Season Preview: Falcons Pair Experience on Staff With Influx of Newcomers in Year Three

Season Preview: Falcons Pair Experience on Staff With Influx of Newcomers in Year Three

October 02, 2026 | Women's Swimming & Diving

By: by Sam Watson, BGSU Strategic Communications

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University swim and dive team begins year three under head coach Tanner Barton with a largely new roster and a familiar staff. Twelve of the Falcons' 30 athletes are first-year student-athletes, and seven more are sophomores, so nearly two-thirds of the team are underclassmen.

"We have so much continuity right now within our staff, and I'm really glad we have Mike, Greg, Ian back for another season. But our roster has changed. Our roster looks vastly different from when I started here in year number one," Barton said.

Barton's goals for the season are straightforward. He wants the Falcons to work hard, enjoy the process and continue to lead the Mid-American Conference in cumulative team GPA, an area where 18 Falcons earned Academic All-MAC honors in 2025-26. He also wants the team to score more points and finish higher at the MAC Championships than it did last year. Bowling Green ended last season at the CSCAA National Invitational Championship in Ocala, Florida.

Barton said last season's success came from how the Falcons approached racing. Bowling Green clinched dual meets against Miami, Eastern Michigan and Toledo. "We were excited and ready to race every single time we had the opportunity, and that is why we were able to clinch some really important dual meets. Our team was ready to race, and we didn't swim with fear," Barton said. The team struggled late in the year, though. "At the end of the season, once we started to face some adversity, we started to retreat a little bit, and that fear crept back in."

That will be the focus from the first day of practice through the MAC Championships. "Each opportunity to race is an opportunity to represent BGSU and do something incredible. That is one of the ways we are going to grow this year, and the team is already latching onto that," Barton said.

Depth is the strength Barton pointed to first. He expects athletes competing for top finishes as well as scoring points in second through fourth place. A former butterflyer himself, Barton is excited about the butterfly group, with four swimmers expected to contribute in the 200 butterfly. Returners Astrid Garcia and Karina Solera, both A finalists at the MAC Championships, will lead that group. "She is looking better and stronger in training than she ever has," Barton said of Solera.

Diving is another area of depth. Natalia Mayorga won the three-meter event at last year's MAC Championships, and multiple Falcons qualified for the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships, including sophomore Sadie Dempz. Three newcomers join the group, and Barton described it as focused. "Qualifying for NCAA zones is no small feat. I think diving is going to be a strength," he said.

Barton also said the sprint freestyle group has come a long way and will be important to the team's success. The distance group is small, with three swimmers, and is led by sophomores Samia Becdach and Caroline Toledo. "We might not have 10 distance swimmers, but we've got three people who are going to leave their mark," Barton said.

Several first-years are expected to contribute right away. Kylie Thompson, a distance swimmer, qualified for USA Swimming Junior Nationals and competed in the 800-meter freestyle in California this summer. Barton said she brings versatility in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, mile and backstroke events. Emma Klotz, of Michigan, is a sprint freestyler and butterflyer competing for relay spots, and Anna Helmuth, of Canton, Ohio, is one of two Ohioans in the class and is expected to be a strong breaststroker. Alicia Bohler, of France, will compete in backstroke and freestyle events. Ava Roffel joins the diving group and specializes in platform. Barton and diving coach Michael Retcher hope she qualifies for NCAA zones in platform and possibly springboard.

"This group is incredibly driven, and they believe in the vision we have as a coaching staff, and they want to get faster and want to be a part of our program's history. That is something you can't teach," Barton said.

The team's leadership looks different this year, with five seniors on the roster compared to eight last year. Last year's seniors were vocal and visible leaders, Barton said, while this year's group has focused on bringing newcomers in. "When you walk through this pool deck, you don't notice any divisions based on year in school or class," he said. "It's as if we are one group moving throughout the season and not just a select crew leading the others."

The team's leadership council, voted on by teammates, includes both swimmers and divers. Its members are Alexandra Johnson, Bridget Kurtzweil, Sierra Newton, Lauren Jablonski, Bella Treib and Claire Werner, and it meets weekly with the coaching staff. The team has also changed its training. Each Friday, the full team will do speed circuits focused on max speed, power and underwater dolphin kicks, which Barton said matter for every swimmer, whether they race the 50 freestyle or the mile.

The Falcons open the season Saturday, Oct. 3, at the IU Indy Duals, which will be the first collegiate meet for the 12 first-years. Barton also pointed to the weekend of Jan. 22-23 at Cooper Pool, when Bowling Green hosts Marshall on Friday and Ball State on Saturday. The Falcons came up just short against Marshall in each of the past two seasons, and Ball State finished third at last year's MAC Championships.

That weekend will also include the first alcohol sales at the pool, along with concessions, giveaways and in-meet experiences, and will serve as a trial run for the MAC Championships. Bowling Green hosts the championships Feb. 24-27 at Cooper Pool, which Barton said happens every five or six years. "When you walk out, I want you to be proud of the ladies and how hard they're working and pushing, but also smiling and saying, 'Wow, that was fun! I can't wait to come back to another meet,'" Barton said.