Star Cal Poly men’s swimmer Drew Huston announced he was transferring to the University of Southern California in an Instagram post on March 28, making him the first major domino to fall nearly a month after Cal Poly announced that they would be permanently discontinuing the Swimming and Diving Program on March 7.
The junior took gold at the Big West Championships in what was his final meet as a Mustang on Feb. 15, setting a school record in the 200-yard backstroke.
It was the final feather in his cap in what was a highly decorated Cal Poly career, which included five program records and two conference titles.
Cal Poly had informed all athletes on the swim and dive roster that their scholarships would continue to be guaranteed, but top swimmers like Huston could opt for the move to other programs to continue their swim careers.
Cal Poly president Jeffrey D. Armstrong announced in a press release on March 7 that the program’s funding would cease. Armstrong stated that “financial realities” were the primary reason behind the discontinuation of the swimming and diving program.
Dr. Armstrong cited the House v. NCAA settlement as having a significant impact on the athletic department’s finances, resulting in a loss of at least $450,000 per year.
The men’s team finished the year undefeated for the first time in program history, took third at the Big West Championships and produced the highest team GPA of any men’s sport at Cal Poly.
Huston was a key cog in the machine that produced the best season in recent memory.
He had set and reset his own program records in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke over the season, and was a part of the 200-yard freestyle relay and 200 and 400-yard medley relays that set program records.
Huston’s 1:40.39 backstroke time at the Big West Championships was both a program and conference record in the event and placed him as the 40th-best time in the NCAA prior to the NCAA championships.
He also holds the second-fastest 200-yard individual medley, just behind teammate Evan Yoo, who made up the team’s top two swimmers over the season.
Last offseason, Huston represented Cal Poly in the Olympic trials, finishing 37th out of American swimmers.
He also made NCAA B-Cut trials last season, narrowly missing a shot at the NCAA tournament.
At USC, Huston will be joining the competitive Big-10 conference and the No. 11 ranked program in the country, according to Swimcloud.
It remains to be seen if other high-ranking program members, including Yoo, junior captain Alex Seybold, and Big West Freshman of the Year Sam Seybold, will move to the transfer portal.