Quinn Weygandt ’26 is continuing to make waves on the Division III national swimming stage. On Feb. 7, the Madison, WI, native clocked a 4:20.85 in the 400-meter IM to take first place against Gettysburg College. The time was just three-tenths of a second off the program record she set in 2025 (4:20.51), but it was enough to break the Ware Pool record — replacing her own mark from a year ago. Weygandt also set a 400-meter IM pool record in Baltimore earlier this season against conference newcomer Johns Hopkins University. In mid-January, she posted a first-place 4:24.45 in the event after having already won the 200-meter butterfly (2:05.41) earlier that day, helping secure a narrow 134-128 victory over the Blue Jays.
Specializing in the IM, freestyle, and butterfly, Weygandt currently holds program records in the 200 free (5:08.06), 200 fly (2:02.38), 200 IM (2:03.39), and 400 IM (4:20.51). Over the years, the senior has collected a tremendous amount of hardware and recognition, most notably that of being named an eight-time All-American by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) and a fourteen-time NCAA Qualifier. Weygandt is also a two-time Centennial Conference Swimmer of the Year, two-time Centennial Championships Most Outstanding Performer, and a thirteen-time All-Centennial First Team recipient.
The women’s swim team ended their regular season in undefeated fashion (9-0) and sits at number fifteen in the CSCAA National Rankings. Swarthmore, coming off four consecutive conference championship titles, is preparing in the hopes of taking a fifth. On Thursday, Feb. 19, the Garnet will open the three-day Centennial Championship meet in Lancaster, PA. Weygandt, who was part of three conference championship teams, is entering her final college postseason with plenty of experience and success under her belt to propel Swarthmore forward.
Aimee Lee: Congrats on earning the Centennial Conference Swimmer of the Week nod for your 400 IM performance against Gettysburg College! How does it feel to wrap up the regular season with such a large win?
Quinn Weygandt: Thank you! It was a really special weekend for our team, and it was a lot of fun to have so much success in our home pool. The win was big for our team and gives us a lot of confidence going into our Conference Championship meet.
AL: The women’s swimming team beat out great competition to earn an undefeated 9-0 record in the regular season. What are some team and individual goals for the post-season?
QW: Every year we make a list of goals at the beginning of the season. One of our goals is always to have an undefeated season. And I feel very grateful that we’ve been undefeated for five seasons in a row. Our goal for our postseason is to win Conference Championships and get as many people to the NCAA meet as we can.
AL: Centennial Conference Championships start on Thursday — how are you preparing for the meet, both mentally and physically?
QW: I’m trying to get ahead on school work, so I can focus more on swimming and less on school during this week. Also, I’ve been trying to sleep a lot and stretch with Normatech [compression therapy for muscle recovery]. Mentally, I’m just really excited to see my teammates and friends across the Conference succeed. It’s very easy to feel supported with such a big team, and that helps to take some of the mental weight off of this meet.
AL: With years of athletic success under your belt, how do you keep calm under the pressure of competition?
QW: Embracing the team! As I said, it’s easy to do so with such a big team of people that I love and want to see succeed. Focusing on other people’s swims and knowing that I am swimming for something bigger than myself has helped me stay calm.
AL: What have been some team highlights of the season thus far?
QW: There’s really too many highlights to pick just one. Going undefeated was wonderful, and we’ve seen a ton of really fast swims already this year. Plus, we go on a trip to Puerto Rico every year, and it’s always a blast. Our team gets extra close after that trip.
AL: Do you have any pre-meet or post-meet rituals?
AQ: Yes! Before every meet, my teammate, Elle Anthony ’26, and I do a dance to the song “Hot Wings” from the movie Rio. We’ve done it all four years.
AL: Why did you choose Swarthmore? What is your area of study?
QW: I chose Swat for a variety of reasons: the challenging academics, beautiful campus, and upward-trending athletics programs. I have found all of these to have matched my expectations (save for some frustrations with the large amount of construction covering up our nature-filled campus). But my favorite thing about Swat is the people. Also, a big pull for me was the fact that the people here are super collaborative, and I’ve found this to be very true.
I am double majoring in political science and economics.
AL: What is your favorite class that you’ve taken at Swarthmore?
QW: My favorite class was the political science seminar I took last semester called Wartime Humanitarian Action with [Associate Professor of Political Science Emily Paddon Rhoads]. I learned so much and was able to really deeply connect with my professor and peers in the class. The content was fascinating, and we got to take a trip to visit the UN and various other people related to the humanitarian sector.
AL: How has being a student-athlete impacted your experience at Swarthmore? What is one piece of advice you would give to incoming student-athletes?
QW: Lean into your teammates for support and use the connections that you can make from being a student-athlete at Swat.
