The pool deck at Haldeman is already alive, even before sunrise. Mist rises off the water and the air hums with energy as shouts, splashes and music blend together in the easy excitement of a team that’s happy to be back.
It’s 6 a.m., and while most of campus is asleep, the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) swim and dive team is already gearing up for its first practice of the day. For them, early mornings in the chilly Claremont air are just the start. By the afternoon, they’ll be back again for their second practice of the day.
The Hens swim and dive team is back for the start of the season, chasing another year of dominance built as much on chemistry as competition. With multiple top-finish seasons and SCIAC Athletes of the Year, the Sagehens recognize that their real strength lies not just in speed, but in the culture that fuels it and the work ethic that enables them to chase championships.
“The energy this year has been amazing from the get-go,” Francesca Coppo PO ’26 said. “Everyone’s focused not just on themselves but on others. We push each other so that we can all succeed and be the best we can be.”
That spirit defines Sagehen swim: an environment where support and competition blend seamlessly. From grueling morning practices to packed weekend meets, the athletes carry a collective drive that makes competition feel like a collaborative effort.
P-P swim and dive is a dynasty built on consistency and community. The women’s program remains the SCIAC powerhouse to beat, while the men’s squad is hungrier than ever to break through.
“It’s not just about wanting to win,” Ben Schiffman PO ’29 said. “It’s about asking, ‘how do I win? What does winning really mean?’”
The team’s veterans say that these priorities are what keep the culture grounded. Captain Joe Diets PZ ’25 described how keeping their energy focused on supporting one another allows the Sagehens to go the extra mile and find success in the pool.
“We don’t define our success solely by whether we win SCIACs,” Diets said. “It’s more than that. We pride ourselves on our energy, cheering for each other, supporting each other, and that’s what makes us successful.”
Workouts hum with a mix of competition and care as athletes race and dive side by side, pushing each other to be better while still shouting encouragement across the lanes.
Upperclassmen like Coppo often set the tone at practice, keeping morale high and staying after reps to finish drills with a struggling teammate or hyping up the deck during grueling sets. Her approach reflects a culture that values success in terms of effort as much as time.
“It’s about being really excited for practice and being present,” Coppo said. “If someone’s struggling, you do the practice with them. You make sure everyone’s doing as well as they can and having fun.”
Still, the Sagehens know that a positive environment alone won’t get them to where they want to be. To keep their winning tradition alive and bring home another championship, they’ll need to back their culture with effort and discipline: the kind of grind that turns team spirit into tangible results.
That relentless pursuit of success defines both of the swim and dive teams.
For the P-P men’s swim and dive, the goal is clear: break a six-year streak of second-place finishes. The Sagehens haven’t won the SCIAC championship since 2019 and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) has claimed every title since.
Despite the drought, optimism is high for the 2025-26 team to unlock its potential. Returning players are eager to step into bigger roles, and a talented freshman class has already injected new life into the program.
In just a few weeks of training, that mix of experience and enthusiasm has given the men’s team a different edge, one that feels ready to turn promise into performance.
“We have a very strong freshman class that’s proving really capable,” Diets said. “They’ve brought a ton of energy and excitement into practices, and it’s been great to see.”
That energy is easy to spot at practice as first-years push to chase down veterans during pace sets and everyone races the clock to beat their personal bests.
For a newcomer like Schiffman, the challenge is precisely what he hoped for.
“A lot of the guys are ready to showcase their talents and perform in ways we know we can,” Schiffman said. “There’s always someone pushing you. Even when you’re tired, you want to match their effort.”
The excitement runs both ways. The newcomers are hungry to prove themselves, and the upperclassmen are just as determined to raise the standard.
“Being a leader and showing by example what it means to be a Sagehen is something I take pride in,” Diets said.
Under that kind of leadership, the men’s team feels like it’s hitting reset. The blend of youthful energy with the experience of seniors who know what it takes to contend has the men’s team ready to chase a title that has been just out of reach.
On the women’s side, the outlook is different but no less intense. As defending champions, they’re the ones with a target painted on their backs. This pressure doesn’t shake the Hens, it just fuels their continued passion.
“We’ve been successful in the past, so why not do it again?” Coppo said. “We like to say that pressure is a privilege. It means we’ve worked hard enough to have expectations and that’s something we embrace.”
That confidence runs deep. Jacqueline Wong PZ ’29, a first-year swimmer, says the women know what it takes to stay on top.
“Everyone just loves to be here,” she said. “The energy keeps growing every meet. It’s exciting to see how far we can go.”
After multiple seasons of dominance, the women know the feeling of lifting the SCIAC trophy and swimming under the bright lights at Nationals and they can already taste that moment again this year.
Looking ahead, the rivalry with CMS looms large. The two teams’ pools are separated by just a few hundred yards of concrete, which makes every head-to-head meet personal. But those showdowns in the rivalry meet and SCIAC finals are still months away. While anticipating this battle, the Sagehens recognize that their biggest challenge is staying focused on the day-to-day work that will lead them there.
“We’re extremely competitive with CMS every year,” Diets said. “We never like to lose. It’s a motivating factor, but our biggest focus is internal — getting better every day.”
That commitment to steady improvement runs through the entire program.
“Coach always tells us to take it one day at a time,” Wong said. “Focus on what’s in front of you. The present moment is what builds the bigger picture.”
This one-day-at-a-time mindset keeps the team hungry and excited, even as the season stretches from early September, with captain’s practices, through March’s NCAA Division III Nationals.
These nearly six months of pre-dawn alarms, weekend meets and endless laps make the swim and dive season one of the longest in Sagehen Athletics. On top of that come double practices several days a week, weight training and class schedules that leave little room to breathe.
“It’s about showing up, loving what we do and doing it together,” Coppo said. “When we do that, the wins take care of themselves.”
P-P has started its season strong, with the women’s team standing undefeated in the preseason, having won all three of their meets. Meanwhile, the men’s team has split its two meets, earning a 1-1 record.
With a legacy of titles, a deck buzzing with energy and 60 swimmers ready to go, P-P swim and dive enters the 2025 season with its sights set on SCIACs and Nationals.
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