Since March 7, the push to revive the Cal Poly swim and dive team has been fierce.
Supporters were supposed to have raised $10 million by April 15 as a part of a $25 million endowment to save the team.
Now, the new goal is $20 million by June 4.
“With the new deadline and the lowered amount of money, it definitely sparked, like, a new hope," Cal Poly freshman swimmer Sabrina Bell explained.
However, it is a situation she never thought she would be in.
“This is something that I've dreamed about all of my life, like being a collegiate athlete. And just to have it taken away from me that quick was awful," she said.
In March, Cal Poly announced that the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs were being cut to address budget issues.
Since then, fundraising efforts to save the team have been strong.
Junior Camilo Vargas, who is spearheading social media engagement on Instagram, said that 3 million people have visited their Save CP Swim and Dive page.
Olympians and big players in the swim world have also come forward with their support.
“More time goes on since we've gotten cut, but we need to stay out there," Vargas said of their efforts.
To date, the team has raised $7.5 million— an impressive accomplishment for only six weeks of outreach— but still short of the original $25 million goal.
According to a university spokesperson, President Jeffrey Armstrong changed the original plan, asking that the team raise $20 million for an endowment by June 4.
“We are faced with what we have. We're all hopeful that we can get it there," Cal Poly swim and dive alum Tom Johnson said.
Johnson swam for the Mustangs in the late 1980s. His son, Jed, is a standout senior at De La Salle High School and committed to swim at Cal Poly in November.
Even with his scholarship honored, his ability to compete is in limbo.
“My experience at Cal Poly swimming, in a roundabout way, is arguably the most formative experience of my life," Johnson said. "At least I got to taste it a little bit. My son is, at this point, never going to taste it.”
Johnson was part of a group that came up with a business plan to realistically fund the program for years to come. They delivered that plan to the university president's office.
“We were super hopeful. We thought we gave them a great plan, and it was reviewed by CEOs of Fortune 200 companies, people in the financial world. And everybody thought, this is it. This is a fantastic plan," the alum said.
According to Johnson, the 6-year plan relied on an increase in income from endowments and provides an opportunity for alternative revenue streams like summer camps.
“They provided a lot of questions and insightful questions," Vargas said of the response to the plan. "But ultimately, the decision was to just extend the deadline.”
Cal Poly's situation reflects a greater issue for swim and dive programs and other non-revenue sports across the country, with the looming House vs. NCAA settlement strapping athletic budgets and the California State University budget struggling as well.
“We are hopeful that we can find people to see the need to keep not just Cal Poly swimming, but collegiate non-revenue sports alive," Johnson said.
The team's GoFundMe can be found here.
