Swimming will be IMG Academy’s 12th sport — and the third added this year along with boys volleyball and wrestling. The program is open to boys and girls.
IMG said the program will be one of the biggest investments in school history, as it is also building an Aquatic Center on its Bradenton, Florida, campus.
The almost 10K-square-foot facility will have a 10-lane pool and serve as a training destination for elite swimmers. Ground breaks next week and the facility is scheduled to open in 2027.
Obviously, this ties in well with IMG’s #AddMoreAthletes campaign.
Double-clicking on that thought:
1) Collegiate swimming and diving has weathered the post-House world well so far — we have not seen many programs cut in the last few years and there are still over 100 D1 men’s and women’s programs, plus lower divisions.
2) If colleges are ever inclined to start adding sports (as IMG is pushing for), almost every campus in America has a pool or two somewhere and swimming rosters are big, which promotes participation.
3) When it comes to the future of non-revenue college sports, betting on the ones that become a national point of pride every four years in the Olympics seems like a good decision.
🤳 Follow Buying Sandlot on Social
We’re new— help us build up our social media accounts by following along: