History of Collegiate Swimming: We’ve Come A Long Way!

Collegiate swimming has come a long way since it all began more than 120 years ago…and we look forward to an even brighter and greater future!

Many and great are the changes that have taken place since the first intercollegiate swimming competitions were held 120 years ago.

The indoor pool has been taken out of the “spare room in the college basement,” where it did not have adequate heat, light, ventilation or proper sanitation. At most colleges and universities today, swimming enjoys attractive housing, beautiful lighting, excellent ventilation and the most sanitary of conditions through automatic purification.

Two of the nation’s nest were showcased at last month’s women’s and men’s NCAA Division I Championships: the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota and the Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion at The Ohio State University.

ISHOF historian, Bruce Wigo, walks readers through the history of collegiate swimming, complete with photos from ISHOF’s archives, with highlights on Yale’s Carnegie pool and Title IX.

To read more about how far collegiate swimming has come, check out the April issue of Swimming World Magazine, available now!