RMAC Adds Two Associate Members in Swimming & Diving

The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference has accepted applications from Northern State University (Aberdeen, S.D.) and Minnesota State University-Moorhead to join the league as associate members in the sport of women's swimming and diving, announced today by Joel R. Smith, RMAC Commissioner . With the addition of the two programs, women's swimming and diving programs now stand at nine (Adams State College, Colorado School of Mines, Grand Canyon University, Mesa State College, University of Nebraska at Kearney, University of Texas at the Permian Basin, and University of the Incarnate Word).

"The addition of Northern State and MSU-Moorhead is a solid move forward for the RMAC in the sport of swimming and diving," said Smith. "We look forward to building our conference into one of the premier swimming and diving conferences in Division II."

This will be the third year the Wolves have competed in the sport of swimming and diving. Head coach for NSU is Elyce Kastigar. The Dragons are led by head coach head coach Todd Peters who has guided the program since its inception 13 years ago in 1997. MSU-Moorhead finished fifth and Northern State finished six last year at the Northern Sun Championships. Both teams will be competing for their first ever conference championship starting.

The RMAC began sponsoring men's and women's swimming and diving in 2008-09 for the second time after a 25-year period when the sport was discontinued in 1984. Adams State will be entering their first year of competition for women's swimming and diving in 2009-10. Next year, the Grizzlies will sponsor men's swimming and diving for the first time since it was cut in the 1970's. Currently, there are five programs that sponsor men's swimming and diving (Colorado Mines, Grand Canyon, Incarnate Word, Mesa State (first year), and Texas-Permian Basin).

Colorado School of Mines will host the RMAC Swimming and Diving championships Feb. 11-13, 2010 in Arvada, Colo. The Cardinals of Incarnate Word won both league championships last year in San Antonio, Texas. The NCAA championships will be held March 10-13, 2010 in Canton, Ohio.