A state panel has approved paying nearly $400,000 to settle the lawsuit four University of Iowa athletes filed after the school cut women’s swimming and diving last year.
The lawsuit accused the University of Iowa of violating the 1972 federal law which requires universities to ensure scholarships for male and female athletes is proportional to the total undergraduate population. A federal judge ruled about $400,000 in legal fees and other expenses was reasonable and the State Appeal Board approved the payments on Monday.
The agreement to settle the lawsuit was announced nearly a month ago. It calls for the University of Iowa to keep its women’s swimming and diving program for at last seven years and start a women’s wresting program. The school announced in September it was starting to recruit women wrestlers.