Jan. 7, 2009

College of Saint Mary (CSM) is proud to announce that it will add women’s swimming as a varsity sport beginning with the 2009-10 academic year. This will bring the total number of varsity sports offered by CSM to six.

Students recruited for the program will be eligible for generous athletic scholarships, and the pool in the Lied Fitness Center on the CSM campus will be the home for the Flames swim team. 

CSM will be one of two NAIA institutions in the state of Nebraska to offer swimming as a varsity sport. It is anticipated that competition will be held primarily against NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA colleges located in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Colorado. Although not a recognized sport in the MCAC (Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference), women’s swimming is recognized by the NAIA. The 2009 NAIA National Swimming and Diving Championships will be held March 4-7 in Saint Peters, Missouri.

According to Dr. Tara Knudson Carl, senior vice president and special assistant to the president, a full-time swimming coach will be hired to manage the program and recruit athletes.  She stated that a selection committee has been named and a preliminary search for the swimming coach is underway.

For more information about the CSM swimming program or CSM athletics, please contact CSM Athletic Director Steve Schneider at (402) 399-2332 or sschneider@csm.edu.

College of Saint Mary, founded in Omaha in 1923, is the region's only Catholic college for women. With approximately 1,000 students, CSM is dedicated to the education of women in an environment that calls forth potential and fosters leadership. For more information on CSM, visit www.csm.edu.

Press Contact:
Carmen Steele
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
(402) 399-2454
csteele@csm.edu