The Davidson men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams finished off their season with a strong showing at the A-10 conference championships, which took place from Feb. 19-Feb. 22 in Hampton, VA. Davidson was among the eight men’s and eleven women’s teams chosen to compete in the tournament and made great use of the opportunity.
For the women’s team, Anna Newman ‘25 took bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke, Ginny Thorsen ‘28 took bronze in the 200-meter freestyle, Elle Jacobsen ‘27 took bronze in the 1-meter dive and Annica Valmassei ‘25 took gold in the 3-meter dive. By the end of her season, Valmassei felt that she had come “full circle,” as she earned the same placements on the 1-meter and 3-meter as she did in her freshman year.
Valmassei, along with the team’s nine other seniors, focused on competing well at conference, supporting one another and enjoying the end of their last season together. In addition to the senior class’s contributions, the underclassmen stepped up to help solidify a successful end to the 2024-2025 season. “All of the freshmen really stepped up and were open to doing anything the coaches asked of them,” Valmassei said, specifically calling Thorsen “a big contributor to conference.”
The men’s team similarly boasted a number of impressive performances. Jeremy Kemp ‘25 took bronze in the 200-meter backstroke and Andrew Schou ‘25 set a program record in the 200-meter breast. The ‘Cats also set school records in the 400-meter medley relay (Dylan Felt ‘26, Liam McDonough ‘26, Miles Charles ‘25 and Schou) and 800-meter free relay (Felt, Mitch McLain ‘27, Fletcher Smith ‘26 and Matthew Shnowske ‘28). Felt described the uniqueness of winning a medal alongside his teammates, saying that the 800-meter free relay was “the coolest experience [he’s] had on a relay.” This impressive performance, among the others, comes off a season full of consistent growth. “We really rode a wave of momentum going into each day and each session,” Felt said.
Felt, who competed in the 2024 Olympic trials last summer, delivered truly exceptional performances. In addition to his record-setting relays, Felt set an A-10 record in the 200-meter free, and he won gold in the 500-meter free, 200-meter free and 1,650-meter free.
The ‘Cats found success this season both in and out of the pool: team culture is an integral part of both teams and is what largely gave them success in the championships. Felt feels the dynamic is largely thanks to team captains Kemp and Guil Ware ’25. “Those two guys are the most selfless people on the pool deck. It doesn’t matter if they have a race coming up, if they need a rest, they’re going to be up on their feet cheering for the entire team […] they don’t care about what they have to do as long as they can pump up younger guys,” Felt said.
Strong leadership and the close-knit bonds within the men’s team have not only fueled a history of successful seasons but also created lasting memories that extend far beyond the pool. Felt still remembers the first gold medal he won at Davidson. “The entire team stormed behind the blocks and waited for me to get out and they were all hugging me and cheering me on,” he said. On the women’s side, an extremely important piece of their team culture comes from Coach Greg Ferruci, who won the A-10 Women’s Diving Coach of the Year award this year. “Greg is one of the best people around. He cares about us more as people and how we’re doing emotionally than as athletes. […] The growth mindset and care he has for everyone changes the dynamic,” Valmassei said. When asked about the award, Ferruci described it as a surprise, but gave all the credit to “our girls who had a strong presence on the pool deck this year at conference.”
After a successful season, the ‘Cats now look ahead to next year, where they will be joined by a large freshman class. Since Ferruci joined the team in 2018, he has watched the team grow in numbers and talent. “The women have continued to raise the bar and set a higher standard for future female divers,” he said.
