Lawsuit Filed Against Hanover College After Elimination of Women’s Swimming Program
Four members of the women’s swimming team at Hanover College in Indiana have filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against the school, citing a violation of Title IX. Hanover College recently announced it was cutting its women’s and men’s swimming programs, and the lawsuit indicates that the school now offers female athletes with approximately 170 fewer opportunities that required by the law.
The members of the team who are plaintiffs in the case are Lucy Schoenlein, Tallulah Frazier, Shelby Geraghty and Anna Williams. Hanover announced it was cutting its swimming programs in March. The most recent data from the Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act (EADA) indicated that Hanover College, a Division III program, was 15% under the requirement for female-athlete opportunities under Title IX law.
“Hanover’s elimination of its women’s swimming team is a flagrant violation of Title IX,” said Arthur Bryant of Arthur Bryant Law, P.C., in Oakland, CA, the lead counsel for the athletes. “According to the most recent publicly available information, women were 50.34% of Hanover’s undergraduates in 2024-25, but they were given only 34.86% of the opportunities to participate in varsity sports. Hanover needs to add around 170 opportunities for women to reach gender equity. It should not be eliminating anywomen’s teams.”
Bryant notified Hanover of its violation through an email to Hanover President Lake Lambert.
“Title IX requires schools to give women and men equal opportunities to participate in varsity sports,” said Schoenlein, women’s team captain and one of the plaintiffs in the case. “But Hanover College has been depriving women of equal opportunities for decades – and now it’s eliminated the women’s swimming team. So, we’re going to fight for our team, our teammates, and all of the women at Hanover. This sex discrimination has to stop.”
