An NAIA Power: The Secret of Success for the Keiser Men’s Swimming Program
The Keiser men’s swimming program has risen to the pinnacle of the NAIA. Four straight NAIA National Championship. Twenty-eight NAIA individual national champions. Four NAIA Swimmer of the Year awards. Three NAIA Swimmer of the Meet honors. One hundred thiry-two NAIA All-American honors. The question is, how have they maintained this exccellence?
The Seahawks have created something unique within the NAIA, with head coach Adam Epstein at the reins and the NAIA Coach of the Year on four occasions. It all started in 2018 when Keiser captured its first NAIA national title, and the Seahawks have been unstoppable since.
The Seahawks’ Culture
Epstein emphasizes that success is based on culture. Swimming is known to be an individual sport. However, when it comes to college swimming, it is all about being a right fit for the team. The atmosphere of a college team can be the cue for swimmers to have a distinguished performance through their season. Epstein stated: “Happy swimmers are fast swimmers.” He made it clear that building his team has been a challenging adventure but having FUN has been one of the key aspects to sustained success.
In college swimming, recruiting plays a big role for their future, and for the Keiser men’s program, this is no exception. The Seahawks’ roster is made up of 23 men spanning eight nationalities.
“We are finding the right kids to fit our program, not just the ones that can afford it or swim fast,” Epstein said. “We do our homework on each kid, and make sure they are here for the right reasons.”
It’s In the Details
Learning how to enjoy the journey can be difficult in swimming. This is why Epstein and his staff make sure their student-athletes are happy. Epstein believes that one of the reasons they are successful is because they put work and effort into finding a way for their athletes to enjoy the process.
“We want to make sure our swimmers are enjoying the experience,” he said. “If they are not happy here, whether it is on the academic, or social side, then it is going to roll over into the pool, creating some type of tension.”
Moreover, having a team full of competitive swimmers can lead to a challenging and negative atmosphere or to an inspirational and positive atmosphere. The Keiser men’s swimming program is full of talented and fast swimmers who are national champions, and the battle to earn one of 18 bids to Nationals is hard-fought. Nonetheless, Epstein stresses that their practices are challenging because all the athletes compete at their best, making it an ambitious and positive environment.
“All the swimmers are humble about their past but focus on their present,” Epstein said.
The Future
After winning four straight national championships and earing all types of awards in the NAIA, what is the next goal for this team?
“Continue to build great individuals,” Epstein said. “Winning national championships is great. However, we want to make sure we are providing our student-athletes with the tools necessary to be successful in their future with their jobs, careers and family.”
Keiser University has plans to build an $8 million aquatic center and Olympic-sized pool, evidence of support from the university in the program. Once the facility is completed, the possibility of Keiser hosting the NAIA Championships is strong.