INDIAN RIVER, Fla. — Indian River State College's men's swim and dive team has captured its 52nd consecutive national championship title, with the women's team also claiming its 48th national championship.
Sophomore diver Spencer Biggs led the charge for the men's team, winning two national championships.
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"I won the one-meter and three-meter competition boards," Biggs said.
Biggs, who spent 12 years in gymnastics before transitioning to diving, said the sport's physical demands never deterred him.
"The adrenaline of doing something that you could get seriously injured for, like the first time I did diving, I smacked right on my stomach. It was a 9/10 pain, but I loved it," Biggs said.
Despite early setbacks — including a failed run at the FHSAA state championship and being overshadowed by national champions at the collegiate level — Biggs channeled those experiences into fuel for his success.
Biggs was joined at nationals by teammate Marcus Johnson, a Boca Raton High School alumnus, who delivered record-breaking performances of his own.
"I broke the 50 breaststroke record in the morning, the second day was just relays, but we did break the medley record," Johnson said.
On the women's side, Kelly Zwart said she exceeded her own expectations.
"I surprised myself a lot. I won all of my individual events and relays on top of that," Zwart said.
Zwart and her teammates played a pivotal role in securing the women's team's 48th national championship.
"It was awesome, it was great team spirit and definitely one to remember," Zwart said.
Head Coach Sion Brinn said that while the championships are cause for celebration, his focus has already shifted to next season.
"That's the hard part, we lose half of our team every year, and so you hope that the next batch of freshmen coming in are going to replace both athletically and culturally as well," Brinn said.
