Summer 2025
WSU swimmers made waves
The Cougs of Washington State University swam to an 8-0 season while breaking records. » More ...
Swimming
Summer 2025
Dive into Washington State swimming
Highlights of swimming Cougs over the decades
Since the earliest days of the college, when students would jump into Reaney Park pool, to the record-breaking 2024-25 season for the women’s intercollegiate swim team, Cougs of Washington State have been swimming for fun and competition.
Read on for a sampling of some swimming and other water milestones of Washington State.
(All photos below courtesy WSU Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections)
Swimming for fun in the early days
It took a couple of decades to get a pool on campus at Washington State College, but there was a … » More …
Spring 2012
Let him swim: The Tom Jager story
On a Friday evening in August 1989, Tom Jager is about to race in a 50-meter freestyle event at the U.S. National Championships in Los Angeles.
The race marks the return of Olympic gold medalist Matt Biondi, who dueled with Jager in the same event at the 1988 Olympic Games less than a year earlier.
The capacity crowd of 2,500 is settling in for what promises to be a memorable race when Jager is called for a false start and disqualified, though TV replays indicate otherwise.
Jager’s reaction is immortalized in a New York Times photo taped to his Gibb Pool office window. His arms … » More …