Both the men’s and women’s swim and dive teams are ranked inside the top 10 on Swimclouds’ rankings and in the top 15 in the coaches’ rankings, and have had strong starts to their respective seasons. These stats include a win over DII Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) on the women’s side.
This season’s team is one of the largest the program has had in recent years with 96 members across both the men’s and women’s teams.
“I never thought coming to Calvin I’d be a part of a team that big. I’m just like, that’s awesome,” senior swimmer David Bajwa told Chimes.
Bajwa, already a multiple-time All-American, has his eyes on becoming a national champion this season. “Me and a couple of guys want to win a relay at nationals,” Bajwa said.
The teams started in the preseason with multiple team bonding activities, including trips to the beach for cookouts and even a trip to Battle GR. This bonding was key, especially for the dive team as five of the 10 divers were new to the team.
“It’s a big team with a lot of new fresh blood that’s excited to learn a new sport, which is really fun to have at practice,” senior diver Kiah Heminghous told Chimes.
The Knights kicked off the season at the Be Better Invitational, a competition Calvin hosts for Hope and Division I opponents to help raise awareness for mental health and suicide prevention.
“The meet had a good message, especially for a lot of the guys on our team,” said Bajwa.
Within the first few meets, the Knights have had a fast start, having multiple NCAA B cut qualifying times. “We’ve had a lot of really fast swims early in the season. Faster than we’ve ever had, so we’re looking pretty good on both sides, men’s and women’s,” Bajwa shared.
After the Be Better Invitational, Heminghous was named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Diver of the Week to kick off the season on Oct. 7. “It’s definitely an exciting thing for me because it’s something that I never would have imagined in high school. I didn’t expect to get it at the very first meet of the season. So it was exciting but it definitely puts pressure on me at times,” Heminghous told Chimes.
While Heminghous appreciates the honor, she tries hard to not let herself focus too much on results or awards. “Diving is about giving myself a physical outlet, especially during grad school” as well as “being present with my friends throughout college and just to finish what I came to do — and if that means being Diver of the Week, that’s great,” said Heminghous.
In a triangular meet against two Division II opponents on Oct. 12, Calvin Women’s Swim and Dive was able to beat out SVSU 154-144 while also falling to Grand Valley State University.
The teams are back in action Friday Nov. 9, when they will host 3 MIAA teams for a quad meet.
