YSU Athletics to Add Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Lacrosse Teams

[IAA Fan]

Youngstown State will add a men's swimming and diving program as well as a women's lacrosse team in the near future, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Ron Strollo announced on Monday.

Men's swimming and diving will become the 20th Division I sport currently offered by the YSU Athletic Department when it begins competition this fall. YSU previously competed in men's swimming and diving from 1964 through 1984 and 1949-51. Women's lacrosse is scheduled to debut in the spring of 2021.

"We're excited about this new opportunity to recruit high school students from Ohio, the region and internationally to pursue their academic and athletic goals at Youngstown State in both sports," Strollo said. "Our swimming facility is one of the best in the area and we look forward to showcasing it with both our men's and women's programs. The growth of women's lacrosse in Ohio and throughout the Midwest has seen an increased number of schools sponsor the sport and we are thrilled to add it at Youngstown State."

The lacrosse program will utilize Farmers National Bank Field at the Covelli Sports Complex during their spring season. The men's swimming and diving program will compete at the newly-renovated Beeghly Natatorium.

Both sports have comparative roster sizes. The men's swimming and diving team will offer a chance for 20-25 to be part of Youngstown State's enrollment this fall. The women's lacrosse program will have a roster size of approximately 25 and will begin to offer opportunities to attend YSU starting in the fall of 2020.

YSU will be the seventh Horizon League program to sponsor men's swimming, joining Cleveland State, Milwaukee, Green Bay, IUPUI, Oakland and UIC. Of the seven schools who currently sponsor women's swimming, Youngstown State is only one that does not have a men's swimming program. YSU will join Detroit Mercy as schools in the Horizon League who will participate in women's lacrosse.

Questions about the men's swimming and diving program should be directed to Assistant Director of Athletics Rebecca Fink at rjfink01@ysu.edu

[IAA Fan]

This is huge. Now the Akron game possibly makes a bit more sense. Hard to say because we already have the facilities for both.

[ysuhoops24]

No wrestling?  The state of Ohio has become one of the top states in the country for high school wrestling.  We are missing out on a sport that people would pay to go see. 

[IAA Fan]

There has been no official comment, by the HL, that the conference is adding LaCrosse. Akron and CSU have both recently added LaCrosse. I know that the MAAC is looking for Lacrosse members and 2 HL teams are already in the conference for Lacrosse (CSU and UDM). The MAC has several teams that play LaCrosse. What does everyone think? Don't let the "A's" confuse you. MAAC=Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. MAC=Mid-American Conference.

[The YO Show]

I'm not sure I understand, are you saying it could go either way? As in YSU may join EITHER the MAC or MAAC?

And that was why scheduling Akron may make sense?

[ucfpengbuck]

No wrestling?  The state of Ohio has become one of the top states in the country for high school wrestling.  We are missing out on a sport that people would pay to go see.

Bingo.  They used to have a wrestling program.  Not sure what year that ended ?

[ytownchief22]

Would rather have wrestling or mens soccer. Swimming is a loser.

[go guins]

Would rather have wrestling or mens soccer. Swimming is a loser.

Wrestling is like ice hockey.  Those that are into it are REALLY into it, but to the rest of us -0-.  Other than football, basketball (2) nothing is going to be a home run, but soccer is the coming sport and we need to be in soccer going forward.

[ysuhoops24]

Would rather have wrestling or mens soccer. Swimming is a loser.

Wrestling is like ice hockey.  Those that are into it are REALLY into it, but to the rest of us -0-.  Other than football, basketball (2) nothing is going to be a home run, but soccer is the coming sport and we need to be in soccer going forward.

Have you been to a high school wrestling match around here?  It outdraws basketball games at most schools and the talent locally is superior to that of swimming and soccer.  I'm sorry, but I don't think people are going to line up to spend money to go to a soccer game over a wrestling match.  Wrestling matches at Beeghly would do very well with paid attendance with the cult-like following that wrestling has around here.  You want to talk an up and coming sport around here its wrestling. 

I'd gladly pay 20 dollars to not have to sit through a soccer game/match.

[ysuhoops24]

but at the end of the day, when you are at the mercy of someone like Rick Love to market a sport/event your screwed.

[go guins]

Would rather have wrestling or mens soccer. Swimming is a loser.

Wrestling is like ice hockey.  Those that are into it are REALLY into it, but to the rest of us -0-.  Other than football, basketball (2) nothing is going to be a home run, but soccer is the coming sport and we need to be in soccer going forward.

Have you been to a high school wrestling match around here?  It outdraws basketball games at most schools and the talent locally is superior to that of swimming and soccer.  I'm sorry, but I don't think people are going to line up to spend money to go to a soccer game over a wrestling match.  Wrestling matches at Beeghly would do very well with paid attendance with the cult-like following that wrestling has around here.  You want to talk an up and coming sport around here its wrestling. 

I'd gladly pay 20 dollars to not have to sit through a soccer game/match.

As I said, those into wrestling are REALLY into wrestling.  That makes a couple hundred fans, Great, will outdraw bowling and track.  Big deal. UP and coming sport?  You can't possible be serious?
You have athletics to promote the school and more kids MILLIONS more kids are playing soccer than wrestling.  I don't care about you (or me) I care about my grandkids and THEY are interested in soccer.   

[IAA Fan]

I was watching Spectrum Sports and they had a Women's LaCrosse game between Ashland and NDC. The announcer mentioned that there will be 6 new DI (in Women's LaCrosse) Universities, in Ohio, by the end of spring 2020. Ashland will be DI in the sport. YSU is one of those and that would explain our move; an Ohio-based conference. I was thinking we would be adding the sport to meet the guidelines of another all-sports conference ...but it does not look that way.

I too watch OSN and Spectrum sports wrestling. It is nice to watch that instead of pro wrestling. However I was at OSU on multiple occasions for the men's conference finals. They had a great deal with a free ticket to the OSU hockey game on the same day. Both for $10. Yes, there was a solid crowd at the wresting meet (probably a couple of thousand, or more); but let's not lose track of the fact that just about every team in the Big-10 was represented here. I cannot say the crowds would be that large for a dual meet, so it probably would not justify the expense at YSU. LaCrosse is a huge sport in the US ...but you would have a valid point that probably not in NEO ...more attention in NE, West Coast and down South. Big in the Parochial universities as well. Exciting to watch and gets coverage on ESPN. Swimming will be like track (at best). If we happen to land a local stud diver that is.

[peteonastick]

I look at YSU as a local university that supports local programs - especially in the olympic and non revenue sports.  Please, someone tell me how many men's swimming and women's lacrosse teams there are in the Northeast Ohio area?  There are not enough student athletes in those sports to locally support those programs. Wrestling on the other hand is supported by numerous schools in the area with some of the best wrestling in Ohio - besides the Catholic Cleveland schools.  Who from this area is going to go support women's lacrosse?  Men's swimming?  Someone please send me a pic of the crowd at the first home women's lacrosse game and men's swimming meet.  If YSU had a wrestling program, I can guarantee it would be supported by local wrestling programs - from youth to high school.  Canfield, Austintown, Boardman, Girard, West Branch, Beaver Local, etc...all have top notch wrestling programs.  That does not include the rest of the EOWL (Eastern Ohio Wrestling League) that goes from Ashtabula to Lousiville to Wellsville.  Those schools alone could supply enough wrestlers to have a program.  Title IX has destroyed wrestling programs throughout the country.  It has increased women's programs, no doubt, but at the expense of wrestling.  Another big mistake by the YSU athletic department that is out of touch with the local area athletes. 

[peteonastick]

No wrestling?  The state of Ohio has become one of the top states in the country for high school wrestling.  We are missing out on a sport that people would pay to go see.

Bingo.  They used to have a wrestling program.  Not sure what year that ended ?

It ended in 1984 - Tressel was AD and Title IX was the issue.  Plain and simple. 

[Wick250]

Stick, 

A few questions for you.  Which universities in Ohio still have wrestling?  How about western Pennsylvania?  Are those wrestling programs in some kind of conference?

I agree that choosing to add swimming over wrestling is ridiculous.  Perhaps the only justification is that swimming would have a ready-made home in the Horizon League while travel costs for wrestling would be prohibitive.