By Aaron Rodenhausen
Sports Editor
Washington College’s swim program closed out its 2025-26 season last week with the Centennial Conference Championships at Franklin & Marshall College. The Shoremen and Shorewomen returned from the four-day competition in Lancaster, Pa. with two bronze medals and five new school records.
The Shorewomen earned their first medal since 2022 on Feb. 19, when they took bronze in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:58:18. The award was also the first career medal for each of the relay team’s four swimmers: sophomore Julia Banker (backstroke), sophomore Vanessa Fry (breaststroke), sophomore Brooke Bailey (butterfly), and senior Lauren Paules (freestyle).
“We had no expectations of how we would perform and went in with the mindset of swimming for fun and swimming for each other,” Bailey said.
Maintaining that positive outlook, the team managed to surprise themselves.
“We didn’t realize how much time we had dropped,” Banker said. “The pressure was off and, in the end, that helped us.”
The same night, junior Nathan Rawa medaled in the 50-yard freestyle event with a time of 20.44, breaking the program-best mark he had set that morning (20.59). The honor, Rawa’s second career bronze, was shared with Michael Ivanov of Johns Hopkins University. Rawa broke a further two school records over the weekend: the 100-yard butterfly (49.08) and the 100-yard freestyle (45.90).
“Focusing on the competition and embracing the opportunity in front of me helps me perform better at these meets, and the records sometimes just come with it,” Rawa said. “Fast times and records cannot be earned without hard work and support.”
The Shorewomen contributed their own fair share of program bests. Bailey improved her school record in the 200-yard individual medley to 2:07.90, and Banker improved her all-time mark in the 400-yard individual medley to 4:34.52.
Other notable performances included Fry’s sixth-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:25.23), Paules’ 12th-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle (18:51.37), and junior Maggie Boyle’s 16th-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle (20:49.87).
For the Shoremen, senior Shane Braced placed 12th in the 200-yard butterfly (1:55.28), senior Connor Kravitz-Yoffee placed 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle (16:53.63), and freshman Jackson Rooney secured the fifth best time in program history for the 500-yard freestyle (4:44.93).
The championship meet was cut short on Sunday due to an impending winter storm, leaving athletes to participate in only one session, rather than the scheduled two.
“Having to transition from racing both prelims and finals on Sunday … was not an ideal situation, but we were prepared with all the morning practices … and surprised ourselves with the outcome,” Bailey said.
By the meet’s conclusion, the Shorewomen had secured seventh place out of nine with 189 points, while the Shoremen landed seventh out of eight with 219.5 points. The competition was a rewarding experience for WC’s swimmers, but for seniors, it was also their last.
“This season was truly so bittersweet for me … I just enjoyed every single moment of the season and soaked it all in,” Paules said. “I will forever be grateful for the sport.”
For swimmers remaining with the team, the prospect for returning next season is an exciting one.
“We have a great group committed for next year, so I can’t wait to swim with them,” Mollie Kravitz-Yoffee said.
Photo Caption: Junior Nathan Rawa earned his second career bronze with a 20.44 time in the 50-yard freestyle
Photo courtesy of WC Athletics