ELSAH, IL – The Principia College Athletic Department and President John Williams have made the difficult decision to suspend our swimming and diving program for the immediate future.
From President Williams:
"I'd like to provide some context for this difficult decision. Our regional athletic conference, the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC), does not include swimming and diving among its recognized sports. As an alternative, we have been an active participant in the regional Liberal Arts Conference. However, this conference has declined from 13 to five colleges. In addition, we have struggled to maintain a robust enough team to have our program recognized by NCAA Division III.
We remain committed to providing opportunities for our student-athletes to excel academically, socially, and athletically. Other options are being explored to strengthen our aquatic programs, and we will continue to support our student-athletes in their pursuits. We are investigating the possibility of establishing a student-led swimming and diving club and welcome possibilities for invitational swimming and diving competitions.
We will continue to encourage commitment to aquatic sports and to use our outstanding swimming and diving facilities. The pool at the Crafton Center will remain open to community members, and PE swim classes will continue. Our commitment to train lifeguards using our facilities will continue as well.
This news has been shared with current swimming and diving student-athletes as well as alumni who have participated in and supported the program through the years. We understand the disappointment with this difficult decision. Thanks for your understanding and support."
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The Athletic Department would like to thank coach Carl Erikson for his 20+ years of dedicated service to Principia College Athletics. After a standout four-year swimming career as a Principia College student, Erikson began his coaching career a few years later as the Panthers assistant coach from 1994-1999. He would move on to other coaching opportunities on the east coast before returning to Principia College in 2007 to take over as the head swimming & diving coach. Along with his coaching duties, Erikson was named the Chair of the Physical Education department in 2012.
During his tenure, Erikson has coached four NCAA Division III national qualifiers and nine individual event winners at the Liberal Arts Championships. 56 new team records were set and his athletes swam Top 10 all-time Principia performances over 220 times. His teams also excelled in the classroom as they won multiple CSCAA Scholar All-America Team Awards and even had the #1 GPA for all NCAA DIII swimming and diving teams six times since 2012.
Athletics Director Ann Pierson is proud of the quality work Erikson has produced. He has been a fabulous teacher and educator. Thank you, Carl!
