Lehigh swim and dive eager to dive in to Patriot League Championships

After months of training and competition, the Lehigh men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams are set to compete in the Patriot League Championships this week. 

Marking the culmination of their seasons, the teams look to build on a strong year of performances at the championship, held at Bucknell University from Wednesday to Friday. 

The teams wrapped up their regular season at the Bucknell Invitational on Feb. 1, with the men finishing with a 5-5 record and the women posting a 6-4 record.

Both teams opened their seasons with strong momentum this past October. 

The men’s team won three of their first four meets, defeating Rider University, Bloomsburg University and Colgate University. The women’s team started off undefeated, competing against Rider, Bloomsburg, Colgate and West Chester University. 

Then, both teams went on to sweep Lafayette in the rivalry on Nov. 22, 2024.

At last year’s Patriot League Championship, the women placed fifth with 850.5 points, and the men placed sixth with 448.5 points.

Coach Robert Herb said both team records and performances this year are the best they have been since 2020, when the team finished with a 6-1 record. 

He also said he’s excited to see where the team lands in the upcoming meet.

“We are right in the middle of the competition, and the men have had a winning season for the first time in a long time,” he said.

Herb also said many athletes are contending for an individual spot on the podium, but the teams have maintained a great dynamic throughout the season.

“The seniors take care of the underclassmen, which helps with the team dynamic and is a big plus,” he said.

However, many seniors are about to cap off their seasons and conclude their Lehigh athletic careers at the championship.  

Tim Norris, a senior sprinter on the men’s team, has had notable accomplishments this season. He was part of the 200-yard medley relay team, which set a pool record against Lafayette. 

Norris said he’s ready to race in the championship and expects to place high overall. 

“I think we are in a great position to break some records in our relays and potentially some individual records as well,’’ he said.

Norris will be competing in four relays, along with the 50-, 100- and 200-yard freestyles.

A top swimmer on the women’s team is junior distance swimmer Mairin Ludwig, who had multiple high-ranking swims this year, including being Lehigh’s top performer at the Bucknell Invitational. 

Ludwig also swam a 2:05.02 time in the 200-yard individual medley against Lafayette, the seventh fastest time in program history. 

At last year’s Patriot League Championships, Ludwig’s relay team placed second, which she said was the highlight of her career so far. This year, she’s confident her team can place again.

“I think our team has what it takes to fight for fourth place,” Ludwig said. “I would love to do something like that for myself in one of my events.” 

Senior diver Sarah Gill also has been performing well, qualifying for the NCAA zone meet, which will take place in early March.

This season, on Oct. 19, Gill achieved a milestone by sweeping the one-meter and the three-meter dives in a tri-meet against Colgate and West Chester. 

Herb said he believes the underclassmen have brought a lot of talent to both teams this year. One of those talents is first-year swimmer Zoe Davies.

Davies set a school and pool record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:04.28 against Lafayette on Nov. 22.

Davies will compete in this event again at the championship and said she hopes to beat her own school record. She will also be competing in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. 

“I am super excited to race in my first ever Patriot (League Championship) meet,” Davies said. “My goal would be to break my school record again and to have fun and set personal bests all around.”