Over 600 universities in the United States offer swimming & diving scholarships to guys and girls who would like to combine sports and studies. Being a swimming & diving student-athlete in the U.S. is the perfect way to improve your athletic skills, become stronger mentally and physically, build a network of international friends and earn a university degree which will lay the foundation for a successful career.
The American college swimming & diving competition is a major producer of Olympic athletes due to its high level, intense practice schedules and world-class athletic facilities.
How does college swimming & diving work?
Collegiate swimming & diving differs from regular swimming & diving. Firstly, you do not compete just for yourself, but you represent your university’s team.
Each team typically consists of 15-25 student-athletes who compete against other universities at different meets. In collegiate swimming & diving, the scores of the two disciplines are combined to add up to a total team score.
Swimmers compete in different events (breaststroke, butterfly, relays, etc.) and earn scores for their team. If you finish 1st in your event, you earn the most points. The total points of each event are added up to form a total swimming score.
Similarly, in diving, the highest scores earn the most points for their teams total score. Divers usually dive from 1m, 3m and 10m platforms. The total swimming & diving scores are added up at the end and there will be one champion!
Although each athlete represents their team, they can also qualify for national championships individually.
Slamstox swimming & diving athletes in the United States
Slamstox has placed a variety of swimmers and divers at American universities. Some of our athletes are extremely competitive at an international level, such as Nyls Korstanje (swimmer at NC State) and Else Praasterink (diver at University of Louisville), but we also help regionally active athletes throughout their recruiting process.
Our athletes attend universities all over the United States, from California to New York to Florida. Check out some our placed athletes.
College swimming & diving fun facts
- Georgia Technology University’s Herb McAuley Aquatic Center was built for the 1996 Olympic Games. The stadium seats 1950 people.
- 10 of the 35 swimmers of the U.S. Olympic swim team at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro went to University of California Berkeley
- Ryan Lochte and Dara Torres, good for a combined 23 Olympic medals, both went to the University of Florida.
- Michael Phelps graduated from the University of Michigan and also served as assistant coach.
- Our very own Nyls Korstanje, who is currently a swimmer at North Carolina State University, swam a world record at the relay together with olympic gold medalist Ranomi Kromowidjojo. He also won the silver medal at the 2018 European Aquatics Championships at the 4x100m mixed relay event in Glasgow.
