Credit these ladies for having a good understanding of how athletics and academics coincide.
Athletics are a wonderful marketing vehicle for the university. The primary purpose of a university is, of course, the academic mission. However, athletics are a great tool for getting people engaged with the school. When run properly, there is probably no greater way to obtain visibility and "brand building" than using your athletics programs.
It isn't circumstantial that Eastern continues to grow rapidly during a period of sustained athletic success.