Westmont College will be adding women’s swimming and men’s and women’s golf to its athletics program in the 2019-2020 academic year, the school announced on Friday.

The addition of the three sports will give the college 15 intercollegiate teams. The Warriors already compete in baseball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, and women’s volleyball.

The start of a women’s swimming program was made possible by the generous donation of $500,000.

“Students have long requested that we add this popular sport, and I’m deeply grateful for the donor who has made this opportunity possible,” said Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe.

The Santa Barbara area is well known for  aquatic sports. The area has produced Olympic athletes in swimming and water polo.

“I get a lot of calls from parents of swimmers looking for more options to compete at a top Christian liberal arts college,” said Dave Odell, Westmont athletic director.

He cited an article in Swimming World Magazine saying that swimmers rank among the top performing students academically.

“That makes the sport a great fit for Westmont, with its rigorous academic program,” Odell said.

The athletic director said swimmers would train at Westmont’s on-campus pool and at the Santa Barbara City-owned Los Banos del Mar pool. Meets would be held at regulation pools in the Western Region and possibly Los Banos.

Men’s and women’s golf, an NAIA spring sport, has raised $75,000. The men’s golf team will carry six players and the women’s team will have four. The teams will compete in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Local Montecito and Santa Barbara golf courses have all expressed support for the new teams, according to Odell

“The golf community has already shown strong interest in golf at Westmont,” he said. “I’ve been so encouraged by their desire to help us get this program going. I also appreciate the self-governance aspect of golf — marking your own ball, keeping your own score — and what that teaches about character.”

Odell noted that the addition of the three sports will raise the profile of the college’s athletics program in the nation.

The college recently earned sixth place in the 2018 NAIA Learfield Directors Cup final standings, the best finish in its 80-year history. The cup measures overall success of athletic programs. Westmont has finished in the top 10 four times.

“Though we finished the highest ever in the Directors Cup this year, we could finish higher with the addition of quality sports programs,” Odell said. “Westmont is the best academic school in the NAIA, and we want to be the best athletics school as well. Adding these two new sports strengthens our overall athletic program and attracts high-performing students to Westmont — two winning combinations for our college.”

Odell is actively reviewing coaches for each new sport. Those interested should contact him directly at dodell@westmont.edu.