Report: Sun Belt Conference to Reinstate Swimming Championships
The Sun Belt Conference is expected to add swimming and diving championships, according to a report by the Daily News-Record in Virginia.
Sun Belt commissioner Keith Gill confirmed to the Daily News-Record that the move will come for the upcoming academic year. A formal announcement could come in September.
“We anticipate our first championship will be in the spring,” Gill said. “Although we announced our intention, I would expect at some point, probably in September, we will announce the championships (officially).”
Four current Sun Belt schools sponsor swimming: James Madison, Georgia Southern, Marshall and Old Dominion. All but Marshall competed last year in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, with Marshall in the Missouri Valley Conference.
In the volcanic college landscape, though, there may be more teams looking for homes. Defections from Conference USA meant the conference didn’t have a women’s swimming championship in 2023, with Marshall as the last holdout in joining the MVC. Four others joined the American Athletic Conference.
The Sun Belt used to have a swimming championship, but it was discontinued after the 2012-13 season. North Texas, Denver University, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Florida International and Florida Atlantic were among the members then, and the conference sponsored men’s and women’s swimming.
The Sun Belt Conference is on an expansion kick, adding men’s soccer championships last fall and beach volleyball in the spring. Gill was noncommittal on whether they would add affiliate members. The league has 14 member schools in 10 states ranging from Virginia to Texas. It has accepted affiliate members – including SEC schools Kentucky and South Carolina in men’s soccer – as affiliate members in each of its new sports.
“Some sports we didn’t have, so we were open to adding them if it made sense and had enough participation,” Gill said. “Men’s soccer has been great. … We’re one of the best leagues in the country. Swimming we’re going to work on growing that, it will take some time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I’m optimistic that it will be a really competitive opportunity for us.”