BOLIVAR, Mo. – Southwest Baptist University men's and women's swimming enters its second season after seeing tremendous growth from individual athletes and both teams as a whole during the programs' inaugural season.

The Bearcats will once again compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, one of the stronger swimming conferences in the region, giving SBU another opportunity to continue building its young program.

"We have an exciting group of young men and women who are looking forward to the challenges of a year two program." Head Coach Gavin Hagar said, "Year-to-year the program has taken a big step as we were able to retain 90% of our inaugural class while adding a large group of talented freshmen."

On the men's side, the Bearcats are anchored by juniors Brogan Meier and Ian McCorkle, along with sophomore Tyler Sharp. All three had strong performances throughout SBU's inaugural season and will look to help lead the Bearcats as the program enters year two.

The women's team also returns plenty of young talent from last year's squad. Sophomores Briley Larcum, Grace Simon and Adilyn Henderson highlight the returning group after each placed at the GLVC Championships to close out their freshman seasons.

"They understand the goal; to put God at the center of their swimming, to trust that the process will lead to victory, and to strive for excellence in all that we do." - Hagar said.

SBU will open the 2026-27 season at the Sam Freas Invitational in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 1 p.m. The Bearcats will be on the road for their first three meets before returning to Bolivar for their home opener on Friday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m.