HICKORY, North Carolina, November 18.LENOIR-Rhyne University has announced the addition of men's swimming as an intercollegiate sport for the 2010-11 academic year, Director of Athletics Neill McGeachy announced today. The addition of men's swimming brings the total number of intercollegiate sports at L-R to 20.
Current Lenoir-Rhyne Head Women's Swimming Coach Paul Schiffel will assume the duties as head coach of the men's swimming program and will officially become L-R's Director of Intercollegiate Swimming.
"With the success that the (L-R) Women's Swimming Team has had over the past three years, the addition of the men's program completes the missing link," said Schiffel. "Lenoir-Rhyne will now have a competitive swim program. This will enhance recruiting, scheduling and performance for both teams."
"The decision to launch men's swimming is based on two tactics: one, to continue to showcase the physical assets of Lenoir-Rhyne University – our outstanding pool facility; and two, to continue with our steady course of managing our enrollment growth," said McGeachy.
The Bears' Women's Swimming Team is in its third year of competition and will see its allotted number of scholarships increase from one to two in 2010-11 while the men's program will start with one full athletic scholarship.
Under the direction of McGeachy, Lenoir-Rhyne has added eight varsity sports in his eight years at the helm. Lenoir-Rhyne's number of student-athletes has also grown approximately 48 percent since 2002. In addition to men's swimming, men's and women's lacrosse will begin competing on an intercollegiate scale next year at Lenoir-Rhyne.
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