Inside American University’s Reeves Aquatic Center, evening practices connect the members of the club swim team. Some of these swimmers joined as a way to replace the team environment they missed after leaving high school sports behind.
Several members of the executive board say that AU Club Swim offers students a way to stay active during the school year while simultaneously creating a community outside of academics. The team combines competition with flexibility, allowing the swimmers to define what the sport looks like for them.
For head coach Madeline Cutting, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, the transition to college didn’t feel quite complete without the team structure she was used to in high school. She said the pool quickly became a familiar space on campus or an extension of home.
“I missed seeing the same group of people every day and seeing that atmosphere,” Cutting said. “I’d put so much time into swimming in high school, it just felt weird not to swim, not to be in the pool.”
The team can be found at its weekly 8:15 p.m. practices, where students gather after long days of classes and campus activities. Cutting said this late-night schedule has become a consistent routine for stress relief and community building.
Club swim is student-run and open to students of all backgrounds and skill levels. President Eve Bryner, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the diversity of experience is one of the team’s distinguishing features. There are members who swam competitively, and others who have little to no experience on a swim team before coming to American University.
“We all come together over something we really like, even if we have different experiences with it,” Bryner said. “Some people were burnt out from swimming in high school, and club swim helped them rediscover their love for the sport. Others picked up a new hobby and met new people.”
That sense of a shared purpose shows up in meets, where teammates cheer each other on regardless of speed or experience. In 2024, eight AU Club Swim members qualified for and traveled to nationals, where they competed alongside teams from all over the country.
“Swimming is an individual sport, but it’s also very much a team sport. Everyone wants to see other people accomplish their goals,” Bryner said. “For some, the goal is a personal best or a nationals cut. For others, the goal is to finish the race, learn a new stroke or just get in the water.”
Ryan Milchunes, team captain and freshman in the Kogod School of Business, first started swimming competitively as a way to get out of high school gym classes. He said Club Swim is a central source of connection and leadership.
“Swim was the first place I was able to start connecting with people and expand my network socially in college,” Milchunes said. “The friendships I have made will last a lifetime.”
He added that the nature of the group makes it accessible to anyone, with no pressure to be perfect and no expectations beyond showing up and being yourself.
Milchunes said the team has created a space that is welcoming to swimmers of all backgrounds, where they can grow, connect and feel supported both in and out of the pool. In many ways, it has become more than a sport, but a constant and a place to truly belong at American University.
“Joining Club Swim was the best decision I made coming to college,” Bryner said. “The people make the team. They make the culture.”
This article was edited by Olive Redd, Payton Anderson and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Avery Grossman, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron and Nicole Kariuki.
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