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As the NCAA prepares for what the world of college athletics will look like when the House vs. NCAA settlement is finalized, some college programs are looking to other Olympic sports for inspiration on adapting their programs if the proposed roster limits take effect.
SwimSwam has heard from a Power 4 program that it is considering a plan to implement a program similar to the Regional Training Centers that have become crucial to United States’ wrestling’s development.
There are 77 NCAA Division I varsity men’s wrestling programs in the United States among approximately 220 across all three divisions. That’s a decline from 363 programs in 1982.
The House settlement, in its current version, includes stricter roster limits for sports like swimming & diving. One individual with knowledge of the proceedings said that an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 NCAA roster spots would be lost as a result of the new limits nationally across all sports. But the RTC model could, at least in some parts of the country, preserve some version of collegiate athletics for those who aren’t on the varsity rosters.
What are Wrestling’s RTCs?
For those unfamiliar with RTCs, here are the basics. RTCs are training centers supported by USA Wrestling that “provide qualified youth athletes and Olympic Hopefuls access to elite level coaches, high level training partners and world class facilities in a safe local environment, per USA Wrestling’s website. “A key focus is to raise the relevancy of wrestling on college campuses. Within NCAA rules, RTCs provide additional opportunities for college coaches to further develop and enhance their individual program. This cooperative effort strengthens the connection between the Olympic Movement and college athletics.”
In addition to helping college athletic programs, RTCs provide young athletes the opportunity to train year-round, thereby keeping more kids in the sport.
All athletes participating in RTC practice must meet at least one qualification criteria based on placement at different national and regional wrestling tournaments. There are specific criteria for coaches, students with NCAA eligibility, and prospective NCAA student-athletes. For example, athletes must live within 250 miles of the RTC to participate and any coach who works at the RTC may only coach a prospective student-athlete at any competition if on coaching assignment from USA Wrestling.
There are plenty of RTCs around the country; USA Wrestling lists centers in Tempe, AZ, Gaithersburg, MD, Cedar Falls, IA, and New York, NY. But there are plenty of others—including those located at colleges like Penn State, UNC, Ohio State, Brown, etc.
How Could RTCs Work In Swimming?
RTCs in wrestling are created in partnership with USA Wrestling and its state associations and a similar model in swimming would likely need support from USA Swimming.
Setting aside that partnership for a moment, introducing an RTC model in swimming would connect top club, college, and professional swimmers within a set geographical radius. There are several reasons this could be an attractive model for NCAA teams. Depending on the location of the RTC, it could bring in additional revenue through pool use fees. A nearby RTC could also give some coaches more coaching opportunities.
While there are strict rules around recruiting high schoolers, RTCs would allow top club athletes to train with college-age and professional athletes, which is typically limited to the club swimmers who make the senior international roster as most professional training groups are run through universities. An RTC could potentially help with funding for the professional athletes affiliated with the RTC.
NCAA rules limit NCAA coaches who coach a club team to coaching recruitable athletes who live within a 50 mile radius.
But specifically for NCAA colleges facing implementing roster limits in the future, a nearby RTC would give them a place to send the swimmers who don’t make the varsity roster. The program would be more than a collegiate club – the athletes would train with a full commitment alongside the pro and post-grad swimmers.
The coach that SwimSwam spoke to said that they would probably delay their first NCAA meet of the season until after November 1. With rosters due when the meet begins, this would give the coach flexibility to shift athletes between the RTC roster and the varsity roster early in the training schedule – the coach said that they’d expect there to be maybe five spots on the roster designed for athletes flexing between the two programs.
In theory, they could extend this period and delay the start of the dual meet season, which could contribute to making the regular season dual meets more meaningful.
Potential Issues
Perhaps the biggest wrinkle to solve would be the international swimmers. The NCAA has become an increasingly popular destination for international swimmers. Because wrestling RTCs are in partnership with USA Wrestling, there are limits on international athletes. The rulebook from 2020 states “international athletes/coaches who currently represent a country other than the U.S may attend on a limited basis based on approval of the NGB and RTC. These individuals must be of similar competitive caliber. These individuals may attend on an intermittent basis in order to enhance national team development.”
If swimming RTCs were created in partnership with USA Swimming, there would likely be a similar clause. This would reinvigorate the debate about international students joining the NCAA or U.S-based professional groups, which reached a peak during the Paris Olympics when Leon Marchand and Summer McIntosh, international athletes coached in the U.S., had such spectacular Games. Hypothetically, this could mean that recruiting international students would mean programs would be required to keep them on the varsity roster if they’re not eligible for the RTCs.
Pool space, which is expensive and on major college campuses already in high demand for competitive and non-competitive purposes alike, could also become an issue.
Wrestling RTCs have a rule that high school athletes must not train at the RTC while competing in high school. While this is easy to maintain for swimming, introducing the model to this sport would force a reckoning with club swimming in the U.S. as swimmers could leave clubs for RTCs, again putting strain on pool space and availability.
This could also become an issue for junior-aged athletes who represent other countries but live in the United States and are USA Swimming members. The RTCs could become a talent vacuum for surrounding areas, hurting local clubs and possibly the competitiveness and coaching development for non-RTC coaches and athletes.
What Now?
When finalized, the House vs. NCAA settlement will change the face of college sports. Many sports are going to be under pressure, swimming included, and will need to look outside the box in order to adapt in the new landscape. Implementing an RTC model like wrestling is certainly that, though there is a successful model in place. A move like this wouldn’t just affect NCAA swimming though, it would start a domino effect that changed the way swimming in the United States operates.