For a long time, the Pac-12 was the standard. 

Stanford, Cal Berkeley and Arizona are all programs that produced Olympians and NCAA champions. It was a conference kids who grew up in a pool dreamed about racing in someday. 

In 2024, conference realignment diminished the Pac-12 to a fraction of its old self. The name, however, will always carry weight.

This year, Colorado State swimming and diving will get a taste of what it means to represent the Pac-12.

After 27 seasons in the Mountain West, the Rams are set to officially join the Pac-12. Washington State is the only program left from the pre-realignment Pac-12 and is one CSU is already familiar with. The two will meet Oct. 17 in a double-dual meet at the Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins; the two teams will also compete against Colorado Mesa. 

The Rams’ actual Pac-12 competition is thin on the schedule and concentrated more toward the end of their season. They open with the Front Range Invitational Oct. 2-3, hosting Denver, Wyoming, Air Force and Northern Colorado. 

“We know the teams; with the exception of (California) Baptist, they’re all teams that we’re very familiar with,” head coach Christopher Woodard said. “We’re going to get to compete against at least two of them in the regular season, so we’ll get an idea. I think we’re kind of putting a pin in the outcome. The objective, as always, is to win more than we lose.” 

For Woodard, who is entering his 16th season as the CSU head coach, the unfamiliarity of competition isn’t the point. The program he’s built isn’t trying to hide, they want to show they belong. 

“It’s incumbent upon us to show that the move to the Pac-12 doesn’t just signify that we’re no longer a mid-major because of the shield,” Woodard said. “It signals that we’ve already arrived and we want to keep pushing.” 

All that belief is rooted in what happened last season, when the program produced some of their best results in over a decade. Tess Whineray became the program’s first NCAA Championship qualifier in 13 years, punching her ticket in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke after winning the Mountain West title in the 200 during her junior season. The team set numerous school records over the course of last year, with Whineray having a hand in six of them. 

Parts of that jump are three initiatives that are continuing this year: Integration, execution and health.

“Our first thing is integration of our seven newcomers (and) making sure they’re up to speed,” Woodard said. “Secondly, working on executing our races, and then third, we’ve made a real push to really focus on nutrition, strength and conditioning and our mental health, specifically our approach to the sport. I think those are all going to yield results.” 

At the end of last season, the Rams bade farewell to Erin Dawson, who capped a five-year career defined by consistency and record-breaking swims. 

“It was the bittersweet moment of saying goodbye to some great seniors including Erin Dawson,” Woodard said. “I’m not sure what those moments will be this year, I just think there’ll be more smiles than tears.” 

Not only did the roster change when it came to the athletes, the staff underwent some reorientation between seasons as well. After six seasons with the distance program, assistant coach Lisa Ginder departed, and Brynn Sproul, a BYU record-holder, is now finding her place with just one season of coaching under her cap. 

“We were eager to get Brynn in, but knowing she was a little short on experience, I figured we’d give her a little bit of a leash,” Woodard said. “She’s off the leash already. She has wisdom beyond her years, and I can already see changes not only technically with our athletes but also their relationship with her.” 

Those who work closest with her feel her impact during practice. 

“Brynn has been giving us so much feedback,” captain Mia Axelman said. “Even if it’s just little things like your breathing, your stroke, where you’re entering in the water, those little things can all add up.” 

On the board, Seth O’Dea returns for his second season with just four divers, three of whom are sophomores, after sophomore Riley Lee, first-year Sydney Ovensen and senior Maggie Di Scipio all qualified for NCAA Zones last season. 

“We have a smaller team than last year on the diving side,” O’Dea said. “But having three sophomores with (last) year’s experience under their belt is a really good place to be.” 

O’Dea is welcoming this new competitiveness that comes with the conference move. 

“Moving into the Pac-12 is an overall increase in level of competition from anyone’s perspective, and it’s just exciting,” O’Dea said. “Some of the top talent from the Mountain West is coming over with us, so we’ll have a similar level of competition.” 

With the addition of new swimmers, the team is setting themselves up for a potentially successful future. Kayda Geyer arrives as the highest ranked recruit of Woodard’s tenure. Geyer arrived fresh off placing eighth in the 200-meter breaststroke at the World Aquatics Junior Championship and qualifying for the 2026 Junior Pan Pacific Championship. 

Her commitment is proof that while CSU doesn’t have the biggest brand name, it can become a real destination for elite talent. 

“Facilities and combined programs can play a role in a lot of athletes’ decisions, but I think it should be a beacon for some athletes who are unsure,” Woodard said. “You can have success in a yards-only pool. You can have success in a women’s-only program. I think Kayda arriving here should send a message to a lot of recruits. You don’t just have to ride for the brand, whatever brand that is — you have to find the right fit for you.”

For the green and gold, they built a program where the team is everything, and it’s a home for whoever is ready for it. 

“Swimming, it’s really just a special sport,” Axelman said. “We’re here 20 hours a week training together, and we have always just had such a great team culture, and this year we have new freshmen coming in. We have a pretty heavy underclassman class, but with that, I think we’re building a really strong culture, and I’m just really excited for the season with everyone.”

CSU isn’t trying to inherit a legacy. Whatever the Pac-12 was before 2024, it isn’t now. But it doesn’t mean it can’t be built into something new. One meet at a time, the Rams will try to build what it means to them.  

“People don’t typically watch swimming, but I think now that there’s this new name, the Pac-12, (which) I’m hoping more people will get excited about the sport,” Axelman said. “There’s kind of an opportunity (for) rebranding of the sport almost and just growing.”