Tigers Open Season This Weekend at Grinnell

The Colorado College swimming and diving groups open their 2025-26 season this weekend in Grinnell, Iowa.
 
The Tigers will open the season with a twin meet in opposition to Grinnell College on Friday, Oct. 17, starting at 6 p.m. CT, then have a double twin with Grinnell and Augustana College on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 a.m. CT.
 
Jen Buffin enters her second yr as head coach at CC after spending two seasons as an assistant coach. The Tigers have posted 28 college information, together with 9 final yr in her debut season as head coach, since Buffin joined the teaching employees in 2022.
 
“This meet is an exciting way to start the year, it’s our first chance to get up and race, to see how our training translates, and to compete as a team,” Buffin mentioned. “These early season meets are a great opportunity to race and serve as an important step toward our championship goals.” 
 
The males’s staff is seeking to defend its SCAC Championship after successful the league title for the primary time in program historical past in ’24-25. Leading the best way for the boys’s staff are senior Edmund Davis and sophomore Andrew Colgan.
 
Davis is a two-time SCAC champion within the 1650 freestyle (2023 and ’24) and gained the five hundred freestyle in 2023. He has additionally been a member of the SCAC second-place 800 freestyle relay staff every of his three years at CC.

“Edmund has led our distance group for the last three years has set the standard for training and the level at which this group will compete this season,” Buffin mentioned. “Lucio Bolletierri will also be an asset in our distance group.” 

 

Colgan, in the meantime, is the defending SCAC champion within the 200 particular person medley and 100 breaststroke races. He was additionally a member of the SCAC-champion 200 and 400 medley relay groups and set a college document within the 100 breaststroke and each medley relays.

 

“Andrew and fellow returning school-record holder Sam Allen will continue to be key pieces in the relays,” Buffin mentioned. “Both sophomores will also play a major role individual and  their leadership and contributions in and out of the pool form a strong foundation for this year’s team. In the sprint group, Liam McCarthy and Dax Sherwood return after breakout seasons, each with ambitious goals to push the relays toward the national stage.”

 

Allen gained the SCAC 200 backstroke title with a school-record time of 1:50.02, whereas McCarthy was a member of three SCAC championship relays final season.

 

Freshmen Mark Lofye and Logan Loveday have been spectacular to date in the course of the preseason. 

 

“Mark and Logan are expected to make an immediate impact as both have integrated into the team culture training at a high level and motivated to help our team take another step to being a national level program,” Buffin mentioned. “And the team is excited to support diver Nico Rimer, who has been putting in tremendous effort and making noticeable strides on the boards in a short period of time.”

 

On the ladies’s staff, a robust group of returners, together with seniors Megan Simonson, Sarah Buchman, Malia Hewitt and Grace Ersfeld O’Brien, will lead the Tigers into the ’25-26 marketing campaign after a 3rd consecutive runner-up end on the SCAC Championships.

 

Hewitt, the defending SCAC champion within the 100 breaststroke, owns a pair of runner-up ends in the 200 race.

 

“Malia continues to lead the breaststroke group, while teammates Isabella Cole and Riley Romisher continue their steady improvement from last season,” Buffin mentioned. “Charlotte Flory, who is a new member of the breaststroke group after a successful end of season meet last year, will also continue to compete in the sprint free events.”

Buchman swam on 4 second-place relays on the SCAC Meet final season, whereas Simonson was a member of three.

 

“Sarah, Megan and Julia Cox lead the sprint free group, forming the backbone of the team’s relays,” Buffin mentioned. “Pilar Pagni will continue to help the depth of our sprint group on relays and individually. I am also excited to see Maddy Golier continue to build on her progress in the individual medley events while expanding her range into the butterfly group. Alyssa Tunggal continues to set the bar high in the middle-distance group, she has been consistently improving and expect this meet to be a great opportunity for her to lead in the 500 free, fly events and medley relays.”

 

Several proficient freshmen will instantly strengthen the roster this season.

 

“Lizzie McWilliams, Livi Woolery and Lucia Chapell will be featured in backstroke and sprint free events, leading off medley relays and adding depth across the board with Chapell also extending into the 200 backstroke,” Buffin mentioned. “Annie Engstrom has shown promise in early training and will join sophomore Kylie Spalt as key contributors in the distance events, while Margaret Rauth will bolster the team’s strength in the butterfly and join Ersfeld O’Brien in middle-distance and sprint free races.”

 

Keller Pooley, the reigning 1-meter SCAC champion, will be part of the staff for the second half of the season after finding out overseas within the fall.