The University of Rhode Island swim club is the second largest club sport on campus and has seen continued growth year after year.
With over 50 swimmers, the URI swim club has grown into one of the largest club sports teams on campus in only a short number of years. With this growth, the club has set many feats, including hosting the inaugural College Club Swimming and U.S. Masters Swimming Meet in 2023 and sending 14 swimmers to CCS Nationals in Indiana last year.
These feats have not come without challenges, according to URI swim club Vice President Ben Thomas.
“The club swim team had kind of shut down completely during the Covid-19 pandemic,” Thomas said. “We were kind of starting from scratch and just trying to do as much as possible with meets, and getting our name out there at welcome days and Rhody Fest.”
The rate of growth seen over the years has been due to a number of factors, but none as important as retention and strategies to retain, according to Thomas.
“I think we’ve improved a lot on retaining our swimmers,” Thomas said. “Especially last year coming into this year, we did a great job retaining all of our swimmers by making it more than just practice. We do a lot of meets, and we go to nationals, and we do some socials and fundraisers that try to make it more than just in the water.”
Retention and growth have led to a season of wins this year, with the team placing first at Rutgers University in February and a third-place finish at the Bruno Invitational at Brown University in November, along with a plethora of swimmers qualifying for Nationals.
“We are sending 21 swimmers to Nationals this year, adding another eight swimmers on top of last year,” URI swim club President Casey McQuesten said. “We are sending more student-athletes, but we’re also seeing the club progress and get a bit larger.”
After two meets in February and two meets remaining this semester, the focus has shifted to ramping up and preparing for the 2025 Spring Nationals in April, according to McQuesten.
“For the remainder of the year, we will be putting in the work at practices,” McQuesten said. “Everybody looks for Nationals. It’s a great way to end off the year, especially with trying to get the best times for the season. We will be looking to try and get first place for the college club teams at nationals, which I think we have a pretty good shot at.”
Nationals this season brings a unique opportunity for the team, adding another feat for the club.
“We’re pretty excited because we’re going to USMS Nationals, not the exclusive college club Nationals, so it’s actually a bigger meet.” Thomas said.
While the team is hoping to place high, this opportunity alone is a win, according to Thomas.
“We are obviously not a full-fledged team like some of the teams that’ll be there for the master circuit, but I think we’re pretty excited,” Thomas said. “It’s also in Texas and an outdoor pool, which will be really fun, so if we can go and just post good times and beat some of the college teams there, that’ll be a success.”
URI club swim will look to continue to add to its plethora of feats and accomplishments at Nationals and beyond.
