Last season, the NYU women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams closed out their 2024-25 campaign with some of the best finishes in program history, placing second and fourth at the Division III NCAA National Championships and securing numerous medals along the way. After a season defined by broken records, national titles and history-making performances, the swimming and diving teams look to build on that momentum, fueled by unmatched team culture and competitive edge heading into this season. 

The Violets’ success extended beyond the pool — they contributed significantly to NYU’s overall second-place standing in the Learfield Directors’ Cup, which ranks the top athletic departments across D-III. 

Senior captains Kaley McIntyre and Nicole Ranile and junior Pierce Downs set program records in the freestyle last season, underscoring the team’s depth and dedication to pushing each other towards success. 

“We are always getting positive reinforcement from our coaches and our captains,” Ranile told WSN. “We’re like a family, and that obviously comes with highs and lows, but at the end of the day, we’re there for each other.” 

Grueling morning practices push the athletes to their limits. While this may be mentally challenging for the swimmers, they rely on each other to help get them by, a nod to their strong team culture. 

Between setting the tone for grueling early morning practices and curating a strong team culture, the team is set on continuing individual successes and team improvement across the board. 

“You know, you’re dying. But then you look over to your left and you always have somebody to say, ‘Let’s go,’” Downs said. “It gives you a little extra motivation that you need to just push through and hit the times that you need.”

Head coach Trevor Miele, who was named the 2024 NCAA D-III Coach of the Year, thinks those who are going to compete against McIntyre should be scared of how she is rapidly developing and practicing this season. 

Co-captain McIntyre is projected to be a big threat in the coming season. Last year, she dominated the conference, breaking a personal record in the 100-yard freestyle. Collecting 10 national titles across all events, McIntyre was also a two-time winner of CSCAA D-III Women’s Swimmer of the Year.

“She is probably the most consistent racer I’ve ever coached,” Miele said. “I think she has continued to grow and grow over the past four years into a better and better practice swimmer. It’s kind of scary to see where she’s going to finish the year.”

While McIntyre represented the ways swimming can be perceived as an individual sport, she gave credit where it’s due when speaking about her individual successes. 

“I think when you get a team that can come together like that, it is so much more rewarding than any individual success,” McIntyre said. “Any success I’ve had is a result of my team and my teammates, and what’s secondary to success is that I get more joy out of them swimming more than myself.”

Besides McIntyre and Ranile, junior Calista Lynch and senior Meera Kasturi are women’s captains and juniors Victor Derani and Greg Wahbe and senior Makai Harder are on the men’s side. Miele credits Ranile and Derani for some team success, saying they not only lead by example in the pool but as people as well, reinforcing positivity day in and day out. 

“It’s pretty easy to just focus on yourself and just try to make it through the practice,” Miele said. “But I think it’s really important when they’re helping each other out and cheering each other on to get through it.” 

The first-year class also brings new talent and depth to the team with the addition of 11 women and 12 men to the roster.  

“I think we got a lot of really good talent coming in,” Miele told WSN. “Across the board, some of the areas that we were weaker at last year, we’ve reinforced that area.” 

Collectively, the team and coaching staff all have the same goal: to win championships.

With talent that continues to dominate practices and a mentality feeding off the momentum of last season, the Violets are hungrier than ever. The swimming and diving team’s first meet takes place on Oct. 11, and the athletes have one thing on their mind. 

“We are going to win,” Downs said. “There’s no other goal than that.”

Contact Naya Schubel at [email protected]