Up to 10 swimmers can be in the pool at the same time during a collegiate swim meet, but competitive swimming — like diving — is effectively a solo sport. Your teammates may be poolside cheering you, but you usually can’t hear or see them: instead, your gaze is mostly fixed on the black lane lines painted on the bottom of the pool. Even rival swimmers are glimpsed only in flashes during a race.
That’s why Katie Cameron, head coach of the university’s men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, says a huge part of success in the sport is mental, not physical. And a plunge into the psychology of competition may have been the edge her women’s team needed to win an America East Conference championship this year.
The Bryant women’s swimming and diving team took home its first America East title in February with a resounding victory at the championship meet at the Virginia Military Institute, where they scored 775 points, topping defending champion (and 2026 runner-up) University of New Hampshire (UNH) by 115 points. Leading the way were Ruby Tonelli-Smith '27, '28MBA, who was named the America East Swimmer of the Meet, and Megan Beasley '27, who took America East Diver of the Meet honors.
Having won five straight Northeast Conference titles from 2018-22, the Bulldog swimmers finished in third, second, and now first place since joining America East in the 2022-23 academic year.
“Winning was not new to us, but it was an adjustment to try to get back to it with the new conference,” says Cameron. “I give our captains Hannah King ’26, Jill Carline ’26, and Makayla Pierce ’26 so much credit; their leadership was a huge part of getting back to our winning ways.”
Head and heart
Cameron says that while her team has always trained hard, one difference-maker this season was that “they were able to put some of the pieces of the puzzle outside of the water together. They figured out how to have fun, enjoy the process, and get the job done at the same time, rather than being hyper-fixated on the end result.”
At King’s suggestion, the team began intensive work with Bryant’s sport psychology counselors, led by David Lockwood, M.Ed., LICSW, and Kaitlyn Hall, MA, LMHC. Lockwood says the weekly small-group sessions included learning mindfulness skills, becoming creative problem solvers, practicing performance visualization, and developing the habits of mind that lead to positive outcomes.
“Having the opportunity to get to know the athletes allowed us a better understanding of their goals and the challenges they faced,” he says.
“Having the opportunity to get to know the athletes allowed us a better understanding of their goals and the challenges they faced."
Hall adds that support from team leaders — both coaches and players — was key to the program’s success.
“The ability to strengthen their mental game from the very start of their season to the conference championships allowed us to reinforce the tools needed to give themselves the competitive edge,” she says. “It was rewarding to watch their progress in and out of the pool every week.”
For seniors, a four-year dream unlocked
Winning the America East title has been King’s goal since her first year at Bryant.
“I came in on the tail of five straight championships in the Northeast Conference,” she says. "We seniors sat through a ring ceremony that first year and were like, ‘We want to do that, too.’ Last year we were the most physically talented team in America East, but it took a lot of mental work on goal setting and avoiding burnout to get to the top this year.”
"Last year we were the most physically talented team in America East, but it took a lot of mental work on goal setting and avoiding burnout to get to the top this year.”
The conference championship was essentially four consecutive days of high pressure, says King, but the team benefitted from laying the groundwork for success early in their counseling sessions.
“For a lot of the younger athletes, it’s hard to cope with that kind of stress, so we figured if we can tackle anxiety and handle swimming fast under pressure in the beginning of the season, then when it comes time for conference it won't be so hard,” King explains.
King and her fellow seniors faced a different kind of pressure to win it all.
“This was our last chance — it was kind of all or nothing,” she says.
A roll that never stopped
At the championships, the relaxed but confident Bryant women got off to a hot start and never looked back.
“They just came in with a vibe that I hadn't seen in a couple of years,” Cameron remembers. “When the meet started, we won the first swim event, the 200-meter medley relay, and they set a pool record, a meet record, and a conference record. They made a statement right from the beginning.”
The dive team also stepped up with strong performances, with Beasley, Molly Gordon ’26, and Avery Bischoff ’26 all excelling, and the 800-meter freestyle relay foursome ended the first night of competition with another school record time. Over the tournament’s four days, Bryant never relinquished its early lead.
With UNH a perennial conference powerhouse, it won’t be easy for the Bulldogs to defend their title next season. But King says the 2026-27 squad is “a team full of leaders,” including top performers like Tonelli-Smith and Jocie Niemczyk ’28, the team record holder in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Cameron also intends to continue the winning partnership with the sports psychology team.
“We graduated a lot of points and leadership and personality, but our returners are strong, as well,” says Cameron, who is now in her 21st season coaching the team. “They are looking to step up, and we're very excited about our incoming class, too.”