Beyond the Big Names: Finding the Right College Swim Program for You

When I was a college swim coach, I learned quickly that most families see just a sliver of the college landscape — the “big names,” the teams on TV, the handful of school brands familiar to nearly everyone.

But the truth is, there are hundreds of colleges offering competitive swim programs, each with its own personality, structure, and resources. Most of them never even make it into the conversation.

At the start of each coaching assignment with a new school, I’d take the standard campus tour through admissions — the same one prospective students and their parents experience. I’d walk through the dorms and dining halls, lecture halls and lounge spaces. I wanted to know what kind of university life prospective student-athletes were stepping into. Was the coffee any good? How long was the walk from the dorm to the pool? How was the food?

These details mattered, because recruiting wasn’t just about selling a swimmer on a team — it was about matching a student to a school.

The recruiting timeline is long, often beginning during a swimmer’s sophomore year of high school and stretching into senior year. There’s a certain amount of work that needs to happen, and families can choose when to begin.

But in my experience, success in recruiting hinges on the high school athlete proactively managing their process: first by identifying a select number of schools that truly fit what they’re looking for, and then by communicating their interest directly to coaches.

Waiting too long or standing still means losing opportunities. The best fits often go to the swimmers who started early and understood there were more options than just the obvious names.

It took me years — as a prospect, an athlete, and a coach — to understand just how broad and varied the college swimming world really is. That’s why I started SwimCasa: to help families navigate this process with confidence, uncover opportunities hiding in plain sight, and align goals with schools that truly fit.

Recruiting success isn’t about chasing the biggest brand, or simply choosing among the programs that reach out to you — it’s about finding the environment where a swimmer can thrive in and out of the pool.