Hofstra adding men's and women's swimming and diving teams for 2027-28 school year

Hofstra is forming men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams that will compete at the Division I level beginning in the 2027-28 academic year, the school announced on Monday morning.

This is the first time since 2019 that Hofstra has introduced new sports teams. The last programs to be formed at the school were the men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track programs.

The new teams bring the total number of Division I programs at the school to 23.

Hofstra will compete in the Coastal Athletic Association and will bring the total number of swimming and diving programs in the conference to nine for the women and six for the men. The school is also in the process of hiring coaches for both teams.

The creation of the new teams was the culmination of extended conversations over the course of a few years that began with Hofstra school president Dr. Susan Poser asking a straightforward question.

“How do we have this fantastic facility — Olympic-sized swimming pool — in a really nice building and we don’t have a swim team?” Poser told Newsday. “We’ve been having discussions on-and-off about it over the past, I would say, three or four years seriously looking at it a couple times before we decided to do it this time.”

Athletic director Rick Cole said the school underwent an extensive fact-finding process to determine the feasibility of creating the new teams.

“It wasn’t something we just rushed into," Cole told Newsday. "We took our time and collaborated on campus. This wasn’t just an athletics decision. It was an institutional decision and I think it really just was about time. We just kind of did our due diligence and said, ‘Is it a right fit?’, which we think obviously it is. It’s just the progression of time and decision-making process more than anything.”

The existence of the Hofstra Swim Center also made the decision to start the teams easy.

“We think it’s one of the best facilities in the region, on any campus,” Cole said. “... We are literally ready to go. If we wanted to start swimming tomorrow, we could.”

Poser and Cole said research revealed the school could absorb the required financial commitment in building the new programs, which was key in the new NIL era of college athletics.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has introduced federal legislation called the Protect College Sports Act. As part of the measure, the legislation prevents schools from folding non-revenue generating sports.

“We’re managing to make it work without pulling revenue, extra revenue, from the operating budget through the hard work of fundraising and the NIL activities and we think we can make this work, too,” Poser said. “We all know that it takes a lot more than money to get a team to come together and win a championship. We’ve shown that now in quite a few situations recently with the championships we’ve [won]. So we’re making it work. … We’re not going to be doing swimming at a loss to the university. It’s a gain.”

Hofstra will begin a nationwide search to find the first head coaches for the programs.

“In any sport — swimming is no different — there’s going to be people that will be hungry to lead their own program," Cole said. "There’s also something really special about establishing and building your own program. There’s only one chance to be the first head coach in program history, right?"

Cole said that he would consider candidates who don't have college coaching experience.

“I don’t limit myself to anybody or any one category,” Cole said. “We are a people-centric business, right? And you have to find the right person at the right place at the right time. So, while I certainly do hope that they have intercollegiate athletic experience, we’re going to find the best person to lead the program.”