The Fordham swimming and diving program made a splash at the 2026 Atlantic 10 (A10) Championships with eight medaling athletes across both the women’s and men’s teams.
David Vargas, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’26, came away from the weekend in Virginia as the A10’s Most Outstanding Diver after his first-place finishes in both the one and three-meter dives. Vargas’s finish in the one-meter is a first for a Ram since 1996.
Hayley Clark, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’27, also took home gold in the 200-meter butterfly. This was her first A10 Championship appearance.
Karina Kanary, Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill (GSBRH) ’28, came in second in the 400-meter individual medley. The women’s 200-meter relay took home bronze medals with a time of 1:39.96 and was swam by: Kanary; Lexi Lundell, FCRH ’27; Saskia Aikman, FCRH ’29; and Ella Montgomery, FCRH ’29.
The Rams also went the distance with two more bronze medalists in both the men’s and women’s 1650 Freestyle. Swimmers Campbell Stever, FCRH ’29, and Quinn Macphail, FCRH ’29, set a Fordham record of 15:13.65.
“This season taught me a lot about resilience. There are highs and lows in swimming, but staying consistent, having fun and trusting the process really paid off Hayley Clark, FCRH ’27
The A10 Championship marked the start of the postseason for the Rams and the end of their five–month regular season, which began in October.
“This season taught me a lot about resilience. There are highs and lows in swimming, but staying consistent, having fun and trusting the process really paid off,” Clark said.
The weekend in Virginia was the first and last A10 Championship for Vargas, who transferred to Fordham this year to complete his finance graduate degree.
Vargas grew up in Mexico City and came to the United States to pursue collegiate diving. He began his undergraduate career at Auburn University and transferred after one year to finish his degree at Florida State University (FSU). During his senior year, he qualified for the NCAA Championship.
Vargas is no stranger to the pressure of big competition. Along with his prior collegiate experience, Vargas began diving at a young age and represented Mexico at junior international competitions. This experience led to the understanding that the culmination of training is reflected in championship performance, Vargas said.
You earn these awards during practice; you just show up to the meet to pick them up, (so) don’t expect to do something better that you’ve been doing during practice. David Vargas, GGSB ’26
“You earn these awards during practice; you just show up to the meet to pick them up, (so) don’t expect to do something better that you’ve been doing during practice,” Vargas said. “Just trust the process. I know what I’ve been doing and I know what to expect (in) trying to use the nerves or the anxiety of the meet in your favor.”
This was a sentiment shared by Clark, who went into her first A10 Championship with trust in all the training she had put in throughout the season.
“I trusted all the work I had put in this season, like the early morning practices, tough sets and pushing through days when I was exhausted, but those moments built the confidence I carried into A10s,” Clark said. “It’s reassuring knowing you’ve done everything you can to prepare and it makes it easier to trust that it will pay off when it matters most.”
Clark made a strong statement by not only taking first in the 200-meter butterfly but also being named to the A10’s All-Academic Team.
The athletes on the Fordham swimming and diving team were not the only ones who came away from the A10s with accolades. Fordham’s head diving coach, Zhihua Hu, was named the A10’s Coach of the Year.
The energy on deck is on another level compared to regular-season meets. Every session feels important, and you can feel how much everyone cares about each other’s races and accomplishments. There’s something really special about scoring points not just for yourself but for Fordham as a whole. Hayley Clark, FCRH ’27
Hu has been a member of the Fordham diving program for almost 30 years. Originally from China, Hu had an incredible career as a coach for the Chinese National Diving Team before coming to Fordham. For three decades, Hu has been a wealth of knowledge and experience for the Rams’ diving program.
“Zhihua, he’s been very supportive of me and very empathetic,” Vargas said. “In diving, it’s very important to have trust with the coach because when you’re on the board, you realize you are not there by yourself, you are there with the coach and all this hard work.”
The women’s swimming and diving team took fifth place and the men’s team came home in seventh after the final day of competition at the A10 Championship. In addition to the athletes who made the podium, several Rams ended their season with season-best finishes.
“The energy on deck is on another level compared to regular-season meets. Every session feels important, and you can feel how much everyone cares about each other’s races and accomplishments. There’s something really special about scoring points not just for yourself but for Fordham as a whole,” Clark said.
From March 9 to March 10, the Fordham swimming and diving team will head to the NCAA Zone Diving Championship in Annapolis, Maryland, where Rams like Vargas will be competing to secure a spot in the NCAA Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, at the end of the month.
“I’m going to do my best over there to represent at the highest level. I want to take it as far as I can over there, finish strong and be grateful and enjoy it,” Vargas said.
