whatsoever since the announcement in late
January. Careful consideration? Obviously not too careful since you have not
responded to our question on integrity. The Trustees! At a meeting, one of the
Trustees asked Hocutt if members of the cut teams could join other teams. With
all due regard to the Trustee, she has no understanding of college athletics yet
sits on one of your committees that reviews athletic department issues. Give me
a break; is this part of the “careful” consideration?
President McDavis, this entire announcement and the process the athletic
department followed has been a complete debacle, and it will come out for
everyone to see and understand. It will be a complete embarrassment for the
university, the administration and the athletic department once all is said and
done. The excuses of fiscal responsibility and Title IX compliance are getting
old. Fiscal responsibility is not solved by cutting a program that might cost
$25,000-$30,000. Title IX is not an issue, as I have come to understand from
sources more knowledgeable than I. These are buzz words given to the trustees
and to uninformed audiences to make them think they understand.
Integrity — do you have it or not? It is a simple “yes” or “no.”
W.
Bradley Stetson, SaveOhioSwimming
Your Turn: OU should honor commitment to athletes with phase-out
Letter to the Editor
Reasons to phase out men’s swimming and diving:
Ohio University has the most talented team in 13 years under Coach Greg
Werner. The team won the Akron Invitational in December 2006 — a first under
Werner. They scored more points at the MAC than any other team under Werner.
There are no seniors — how good could they be next year. Give them a chance!
There is a lot of positive press from this team and these coaches.
OU has a retention problem. Men’s swimming and diving offers a sense of
belonging and family. These men will stay the duration and graduate, helping to
raise retention rates, which I understand have plummeted. Many will leave
without a swimming and diving program.
OU’s enrollment projections were far below budget. The men’s swimming and
diving program attracted 28 men to Athens just to swim — 14 men from out of
state. When a school has a special niche that attracts students from Illinois,
West Virginia, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Indiana, New York, Wisconsin and
Michigan, something special is happening and the program should be kept. Best
value and investment on campus! Recruiting for women’s swimming and diving
will be compromised without the men’s program.
OU’s budget is swimming in red ink. Revenue generated by men’s swimming
and diving — only tuition money.
Fourteen out-of-state students multiplied by $16,308 equals $228,312 per
year. Fourteen in-state students multiplied by $7,992 equals $111, 888 per year.
NCAA gives $22,000 to OU for each athletic program it offers. That’s a grand
total of $362,200 per year plus room and board revenue.
Mr. Hocutt stated, “Little would be saved ($25,000) in canceling the
program rather than phasing it out.” What is the real issue? Can’t admit you
made a mistake and did not know about your athletic department’s written
promises? OU needs to demonstrate integrity and do the right thing, not the
face-saving thing!
Swimmers just want to swim and compete; they aren’t there for the money,
the free ride or the five-year academic program. They just love the sport, the
competition and the camaraderie (no scholarships this year for freshmen and only
1.3 scholarships for the rest of the team — a minimal investment). Many have
been swimming since they were five years old.
OU should honor the commitment their administration made to these men in
writing who chose this university based on the assurances they received. Our men
brought Bobcat pride to the MAC this past week. OU can be proud of their
performance and how they represented their university with integrity, class and
dignity. They chanted their “OU Fight Cheer,” wearing their OU warm-ups in
spite of knowing their university did not support them Show them the integrity
they showed you, Mr. President! Don’t let your student body know you don’t
have the courage to fix what you got wrong, now that the facts are in.
President McDavis, initiate the phase-out and turn down the heat on campus.
Get this university back on track by demonstrating moral principles,
uprightness, honesty and sincerity. As stated in The
Post by a soon-to-be alumnus, reverse the “crumbling esteem” and
“frightfully downward slope” this university is on under your watch.
Jan Herlehy is with United Swim Parents.
Read the OU Board of Trustees' response to
the Herlehy's letter at
this link.
Your Turn: OU loses valuable support from cut student-athletes
Letter to the Editor
Ohio University’s administration is alienating its proudest students.
I once was so proud to represent Ohio University as a varsity swimmer. The
men’s swimming and diving team used to go out competition after competition
representing the school proudly, chanting O-H-I-O. We collectively sat in the
stands at soccer games, volleyball matches, basketball games and football games,
displaying our Bobcat pride while cheering on our fellow athletes and taking
every opportunity to support and represent our school.
Now, there is no Bobcat pride left to share. Ohio University betrayed us, and
there is no getting around that. Few, if any, male swimmers would have attended
Ohio University had it not been for the reassurance by the university that there
were no Title IX issues, that we would be able to swim all four years and that
the university was committed to our program. We relied on that representation
and have found that the administration is less than credible.
I can no longer speak proudly of this university, because this administration
has let me down. The decision to cut men’s swimming and diving is tearing my
once-proud family apart. I will no longer show my Bobcat pride, because I have
none left. I will no longer recommend OU to family and friends, because I am no
longer proud to be here. In a time when Ohio University could use some student
pride and support the most, it will no longer receive that pride and support
from me and many others. I ask that President McDavis and Kirby Hocutt reexamine
their decision to cut four varsity sports so that maybe I can once again be
proud of this institution. I ask President McDavis, how many more students can
this university afford to alienate?
Branden Burns is a freshman political science
and recreation management major.
Your Turn: McDavis, Hocutt’s decision lacks acceptable explanation
Letter to the Editor
President McDavis,
I think it is deplorable that you haven’t responded to the question posed
to you by the United Swim Parents. Does the university have an obligation to
honor its words and commitments? You promised to answer the question after you
had time to deliberate. The question was asked Feb. 16. We’re waiting ...
Brad Stetson’s letter was very thorough and to the point. I could repeat or
reinforce his comments, but that isn’t necessary. The fact your administration
and athletic department didn’t encourage or support the men’s swim team
before, during or after the MAC Championship is pathetic. It clearly shows you
don’t care about those student-athletes at all.
I can’t help but re-read the letter my son, Robert, received from AD Hocutt
written Jan. 12, 2006. “As you know the Athletics Department has implemented a
five-year plan that identifies administrative, philosophical and financial
directives that will enable Ohio Athletics to rise to the forefront of the
Mid-American Conference.
“I want to assure you that the Athletics Department is behind the Men’s
Swimming & Diving program and will support you with all available resources.
As reflected in our five year plan. ...” The letter is signed by Kirby Hocutt,
Director of Athletics.
President McDavis, what happened to the five-year plan? What happened to
“all available resources?” We want answers.
These young men came to Ohio to swim, and commitments were made to them by
your Athletic Department to encourage and convince them to attend Ohio. This
happened under your command.
They did their part and honored their commitment to you, the Athletic
Department, Coach Werner and the university. It’s time to do yours.
Instead, you are throwing them under the bus. That is unacceptable to us.
Robert
Ihasz is with United Swim Parents.
Matt O'Donnell / Staff Writer / mo134405@ohiou.edu
Bobby Pampush didn’t see it coming.
With Ohio having locked up a third-place finish in this weekend’s
Mid-American Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, its opponents and
their fans began cheering and chanting “OU” as the Bobcats finished their
final meet in school history.
Pampush said the spontaneous gesture meant a lot.
“It was a really special moment. It was really emotional,” Pampush said.
“It was just really nice that even though we are all rivals, they would rather
have us there than not there.”
Another special moment came when Werner allowed his team to pick the four
swimmers that would swim the 400-yard freestyle relay, which would be the final
race in the team’s history.
The team chose sophomore Andrew Belton, along with juniors Cy Moser, Luke
Herlehy and Tyler Post. They finished in third place with a time of 3:09.04.
And although the Bobcats might have finished 424 points out of first place,
they did perform well individually.
Pampush and Herlehy were selected to the All-MAC First Team, while Post and
sophomore Jason Reutter were named second-team All-MAC selections.
Coach Greg Werner said his team performed well and accomplished its goal of
getting a lot of lifetime-bests.
“I thought we did very well. We performed very well, competed very well and
ended up with over 60 personal-bests,” Werner said. “We had a lot of great
things happen.”
Reutter placed the highest of any Bobcat when he finished in second place in
the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 57.02.
Sophomores Stephen D’Arrigo and Brandon Stakleff combined with Post and
Pampush to finish in third place in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of
1:32.87.
Herlehy finished in third place in both the 400-yard individual medley
(3:57.94) and the 1650-yard freestyle (15:31.39).
He then combined with Moser and sophomores Matthew Greco and Jim Bayne to
finish third in the 800-yard freestyle (6:55.66.)
Freshman Cameron Hansbarger also finished third in the 3-meter diving
competition with a score of 311.70.
Pampush took fifth in both the 100-yard butterfly (50.11) and the 200-yard
butterfly (1:53.19).
D’Arrigo finished in third place (51.58) in the 100-yard backstroke, just
ahead of teammate Robert Ihasz (51.80), who finished fourth.
Herlehy said his team did what they came to do and that was to improve on
last year.
“We just wanted to go out on our best,” Herlehy said. “We just wanted
to focus on improving on last year and we definitely did that.”
Matt O'Donnell / Staff Writer / mo134405@ohiou.edu
The Bobcats have been preparing themselves for this moment all season long,
but it was the decision that they didn’t expect that has the ‘Cats motivated
for this week.
Ohio will go into the Mid-American Conference Championships tonight in
Buffalo knowing that this tournament will be their last, and that has motivated
Cy Moser and his teammates to show the administration what they will be missing.
“I have no doubt in my mind that in the wake of the university actions we
are going to perform even better. We have been talking about it every day,”
Moser said. “I think it’s going to keep the guys focused and show the
athletic department what they are going to be losing next year.”
Ohio (5-2, 2-2 MAC) finished the best regular season in coach Greg Werner’s
tenure and has already had success in Buffalo defeating the Bulls 124-117, but
when they take the pool this time it will be against tougher competition.
For Ohio to come away with their first MAC Championship in more than 35
years, they will have to defeat an Eastern Michigan team that didn’t lose a
MAC dual meet this season.
“It’s going to be a nice meet where everyone is going to be competitive
with each other, but I really think Eastern Michigan is going to be the team to
beat.” Werner said.
The Bobcats have already experienced success in a tournament format against
some of their MAC foes in the Akron Invitational earlier this season.
The Bobcats’ success against MAC opponents in December’s Akron
Invitational convinced junior Tyler Post that this team was different.
“When we won the Akron Invitational we realized we were a different team
than we have been in the past. After winning it we were on top of the world,”
Post said. “We’ve trained our hardest and good results will come from
that.”
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DROPPED
TEAMS
2006
Women's Lacrosse Team
Swimming
and Diving
and
Track
and Field
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