Four swimmers are taking legal action after Hanover College eliminated its women's swimming program. Lucy Schoenlein, Tallulah Frazier, Shelby Geraghty, and Anna Williams filed a Title IX discrimination lawsuit against the Division III school in Indiana, arguing the cuts only deepened an already lopsided gender gap in athletics.
Title IX Lawsuit Reveals Gender Inequity Across Multiple Sports
According to the most recent federal data, women made up 50.34% of Hanover undergraduates in 2024/25 but received just 34.86% of varsity sports opportunities. That imbalance left the school roughly 170 roster spots short of Title IX compliance. Yet, it still chose to axe its women's swimming team in March.
"Hanover's elimination of its women's swimming team is a flagrant violation of Title IX," attorney Arthur Bryant said. Bryant, who is representing the athletes in the case, notified Hanover president Lake Lambert of the disparity by email before filing suit.
The program only began competing in the 2018/19 season. Last year, it had eight women and five men on its roster — meaning cutting both teams actually widened the school's existing divide.
Attorney Kimberly Dougherty of Justice Law Collaborative called the move "sex discrimination, plain and simple," arguing the program thrived under a full-time coach but was set up to fail after Hanover reduced it to part-time staffing with no assistant.
