Albright College, a private liberal arts college in Reading, Pennsylvania, has cut its swimming program as it deals with broader financial issues.
In an email sent to student-athletes by the school’s Director of Athletics and Head Women’s Basketball Coach Janice Luck said that it was part of an overall effort by the school to “align revenue with expenses.”
Albright College eliminated 53 positions on Thursday, though a spokesperson said at the time that the reduction would not results in the elimination of any classes or programs. 29 of those are current staff and faculty positions, while 10 staff positions and 14 faculty positions currently empty will be left vacant.
Albright College president Jacquelyn Fetrow, who had run the school since 2017, resigned earlier in May after there were campus protests over her management and calls for more transparency.
Federal data shows that Albright had enrollment of 1,205 full-time undergraduates this academic year. Of those, 443 (36.8%) were varsity athletes.
The swimming programs made up a small percentage of those athletes. Only 6 men and 5 women are listed in federal data, though the team’s online roster lists just 3 women and 2 men.
Even based on the number reported to Federal agencies, swimming was by-far the school’s most-expensive sport per participant. The Equity in Athletics Data Analysis database calculates an operating expense of $4,052 per swimmer. The school’s next-most expensive sport per-participant were women’s golf ($1,561 per participant) and women’s basketball ($1,654 per participant). Football ($1,536 per participant) and basketball ($1,534 per participant) are next in that ranking.
John Stuhltrager spent the last five years as the program’s head coach, while Alaina Ricci, who completed her Masters degree there earlier this year, served as an assistant coach.
This was Stuhltrager’s second stint with Albright. He was previously the head coach there from 2003 through 2014, when he led the team to 12 Middle Atlantic Conferences titles and won 12 Coach of the Year honors. With a shrinking roster, though, the men’s team finished 11 out of 12 at this year’s meet and the women’s team finished 11 out of 11 teams.
Out of the 5 members on the team, two were Stuhltrager’s children.
While the program was too small to swim relays or compete for team titles, they did have some success. Brenden Stuhltrager was the conference champion in the 100 fly (49.42), while Anthony Laite finished as high as 8th in the mile. On the women’s side, Laurel Gingrich won conference titles in the 50 free (24.25) and 200 free (1:56.73), while Morgan Stuhltrager was 7th in the 200 IM (2:17.58) and 100 fly (1:01.65).
Gingrich also competed as a member of Albright’s field hockey team
Albright College is an NCAA Division III school founded in 1912.
Albright College’s financial struggles are part of a wave of financial difficulties that is hitting smaller colleges across the country, especially private schools, as enrollments lag and financial pressures weigh. Bethel University in Tennessee also recently announced that it was dropping its swimming programs.
Several other small colleges, though, are adding swimming programs, viewing athletics as a pathway to boost enrollment. St. Joseph’s University on Long Island and University of Bridgeport in Connecticut are among the schools that have added programs already this year.
Full Text of the E-Mail Announcing the Cut
Recently, you received communication from Albright College about the challenges in higher education, and more specifically, about how Albright is managing those challenges,” Luck said in the email. “And yesterday, in a message from Board Chair Ron Scheese ’83, you learned about a reduction in our workforce, made to ensure the long-term stability of the college.
As part of the work Albright College is doing to align revenue with expenses, the college has made the very difficult decision to discontinue the swim program. I know this news hits all of you very hard. So many of you have played an integral part in the foundation and history of Albright Swimming. Those memories and accomplishments will continue to be a part of Albright history, our celebrations, and your legacy forever.
Please be assured that this decision was not made lightly and that the college is doing all it can to assist the swim coaches who will be leaving Albright. Their departure weighs heavy on all of us and will be felt for some time.
Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support of Albright Athletics.
