Save Cal Poly Swim & Dive

We are the current families of Cal Poly Swim & Dive. Our goal is to raise enough funds to reinstate our team starting with the $200,000 Cal Poly budget that was needed for the 2024-2025 year. This will allow us to finish the 2025 year and go into 2026. Help us show the value this team has in our Cal Poly community and in the swimming community.

*Should we raise all funds of our goal, and still be turned down for reinstatement, all donations will be refunded back to donors.

The Issue:

Cal Poly Swimming & Diving was unjustly cut on March 7th, 2025 despite achieving incredible milestones this past season with countless team records and top 5 program marks. The men’s team had its first undefeated season in Division I history, the women’s team achieved all-time highest team score in Cal Poly history while also breaking two school relay records (one being over 10 years old), and had numerous top 5 all time performances. Women's diving achieved all-time highest team score in Cal Poly history. Cal Poly Swim & Dive had multiple conference championship event wins, earned honors such as Conference Newcomer and Coach of the Year, and achieved the highest GPA of all men’s sports at Cal Poly. Despite these remarkable accomplishments, our team was eliminated without warning.

The university cites an annual loss of $450,000 from NCAA settlements as the main cause. However, when our athletic director Don Oberhelman was asked if he would accept a donation of even $10 million to save the team, he said he would not accept it. This NCAA lawsuit was foreseen by our athletics department, yet they reassured us in September that their goal was to save sports. At the start of the 2024-2025 season, they gave us a fundraising goal of $80,000, to which parents, alumni, and others raised enough to meet and exceed this amount. Incoming recruits were also widely assured that the program was not going anywhere, and their commitments were secure for the 2025-2026 year. This is not about money — this is an attack on our sport.

This isn’t just about saving our team; it’s about standing up for the sport of swimming. A loss of our program is a loss of an opportunity for countless young swimmers today. This decision sets a dangerous precedent for non-revenue sports across the country. Help us #SaveCalPolySwimDive.

We are deeply grateful for your time and consideration and hope you’ll join us in ensuring the survival of this program for future generations of student-athletes.

Should we raise all funds of our goal, and still be turned down for reinstatement, all donations will be refunded back to donors.