Through either entrance into the Aquatic & Fitness Center, one of the first things gym-goers are greeted by is the display celebrating Virginia swimming and diving’s ACC, NCAA and Olympic champions. Lining the entrance to the pool, it is a tribute to the dynasty that Virginia’s women’s swim team has created — after all, they are just one of three swimming teams in NCAA history to have won five consecutive national championships.
But a legacy of women’s swimming extends beyond the Cavaliers’ varsity team. In the last weekend of March, Virginia’s club swim team traveled to Mesa, Ariz. to compete at the 2025 College Club Swimming Nationals. 50 total swimmers qualified for the competition and traveled to the meet hosted by Arizona State, with 26 of those being female swimmers.
This year, the women’s club swim team captured their fourth straight championship, tallying 760 points to defeat Georgia Tech, who scored 733.
“This meet marked a massive, massive expansion,” Anna Bartlett, president of Club Swim at U.Va. and third-year Batten student said.
That expansion is a shining victory for College Club Swimming. According to Bartlett, CCS has been working on the accessibility of college club swimming. NCAA swimming is becoming harder to qualify for, so CCS is an increasingly popular option for people who want to continue swimming in college.
CCS was founded just over 20 years ago in 2003 and has grown tremendously, with 219 teams now registered. At Nationals in Mesa, 132 clubs competed. This number has grown each year, yet the women’s club team has consistently dominated in its four straight championships.
On the other hand, the high-profile nature of Virginia’s varsity sports team has aided in setting up Virginia’s club swim team to thrive in a growing collegiate club swim atmosphere.
“Swimming in general isn't always a high revenue sport or anything like that,” Bartlett said. “But being at U.Va., with the amount of hype, the amount of energy and the amount of support that the DI team gets, I think that really helps just build up the energy and the motivation of our team.”
Max Cotton, coach and second-year College student, expressed similar sentiments as one of the four coaches for the team. While this is his first year coaching at Virginia, he brings over seven years of coaching experience from youth levels to the team. Cotton noted that part of Virginia’s growth comes from the closeness the club has with the varsity squad. Club swimmers are often in the vicinity of distinguished Virginia swimmers such as senior Olympian Gretchen Walsh, and the energy and support between both teams have impacted their success on both sides, according to Cotton.
“The varsity team’s success is establishing U.Va. even more so as just a phenomenal swim school altogether,” Cotton said. “As swimmers often do, you take the time to explore the [college] programs offered and the supplementary aspects of the sport that are offered. You come to realize that U.Va. is also phenomenal on the CCS scale.”
This ripple effect between club and varsity swimming has begun to impact the college decisions of some students who are keen on participating in club swimming. Both Cotton and Bartlett spoke of swimmers and families who have shared their experience choosing the University in part because of its club swim team.
“I talked to a family at nationals of one of our swimmers who told the whole story of her college application process,” Cotton said. “U.Va. club swim was a big draw for her to come to U.Va. in the first place.”
As a whole, Virginia club swim is still on an upward trajectory after its four women’s national championships. In 2024, the men’s team placed 13th at CCS Nationals, but finished in seventh this season. Virginia finished in third place overall with its combined men’s and women’s score. Club Swim at U.Va. is growing at the same pace CCS is, too, it seems — and it is working out in their favor.
“We have an incredible team of dedicated athletes who actively want to get better in the sport and push themselves every day to do so,” Cotton said. “I believe that the teams will continue to improve because they are supported internally by some really dedicated and motivated people.”
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