Is "Varsity" Ice Hockey in USFs Future?

[TyBull]

Syracuse drops swimming, adds ice hockey

Syracuse is modifying its athletic lineup:

Syracuse dropping swiming, adding women's hockey

http://www.syracuse.com/articles/sports/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1180605573113600.xml&coll=1&thispage=1

Quote:

Syracuse University will drop its men's and women's swimming programs after the 2007-08 academic year, two sources told The Post-Standard on Wednesday.

The decision to end the university's participation in swimming will coincide with the start of a women's ice hockey team, the sources said.

The elimination of the swimming programs marks the first time in 10 years that Syracuse University will cease participation in a sport. In 1997, Syracuse dropped wrestling and men's gymnastics as scholarship sports.

The hockey world is speculating that men's hockey will be added later, when a conference alignment is finalized. A Syracuse men's hockey program could give the Orange a strong four-cylinder revenue engine of basketball, football, lacrosse, and hockey.

While BE schools Notre Dame, Providence, and Connecticut all sponsor men's hockey, none of the three place much emphasis on it, especially UConn. Schools like DePaul and Pittsburgh could probably draw well in hockey if they had teams. At Minnesota, Wisconsin, Boston College, and to a lesser extent Michigan and Mich State, hockey is seen as a significant revenue sport.

[TyBull]

 

SU to cut swimming, start up hockey

With area talent, a women's hockey team may have a better chance to succeed.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

By Mike Waters

Staff writer

Syracuse University will drop its men's and women's swimming programs after the 2007-08 academic year, two sources told The Post-Standard on Wednesday.

The decision to end the university's participation in swimming will coincide with the start of a women's ice hockey team, the sources said.

The elimination of the swimming programs marks the first time in 10 years that Syracuse University will cease participation in a sport. In 1997, Syracuse dropped wrestling and men's gymnastics as scholarship sports.

While wrestling and men's gymnastics were victims of the university's need to meet Title IX guidelines for gender equity in the number of athletic scholarships, the demise of the swimming programs seems to be for different reasons.

One source said athletic director Daryl Gross wants to place more emphasis on sports that can compete for NCAA championships.

"Daryl wants to be extraordinary," the source said.

The second source mentioned the financial aspects of the decision.

Currently, Syracuse swimmers train and compete in an antiquated pool inside Archbold Gym. The pool has six lanes and is just 25 meters long. An Olympic pool normally has at least eight lanes and is 50 meters long.

The source said a new natatorium would cost $35 million to $50 million to build.

Meanwhile, the first source indicated that Gross has been influenced by research numbers indicating the large numbers of elite-level women's ice hockey players from the area.

The women's ice hockey team will begin competing as a varsity sport in the fall of 2008. The team will play in the ice rink in the university's Skytop area.

A number of neighboring colleges play women's hockey at the Division I level, including Colgate, Cornell and St. Lawrence. All three are members of the ECAC Women's Hockey League. St. Lawrence has enjoyed great success, reaching the Frozen Four four straight seasons.

"It's premature to talk about it right now," Gross said Tuesday. "There are many things in the athletic department's long-term viability that have been researched and discussed at length, and we'll discuss those things at the appropriate time."

An official announcement will be made in the next few weeks. The university will then begin a search for a women's ice hockey coach.

Dropping men's swimming will mean the reduction of roughly 11 athletic scholarships. The women's swim team, which consists of 13 members, receives 14 scholarships.

According to one of the sources, the new women's ice hockey team could receive in the neighborhood of 18 scholarships for 30 or more athletes.

SU fielded its first men's swimming team in 1915-16. Women's swimming became a varsity sport in 1976-77.

Lou Walker, Syracuse's swim coach for the past 31 years and a former SU swimmer himself, could not be reached for comment.

Syracuse's men's and women's swim teams have been successful under Walker, but only rarely on the national level. In the past 30 years, Syracuse has had two female swimmers qualify for the NCAA championship meet.

The men's program has developed several All-Americans, including four-time All-American Miroslav Vucetic (1998) and his brother, Josko (2001). Luk Boral won the Big East Conference championship in the 200 breaststroke in each of the last two seasons.

But the men's team last won the Big East Conference in 1996 and has finished as high as fifth in the conference just once since 2000.

The swimmers currently on scholarship will be able to remain at SU, which will honor their scholarships even after the 2007-08 season. It is expected that any swimmer who wishes to transfer will be granted his or her immediate release so that they will not have to sit out a year under normal transfer rules.

Mike Waters can be reached at 470-3086 or mwaters@syracuse.com

© 2007 The Post-Standard. Used with permission.

Copyright 2007 syracuse.com. All Rights Reserved.

[Guest]

Unfortunately, USF could not afford to start a Varsity hockey team.

There are several reasons.

1) USF doesn't have any men's sports it can drop.  That means it would probably have to add at two women's sports.  One of them could be women's hockey.  Or have the hockey program as partial scholarships if we can only add one women's sport. Thank you, Title IX.

2) There are few 'close' Varsity hockey teams.  At the Club level, USF can schedule games against a number of Florida and Georgia schools... but looking at the list of Div I schools offering men's hockey, the closest is Alabama-Hunstville... and the 2nd closest is Miami (OH)...

The conferences are kinda messed up as well.

However, we certainly have the facilities ... so THAT part wouldn't be a problem.

[crambone]

Who do the Ice Bulls play now?

[smazza]

usf should take su's swimmers and start a swimming program

ice hoceky wouldnt be prudent

[Guest AstroBull]

they play at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum

[gurlybull]

They play lots of other club teams.  THey make their own schedule.  THey are funded almost entirely by fundraising, sponsorship, and Student Government.   THey are SO much fun to go watch, and the atmosphere is rough and crazy.  I only discovered them this year, but I am so glad I did!!

                                               -Gurly

[JoeB]

Varsity Hockey is a pipedream at USF.  Travel alone would be a nightmare for the Athletics department in terms of money, let alone what would have to happen with Title IX.  For Syracuse, it makes more sense, as they can schedule other schools close to them in the Northeast.

[BULLfreak]

Division I Men's Ice Hockey

University of Alabama,  

University of Alaska Anchorage  

University of Alaska Fairbanks  

American International College  

Bemidji State University College  

Bentley College

Boston College

Boston University  

Bowling Green State University  

Brown University

Canisius College  

Clarkson University  

Colgate University  

Colorado College  

University of Connecticut  

Cornell University  

Dartmouth College  

University of Denver  

Ferris State University  

Harvard University  

College of the Holy Cross  

Lake Superior State University  

University of Maine  

University of Massachusetts  

University of Massachusetts at Lowell  

Mercyhurst College  

Miami University (Ohio)  

University of Michigan  

Michigan State University  

Michigan Technological University  

Minnesota State University  

University of Minnesota  

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities  

University of Nebraska at Omaha  

University of New Hampshire  

Niagara University College  

University of North Dakota  

Northeastern University  

Northern Michigan University  

University of Notre Dame  

Ohio State University  

Princeton University  

Providence College  

Quinnipiac University  

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute  

Robert Morris University  

Sacred Heart University  

St. Cloud State University  

St. Lawrence University  

U.S. Air Force Academy  

U.S. Military Academy  

Union College (New York)  

University of Vermont  

Wayne State University (Michigan)  

Western Michigan University  

University of Wisconsin  

Yale University  

From what I see only 2 BE schools have Hockey Teams and SU would make three so I dont see it happening any time soon

[Guest]

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