ASA Expands Opportunities

The American Swimming Association University League is kicking off the school-year with four new teams: North Carolina State, Davidson College, Rutgers, and the University of Rhode Island.  Rutgers and Rhode Island formed student-run swim clubs after their varsity programs were eliminated.  NC State and Davidson both continue to have successful varsity programs. ASA U. provides swimmers at those institutions with an alternative avenue to compete for their schools.

James Madison University, which also saw its men's varsity program eliminated, competed in last year's National Championships for the first time.  Former varsity swimmer Ethan Sherman said of the experience: "The cut of the program really hurt me personally.  I had devoted my entire high school life to swimming and loved it.  I looked at other schools initially after discovering my team was to be cut at the end of my freshmen year."  After competing for JMU at ASA U. Nationals, Sherman remarked, "it ended up being the best meet of my life and the 200 free relay victory over University of Florida by .01 of a second is the new highlight of my swimming career," He also noted that he has decided to keep swimming as a direct result of his participation in ASA U.

ASA U. was founded in 2003, in response to the elimination of varsity swimming teams across the United States. Some of its clubs are former varsity teams that have been cut from their Universities’ athletic departments; others were started from the ground up by interested students. ASA U. has grown rapidly since its inception, with four founding teams in its inaugural year, swelling to 55 teams in Spring 2009.

In 2009, ASA U. held seven Regional Championship meets as qualifiers for its 5th Annual ASA U. National Championships, which became the largest and fastest collegiate club swimming meet in history and featured perhaps the largest slate of events of any swimming meet ever, with 50 events including 25’s, 50’s, 100’s, and 200’s of each stroke; 500 and 1650 free; 100, 200, and 400 I.M.; and 200/400 freestyle and medley relays.

ASA U. is proud to have been an integral part of the American Swimming Association leading the way in the swimming world, never having allowed tech suits in competition, never having disqualified swimmers for backward and sideways movement on the blocks, leading with records and races in 25's at the master's and collegiate levels, and other innovations. ASA’s innovative and progressive rule book facilitates unique, fun meets conducted with ease and the utmost integrity.  For more information, please visit the University page on http://www.americanswimmingassociation.com