For the first time in 11 years, Western Kentucky University has hosted a swim meet at its home pool.
WKU’s club swim team returned under the leadership of sophomore mechanical engineering major Jacob Basham, the club’s president. The team is in its second year of bringing competitive swimming back to WKU.
Since then, the team has attended several meets, but, until Saturday, WKU’s swim club hadn’t hosted a meet in their home pool. The club team rose from the ashes of what was once the WKU collegiate swim team.
Before the team disbanded, WKU’s swim program found a multitude of success. Former Head Coach Bill Powell founded the program in 1969. He led the team to 35 consecutive winning seasons and seven undefeated seasons.
The team won several Conference USA championships and is the alumnus of Claire Donahue, an Olympic gold medalist.
In January of 2015, Collin Craig, a former WKU student and swimmer, alleged that he had been the victim of hazing at the hands of other swimmers on the team. According to Craig, the team assaulted him and forced him to drink alcohol among other hazing activities.
A subsequent investigation by both the Bowling Green Police Department and the university resulted in the team being banned from campus for five years. In 2018, WKU cut the swim team’s budget. The university did not reinstate the team after the five-year ban ran out.
Since the team’s hazing was exposed, WKU’s swimming accolades ended there.
Now, Basham is trying to foster a new culture for competitive swimming on the Hill. On Saturday, April 18, the Bill Powell Natatorium hosted a swim competition for the first time since 2015.
For the team’s inaugural meet, WKU’s swimmers faced off against four competitors from the University of Louisville.
“Western Kentucky came to our first meet, so we felt like it was right to repay that to them and show up,” Jude Bearden, a sophomore chemical engineering major, said.
The event began with three medleys. In a medley, swimmers cross the pool using a different kind of stroke each time. The 200 medley relay started it all, where multiple swimmers tag off to complete the race. Then, the Men’s and Women’s 100-yard individual medleys.
The individual events continued with several stroke-specific and freestyle races. After a break featuring a diving contest, the individual races continued. A 200-meter freestyle relay concluded the event.
Several members of the club said their goal is to have the team reinstated as an official school sport. Hosting a home meet shows the potential path forward to redemption.
“Our job is just to be compliant and just hope for the best going forward,” Basham said.
Vice president and sophomore business administration and political science major Kaden Bailey echoed Basham’s sentiment.
“There’s no space in the swim club for anything along those lines,” Bailey said. “What happened 12 years ago is extremely unfortunate, but this group of students is not that group of students.”
If the team continues to find success in their future endeavors, it helps pave the way towards incorporation. The club was nominated for New Club of the Year by College Club Swimming, and it sent two swimmers to nationals.
“In terms of Kentucky teams, we’ve done incredibly well considering the size of our team,” Jack Donnelly, a freshman swimmer, said.
The community created by the swimmers is what seems to be the basis of the team. When asked about the club’s culture, Basham called them “a big family.” He said they often go out to eat after meets, and that the long drives and Airbnb stays help the team build a close bond with one another.
“Whenever we’re all in the pool, we’re all on the same playing field, and that’s beautiful,” Basham said.
