Men's Swimming and Diving Team
The Men's Swimming and Diving Team competes in Swimming and Diving events at the varsity sports level, competing in the Ivy League in Division I of the NCAA.
The season officially begins in October and ends in early March, although technically all college swim seasons extend until the NCAA Championships regardless of whether they have entrants.
The Columbia Lions train in Uris Pool on the first floor of the Marcellus Hartley Dodge Physical Fitness Center. Information about the team can be found at Columbia University athletics website.
Contents
Tug McGraw Foundation
Since 2007, the Men's Swim team has had a strong connection to the Tug McGraw Foundation. The foundation has a team run in the New York City Marathon, and each fall the swim team will disperse in small groups across the five boroughs with signs and bright shirts to cheer on the foundation's runners. This time commitment is also usually coupled with a donation. Starting in Spring 2010, the Foundation will be participating in the Half Marathon and the Swim Team will be there again.
Achievements
The Columbia Lions tend to finish the season well. Their dual meet record is often a poor indicator of their end-of-season performance. Columbia enjoys healthy competition with most of the Ivy League, often just shy of league powerhouses Princeton and Harvard, and in close battles with Yale and Cornell. In 2009 Columbia finished 5th in the Ivy League; 2008 - 4th, 2007 - 4th, 2006 - 3rd.
The Lions are also a high accomplishing team within Columbia Athletics. In 2008-2009 the Men's Swimming and Diving team finished fifth in the Lion's Cup rankings in it's year of inception. The Lion's Cup ranks teams based on Athletic Achievement, Academic Achievement, Spirit, Community Service,and LIONS Fund Participation.
Coaches
Head Coach: Jim Bolster
Asst. Coach: Gustavo Leal
Diving Coach: Gordon Spencer
Notable Alumni/Members
- Darius Dehnad
- Anthony Corbisiero
- Derek Neal
- Robert Frawley
- Former Assistant Coach Eric Scheingoltz is currently the Head Swim Coach at Drew University in New Jersey.
Recruiting - New Members
Juniors in High School are encouraged to visit or contact the head coach. Find out more about the team at the Columbia Athletics Website, gocolumbialions.com. For potential recruits, find the recruiting page.
Recruiting trips occur on weekends throughout the fall, during which high school seniors stay with current college swimmers and get to experience college life and collegiate athletics.
The Athletic Department encourages prospective students to consider Early Decision, which must be filed earlier than regular decision. These applications are favorably judged because applicants express their true desire to attend Columbia University exclusively. For those uncomfortable with this commitment, admission through regular decision is still possible, and in fact more common.
