Swimming in College
College athletics provide a great opportunity for athletes to continue competing in the sport of swimming throughout their years in higher education. The largest governing body of collegiate sports, the NCAA, covers hundreds of schools across the US and provides resources to help learn what it takes to be a collegiate student-athlete.
Why should I swim in college?
College swimming provides a unique journey through higher education. A few benefits of competing at the collegiate level include:
- An immediate group of like-minded peers that can support each other in a new environment.
- Coaches whose job is to oversee your growth and well-being across your collegiate career.
- Athletic and academic resources otherwise not available to non-athletes, including specialized tutoring, counseling, and physcial health services geared towards athletes.
- Opportunities to travel outside of your school.
- Connections to fellow athletic alumni as you build your professional network during and after completing your degree.
What does a typical collegiate swim season look like?
A college swim season runs from September through March of an academic year. First official practices start in the middle of September. Team captains will typically hold unofficial practices leading up to the official season. Swimmers compete at various dual meets between other schools in their athletic conference, a mid-season invitational, and end with a conference championship in late February. For the very fastest athletes, they may get a shot at competing at the NCAA Division championships in March. After the end of the official swim season, swimmers practice on their own until the next season! Many swimmers return to their club teams in the summer to compete and stay in shape.
How do I know if I am a good fit for college swimming?
Just as there are a wide variety of swimmers, there are a wide variety of colleges for them to compete at. Not every NCAA school are powerhouses like University of Southern California, Arizona State University, or University of Virginia. A smaller school may offer competitive opportunities suiting your ability level. You can use a recruitment and time search tool such as SwimCloud to research the times swimmers at various colleges are swimming, as well as how the team as a whole competes within their athletic conference.
There are three different NCAA divisions, each with varying levels of intensity and competition. Swimmers should read through the NCAA Student-Athlete Guide for more information on the recruitment process between the divisions. In general, the main distinctions between the three divisions are:
Division I & II
D1 and D2 schools are able to offer athletic scholarships to student-athletes competing for their schools.
Division III
D3 schools cannot offer athletic scholarships. However, 82% of Division III athletes recieve some form of academic scholarship or need-based grant for school.
As such, D3 is seen as a great option for students who want to continue competing within their sport without sacrificing rigorous academics.
Keep in mind, while Division I does have extremely high-level athletes, it does not mean Division II or Division III lack fast swimmers. More than anything, college swimming requires you to weigh the team atmosphere, affinity with coaches, academic goal alignment, scholarships available to you, and school cost more than NCAA division.
When should I begin researching colleges?
The earlier the better! Beginning in 9th grade, start thinking of potential degree majors and researching schools that interest you. Check to see if those schools have the degree major(s) you're interested in and if they have a swim team. You can also register a free NCAA Eligibility Center account.
10th grade is a great time to begin making a long list of 15-20 schools you have interest in attending. Towards the end of your 10th grade year, upload your transcripts to the Eligibility Center with the help of your school counselor. Some students even begin making unofficial visits during 10th grade. If you are traveling for a swim meet, consider stopping by a nearby college if they have a swim team.
11th grade is when the most work happens for recruiting. You should be condensing your school options to a short list of 5-8 schools. Reach out to coaches and express your interest in the team. Establishing a connection with coaches is an important step to being invited on official schools visits. Research the admission requirements for these schools as well. You should also take your first round of SATs and ACTs during your 11th grade year.
12th grade is the big year. In the first half of the academic year you should plan on making your last official visits and (for D1 and D2 athletes) plan on signing a National Letter of Intent for the school you plan to attend and swim for.
Does this seem like a lot? That's because it is! During this process you still have to be a student and swimmer. Be sure you involve your parents, school counselors, and club swim coaches in this process to help guide you.
Helpful Links:
SwimCloud (research collegiate swim times and school rankings): https://www.swimcloud.com/
NCAA, "Want to Play College Sports?" (helpful resources and information for college sports): https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/8/student-athletes-future.aspx
NCAA Recruitment Rules: https://www.ncaa.org/sports/2021/2/10/recruiting-calendars-faq.aspx
NCAA Recruitment Calendar for Swimming, pg. 4: https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/compliance/recruiting/calendar/2024-25/2024-25D1Rec_OtherSportsRecruitingCalendar.pdf
