Cody Roberts figured he was set for the next four years when he signed to swim at the University of Washington.
But the Richland High senior and state champion in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke is back looking at possible schools after the University of Washington decided to cut its men's and women's swimming programs Friday.
"UW is offering me a chance to go to any school I choose without losing any eligibility for swimming," said Roberts, who was preparing for today's Bloomsday Run in Spokane.
"Right now it's Texas A&M, Arizona and the Air Force Academy. I got an e-mail (from the Air Force coach) and he said he can talk to the board and seek to reverse the decline of my acceptance if I choose to go there."
The cuts announced are the athletic department's reaction to the economic downturn. The school said the swimming programs are the sixth-highest expense among its sports programs, and the decision should save about $1.2 million a year.
"I have enormous empathy and sadness for our student athletes. It's very painful and I hope I never have to do it again," athletic director Scott Woodward said. "But it was imperative to help fix the long-term financial picture of our department. We're still fourth in number of sports we offer in the Pac-10. This is something we had to do in short term."
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