On Fri., Oct. 24 federal judge Fred W. Slaughter issued a ruling directing Concordia to immediately reinstate women’s swim & dive and tennis programs.

 “The ruling on the preliminary injunction is not a final judgment. It is part of a longer legal process,” a university spokesperson said, “The university will comply with all of the judge’s rulings while the litigation is in process. These two women's teams are now officially reinstated pending further order from the court.” The ruling is the most recent step in the court case surrounding Concordia’s decision on May 20 to eliminate tennis and swim/dive for both men and women. Several female athletes filed a lawsuit, alleging a Title IX [equal opportunities for male and female athletes] infraction.

To the student athletes who saw their programs shuttered in May, the communication felt abrupt, leaving the athletes shocked and confused. Payton Doak, a senior swimmer, 
said, “It was sad, very unexpected because we 
have been in the sport for our whole life.”

“We all started crying and we ended the Zoom call and then we called each other on a big group chat, and we were like what are we going to do guys? This is insane,” said Kristyna Dvorakova, a tennis player. University leadership recognized that the announcement in May was an unwelcome shock “for the students and, frankly, for our whole community,” a spokesperson said. While the communication may have felt abrupt to the athletes, the university purposely acted quickly once the decision was made to allow students and staff maximum time to weigh their options. “Our Board of Regents voted on these cuts on May 20, and the students and employees were notified the same day,” the university said.

Along with stomaching the news that the athletes were losing their sport, they also 
bemoaned losing their community and builtin campus family. “You are part of a team. You are part of something bigger and it is all your friends, it feels like family,” Dvorakova explained, “That was the hardest part to realize there was no team anymore.”

Over the summer, the women’s teams took the matter to court, citing a Title IV infraction because, according to the plaintiffs, women comprise 59% of Concordia’s students, but received only 51.2% of sports roster spots.

Aliyah Treadwell, a senior from swim & dive, said, “I thought that with 
the lawsuit that it [the swim & dive program] would come back within a couple of years. I did not expect it to be this quick.” The women found out their programs were being brought back Friday Oct. 24 and are planning on starting the season as soon as possible.

Treadwell said she felt “kind of mixed emotions” because the university, in her opinion, is acting out of obligation to the ruling. “They are kind of forced to bring us back in a way. But I am glad I get the opportunity that I was not supposed to get.”

 “When it comes to tennis we cannot play if there are not six players, we need at least six people to be able to play, so we will see if we are going to have a season or not,” said 
Dvorakova.

Although the ladies are excited to have the opportunity to continue their collegiate sport, 
it will not be easy to re-build. The teams are waiting to see who is still wanting to compete and if it will be enough to have a team this upcoming season. Treadwell said, “I hope we can meet the nine girls. I do not know who’s in and who’s out. I mean it’s hard to make a decision this quick.”

Both teams are going into the season positive and hopeful for the future. They are paving the path for their programs to succeed.

Men’s swim & dive and tennis were still discontinued this academic year. In a more recent announcement, men’s indoor track will be sunset after the 2025-26 academic year. While some athletes left the university, others felt the better option was to remain as students 
at Concordia.

“Life has been different, but I think it’s been good for me,” said Adam Kartzinel, senior and former men’s tennis player. “I have explored other interests outside of tennis like my passion for the gym. I have also been taking care of a puppy which is taking up a lot of time. I will say though that I miss that competitive feeling and going out there to win.”

While the athletes were able to retain their scholarships, some felt they were not given much of a chance to continue their athletic careers, or receive the fanfare [such as senior night] to celebrate the end of their time as collegiate competitors.

“I didn’t have enough time to enter the transfer portal and really talk to coaches to find the right place,” Kartzinel said. “Also, with going into senior year, credits were an issue as well.”

Some athletes found it confusing to see their sports eliminated while the university is 
also investing in other aspects of campus. The university noted that capital projects – like the Golden Eagles Athletics Complex – are funded by separate, distinct sources and those funds cannot be commingled with the day-to-day operating budget, which covers the costs for items like staff salaries. “It is very important to note that the construction projects on campus are funded completely by donor contributions. We are not legally able to use donor funds for operations. The cuts Concordia made were to reduce annual operating costs,” the university explained.

For many of these athletes, the frustrations of losing their sport will remain, but they 
are moving forward in their lives. Kartzinel is “happy for [the women’s programs]” and “curious to see if they have enough time to build up an actual team for the spring this [academic] year.”

“I think it is important to try and save this program for other females that are going to want to swim here,” said Treadwell. Dvorakova said, “We want to just help other student athletes and overall, just the sport.”

Women’s tennis and swim are looking forward to the opportunity to continue playing their sport at Concordia. Continue to support the teams as they work to be competitive this season. 

Sports editor Joseph Panetta and writer Jordan Vander Veen contributed to this story.

Tags: sports, women's athletics, Men's Athletics

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