Davidson Swim and Dive Shows Out at A10 Championship

BEN WOLF ‘26 (HE/HIM) SPORTS WRITER

On February 15, Davidson’s Men and Women Swimming and Diving teams kicked off the Atlantic-10 conference championship meet, a four-day series of competitions in Geneva, Ohio. The team had been working their whole season towards this event, and the group was ready to give it their best shot and see how well they could place.

The ‘Cats put their preparation on display immediately. Leah Sandock ‘26, Abby Francis ‘23, Shelby Stanley ‘23, and Martha Tripsa ‘24 set a new program record in the 200 medley, relay (the first event of the competition), posting an impressive time of 1:40.47. Dylan Felt ‘26 stole the show on day two, setting Davidson’s record in the 500 freestyle preliminaries with a 4:23.09 time, only to be outdone in the finals — by himself, improving to 4:20.02 and winning the A-10 crown in the process. Felt’s work was not yet finished, though. Ian Brann ‘24, Guil Ware ‘25, and Ben McClain ‘25 joined him in setting the program record for the men’s 200 freestyle relay (1:20.46) to place fourth.

Felt kept riding the momentum through day three, taking the silver medal in the 200 freestyle (1:35.95) and setting yet another ‘Cats’ record. Andrew Schou ‘25 continued that trend with a 54.42 in the 100 breaststroke, as did a quartet of sophomores–Schou, Jeremy Kemp ‘25, Miles Charles ‘25, and McClain–with a 3:14.66 in the 400 medley relay, earning them a silver medal. The ‘Cats rounded out the competition in style, with Felt claiming the A-10 title and setting not only a Davidson record but an A-10 record with a 15:09.08 in the 1,650 freestyle. Felt, McClain, Brann, and Ware established an incredible eighth and final all-time high for the program, completing the 400 freestyle relay in just 2:58.31 in their fourth-place finish.

It was an unforgettable trip from start to finish, with each and every team member contributing to the ‘Cats success, but all eyes were on Felt throughout the competition. He secured the A-10’s Most Outstanding Rookie award, which is limited to freshman, along with Most Outstanding Performer honors, beating out the field of swimmers of all ages. Felt, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fl., got his swimming start at age 7. “My older brother, Myles, swam before me, so I said, ‘Hey, why don’t I try this?’” From that moment on, he has practiced and competed year-round, often 7 days a week, first at Swim Fort Lauderdale with Coach Dave Gibson, and now with the Wildcats.

For Felt, the experience of conferences was rewarding on a deeper level than pride in his numerous personal achievements. “As a team, I think we succeeded both in and out of the water. We had a lot of personal bests and with all of the hard work the team puts in at practice every single day, it felt really rewarding seeing everyone do so well.” In many ways, the out-of-the-water events were even more meaningful than the medals and program records for Felt. “I feel like we succeeded in how we carried our attitudes that whole week. The team never failed to stand up, scream, and cheer for every single person’s race. The collective support, whether someone swam a bad race or a great one, was nothing like anything I’ve ever experienced on any team before,” said Felt.

The ‘Cats ended their season with considerably more good races than bad in that four-day span, and the culture of high expectations and team spirit established by the upperclassmen does not appear lost on younger team members. When asked to recall the most memorable moment of conferences, Felt, without hesitation, replied, “The team dinners and bus rides. Taking our minds off racing and just winding down, joking around with teammates, and having good talks was the best part.”

This feeling has been present all season–both on road trips and on campus–and will continue the rest of the semester, even though the spring season demands much less time in the pool. “Between the team dinners at commons and study breaks in the library, you always have a group of friends to talk to” in the form of teammates of all ages. More than that, “you have a group of friends who understand the balance of student-athlete life that are always there to help you…knowing I have this support system makes me unafraid to ask for help in schoolwork and in my social life, which is such a unique privilege of Davidson,” Felt concluded. He and the ‘Cats will enjoy their less demanding schedule now that the season has concluded, but they will be ready to compete and improve on this season come next semester.