‘We were lied to’
Sandburg’s Farley, Stagg’s Smiarowski among those affected by Michigan State cuts
Jack Hiss and Brad Sanford enjoyed their freshman year at Michigan State.
The Naperville residents were roommates and teammates on the swimming team.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two sophomores are no longer roommates as most students are taking online classes from home. Soon, they won’t even be teammates.
Hiss, a Neuqua Valley alum, and Sanford, a Na per ville Central graduate, were stunned when Michigan State announced Oct. 22 the school was cutting its men’s and women’s swimming programs after the end of the 2020-21 season.
Michigan State is the second Big Ten school to eliminate swimming. Iowa did the same in August.
“It’ s not what we expected ,” Hiss said. “Even after Iowa was cut, we were told we were safe. The administration has not been transparent with us.”
Aidan Farley, a senior from Sandburg who competes in the freestyle, and Lucas Smiarowski, a senior from Stagg who compete sin the individual medley and breaststroke, are also in the mix for the Spartans.
Michigan State athletic director Bill Beekman informed the swimmers and coaches of the decision.
“He walked in and said you’re cut,” Hiss said. “We asked, ‘Is it money?’ He’s like, ‘Not exactly. We don’t think we can provide the best academic and athletic student experience to you any longer.’”
Hiss doesn’t know what that means. The Michigan State program is 99 years old and routinely produces exceptional student-athletes, including some from Illinois.
The 2020 class included former Waubonsie Valley star Michael Schwers and Naperville Central alum Scott Piper, a two-time first team academic All-American who was the first athlete in MSU history to receive the Big Ten’s Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award.
While the pandemic has squeezed athletic department budgets across the nation, Hiss is skeptical that finances are the reason for the cuts.
Beekman said in a written statement that MSU anticipates potential losses of at least $35 million this academic year. He noted the swimming program costs approximately $2 million per year.
“We were lied to,” Hiss said. “They just unveiled an almost $1 billion plan for a new football operations center, new tennis courts, newfields for soccer, a lot of things pertaining to athletics.”
Hiss confirmed the swimmers, most of whom receive only partial scholarships, pay tuition and made a commitment to the school.
“We love Michigan State,” Sanford said. “But we signed up to swim for four years and we only got one real year of it.”
The swimmers have established thewebsitewww.battleforspartanswimanddive.com, which has raised nearly $400,000 in pledges, in an attempt to save the program.
“We have alumni who are accountants and lawyers helping us,” Hiss said. “We’re going to take legal action soon.”
A similar effort is underway at Iowa, where former Naperville Central standout Alexa Puccini is one of four swimmers who have filed a Title IX lawsuit.
MSU will honor all scholarships but those who want to continue swimming will have to transfer.
Hiss and Sanford, a finance major, have entered the NCAA transfer portal. Finding a new home during the pandemic might be tough.
“Schools don’t want you coming on campus and potentially infecting their team,” Sanford said. “It’s going to be hard to visit the school — get a feel for the school and the team.
“Some of the schools I’d like to swim at don’t offer a finance degree.”
The cuts also add a new wrinkle to recruiting. High school swimmers now have to assess the likelihood a college will drop its program.
“It’s hard to predict what’s going to unfold,” Neuqua Valley coach Chad Allen said. “You never really know because it always seems to come out of nowhere.
“I don’t think anyone would have predicted Iowa or Michigan State. That’s why at the end of the day, you’ve got to pick a school you like.”
Hiss and Sanford did but to no avail. Yet Sanford is trying to be optimistic.
“I guess you’ve got to look at the positives,” Sanford said. “Everything happens for a reason.”