EAST LANSING, Mich. — The fight to reinstate Michigan State University’s swim and dive team continued in a courtroom on Thursday.
Eleven former swimmers on the women's team filed a Title IX lawsuit last year arguing that the university’s decision to cut the program in October 2020 was discriminatory.
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On Thursday, the plaintiffs were asking for the judge to reinstate the team, while the lawsuit goes through court.
The judge asked if the request was granted, what would it take to get the team back up and running quickly.
MSU’s attorney Scott Eldridge said there is a lot the university would need to do to get the team back in the water by October like finding a coach, pulling together a team and scheduling competitions.
He also said getting the team reinstated in a few months would cost the university over $1 million.
But attorney Lori Bullock, who's representing some of the swimmers, said there are women on campus who would be interested in joining the team.
Sophia Balow who is a plaintiff on the case and a rising senior told FOX 47 News, “I am always hopeful sitting there that this will lead to the reinstatement of our team.”
If the team is reinstated, Balow hopes to be swimming on the team in October.
The judge did not give a timeline of when a decision will be made to reinstate the team, but a bench trial for the Title IX lawsuit is set for January 2023.
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