Apr 5, 2010 8:52:15 AM

Wheaton (Illinois) will continue to offer women's water polo as a varsity sport.

Citing financial challenges for the athletics program over the last 10 years, officials at Wheaton announced March 2 that the college would cut five varsity sports at the end of the 2009-10 school year. The move would have reduced the number of varsity sports offered from 22 to 17.

Since then, donors have provided funding to reinstate men's golf, women's golf and men's tennis, in addition to women's water polo. Wheaton will now offer those programs through the 2013-14 school year.

"It's exciting to see how members of Wheaton's water polo community have come together to provide resources to continue to sponsor this sport," said Athletics Director Tony Ladd. "As a result, our current athletes – and the ones we will be able to recruit – can continue to benefit from this valuable program during their time at Wheaton."

Wheaton, which joined Macalester College and Carthage College in becoming members of the Collegiate Water Polo Association Division III this season, is enjoying one of the program's most successful seasons to date. Currently 9-9, the Thunder are 7-3 in CWPA Division III competition and are guaranteed at least the third seed for the upcoming conference Division III championship on April 24-25 at Utica College.

"We are quite thrilled to have the polo team reinstated as varsity here at Wheaton," said swimming and water polo head coach Jonathan Lederhouse. "The support from alumni and parents and friends of our program attest to the significant value that our team members have gained in the six short years we have been a varsity sport."