Swimming in College: The Joys of Division III Competition
By Annika Hobson, Swimming World College Intern
As a proud NCAA Division III swimmer, I can attest to the immense joy that Division III swimming can provide. Swimming in college allows for many opportunities such as travel, making new friends, bonding, and excelling in the sport you love.
Sportsmanship & Camaraderie
Due to the nature of Division III schools tending to be smaller colleges, D-III conferences are close-knit and full of fast racing. In any division, swimmers routinely swim against the same schools in their divisions at dual meets and championship meets. By continually swimming against the same teams, a bond is formed among competitors. You learn about how your competitors race and shake one another’s hands after a hard race. Having a friendly competitor always makes swimming fun.
Focus on Academics
For many Division III swimmers, swimming in college is an amazing complement to their college experience with their academics at the forefront. With no ability to gain scholarships within the division, many swimmers swim solely from a pure love of the sport. At a Division III college, student athletes can pursue many different academic routes and conduct external academic projects such as researching in a lab or writing a thesis. For all collegiate student athletes, academics and swimming are at the forefront of their time. Swimming at a D-III college, you can have great swimming and academic careers.
Ability to Travel
Swimming in college affords many wonderful opportunities to create lasting memories. From traveling with your team to dual meets, and big competitions alike, college swimming allows you to travel and get to know new areas. Unlike many college students, student athletes have the opportunity to see the surrounding area of their college via traveling around their conference.
A Team to Endlessly Support You
By joining a swim team, a student athlete gains a big support system out of their teammates. Their teammates understand their busy schedules, their dedication to the sport they love and their commitment. Teams help each other both in and out of the pool. By cheering along the side of the pool or sitting with each other at the library to get their studies done, teammates care deeply about each other. While these support systems exist across all swim programs, you can see the support radiate off of Division III teams, laughing and having fun while swimming fast.
Well-Roundedness
Another excellent quality of Division III swimming is the ability to participate in many activities that interest you. Swimming teaches athletes many things, but some of the most important include dedication, perseverance, and time-management. All the traits a swimmer garners through their sport helps their daily lives and their other interests. As a D-III swimmer, you have a smidge more time to pursue many things. From internships, to clubs, to hobbies, to jobs, Division III swimmers can fill their “free time” with some additional extracurriculars.
As NCAA Division III programs get faster, the student-athletes continue to swim and study hard. With championship season quickly upon us, be sure to check out some of the Division III conference meets and the NCAA Division III Championships.
All comments are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.
I Officiated at Ten NCAA National Championships and always had a great time with all the Teams competing
I have a daughter swimming at a DIII top level team and a son finishing at a DI Mid-major. The level of competition at which my daughter is swimming is much higher than my son. She is getting top-notch coaching, great facilities, great competition, and a committed team atmosphere that rivals the best DI teams. Some believe it is “settling” to swim at DIII schools or somehow lesser than DI but the experience for my daughter, so far, has been rich and every bit as fulfilling as my son’s.