A group of Michigan State swimmers is going to court to try and save their program.
Roughly three months after Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman announced the men's and women’s swimming and diving programs would be eliminated after the 2021 season, 11 members of the women’s team filed suit in federal court Friday, accusing Michigan State of violating Title IX gender-equity laws.
Filed in federal court in Grand Rapids, the lawsuit is seeking an injunction that would keep Michigan State from eliminating the sport at the end of the season.
"If MSU is not restrained from eliminating women’s varsity swimming and diving, plaintiffs will never again have the opportunity to participate in this valuable educational experience at MSU —one that provides academic, physical, psychological, social, and even economic benefits for the rest of the participants’ lives," the lawsuit read.