SAU Swim and Dive team poses with the Liberal Arts Conference Trophies
Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota Morris
From the first splash to the final finish, the 2025-26 SAU Swim and Dive season is one to remember. After closing out a fourth straight conference win for both the women’s and men’s teams, the Bees sent a total of 15 athletes to the NAIA National Championship Meet in Elkhart, Indiana. The meet took place from March 4th-7th, and the Bees returned from the four-day-long meet with nine individual All-American titles and five All-American relays.
Among the National Team is Junior Marat Usov, who said before the meet that “I’m most looking forward to competing at a high level. Nationals is always fast, and I’m excited to race and challenge myself. Winning conference feels great, but we know the job isn’t finished. We’re motivated and focused on finishing the season strong at nationals.”
Marat succeeded in finishing out the season on a high note, coming home with an All-American 6th place finish in the 500 freestyle and two All-American relays.
Bryn Kiley is also a member of the national team,“I am looking forward to enjoying my last ever meet and going into it with a positive attitude. I have been swimming for over 15 years, and being able to be surrounded by this group of people for the last time is something I won’t take for granted. I am most looking forward to swimming our last relay on Saturday with all of the senior girls one last time, and I know that is something I will cherish forever.”
The SAU 2026 Nationals Team poses in front of NAIA Banner
Photo courtesy of Shelby Thede
Throughout the season, the Bees have found success in the pool. Not just at Nationals, but as mentioned earlier, they have won their fourth straight conference title. The women’s team beat their competition by 164 points, with the men also dominating their competition by 215 points.
Part of their success can be attributed to the close-knit nature of the team. As Senior Captain Grace Bobeldyk said, “There is a reason that we have won conference for four years – it is because we support each other. Win or lose, we are there for each other.”
Fellow Captain Bryn Kiley agrees, “It is truly something special to be a part of. I believe that winning conference the last 4 years shows the strength of this program and how we have grown over the last couple of years as a team.
“There is something so exhilarating and inspiring to cheer one another on at this meet. We had so many personal best times and good swims at conference. Being able to see everyone enjoy themselves at this meet put a smile on my face.”
Junior Diver Lane Otte credits the camaraderie built throughout the season, “I’m really proud of how supportive we are of one another. During every event, you can find teammates on the side of the pool cheering and yelling for whoever is competing. No matter who it is or what event, we all want each other to succeed and bring home some hardware.”
This close-knit environment makes it hard to say goodbye to the senior members. For some seniors, conference was their last meet with the team, and they are now reflecting on the time spent. One such senior is Michael Taylor, “I am so proud of all the growth that our team has done over my time here, and I couldn’t be more honored to have been a part of such an amazing team. I’ve watched the energy of this team grow over the past few years, with our teammate support and family-like environment being something like no other. I will always be proud to be an SAU swimmer.”
Many underclassmen are already anticipating the next swim season, looking to go for a fifth straight conference title. Sophomore Kennedy Capman says, “I am so very excited to go for a possible 5-peat next season. I think it would really show how strong we are as a team. But I also know that it will be a new team since a lot of swimmers are graduating, and I think that can really show how far we are willing to push ourselves to get to that conference champion title.
“I truly believe that when everyone has each other’s backs and is providing that family atmosphere, the team is so much more enjoyable. This season has been a very good representation of that.” The 2025-26 SAU Swimming and Diving season will always be special, especially for a team that has become like family to one another.
