The Inside Rutgers Athletics Podcast, sponsored by RWJBarnabas Health, has released a preview of the 2025-26 Rutgers swimming and diving season. Host Dom Savino spoke with head coach Jon Maccoll about the team’s outlook as they prepare for competition in the Big Ten.
Maccoll highlighted the strength of this year’s roster. “This is probably the most talented roster we’ve had on paper since I’ve been here,” Maccoll said. “This team is poised to make a jump and I encourage people to come out to see our meets and see Olympic level swimming and diving.”
The diving program, in particular, has drawn attention for its depth and youth. Sophomore Bailee Sturgill recently achieved a strong finish in an A Championship final on the world stage, while Katerina Hoffman earned a Silver Medal at the World Cup in Canada. Senior Sephora Ford returns, joined by freshman Gianna Lawrence.
“We probably have four of the top-100 divers in the world, with three of them maybe even in the top-50, which is really exciting,” Maccoll said. “I think we’ll have a top-10 diving program in the country. Natasha is doing a great job both with high end talent and developing talent into impact positions. She is arguably one of the top diving coaches in America.The diving program is healthy and strong and we want to continue to support that.”
On the swimming side, Rutgers has added 10 newcomers, including four transfers, to strengthen its lineup alongside returning athletes.
“We have some really exciting transfers that have come in,” Maccoll said. “I think we are better positioned to do well than we have before. If we can stay healthy and execute, we’re positioned to have a really good year.”
Maccoll also commented on how the program is adapting as collegiate athletics continues to evolve. “We’re being creative and aggressive and being innovated during this time in college athletics,” he said. “We are both feet in with our new leadership and really excited about the direction it is going. This is a great situation we’re in right now.”
The Scarlet Knights are set to open their season on Saturday, October 11, hosting Fordham and St. Bonaventure at the Rutgers Aquatics Center.
“The first meet is always great for the freshmen and really important for the internationals that have never experienced a duel meet,” Maccoll said. “That meet will be fun and we’ll get to see what we have. Our women have been training at an extremely high level. It’s one of the best September’s of training that we’ve had and we’re excited to get started this weekend.”
