After spending a season in Division III at Tufts University, current freshman Lily Klinginsmith has announced her intention to Division I’s Brown University for her the rest of her college career.
When she updated her SwimCloud profile to reflect the change, Klinginsmith wrote:
Although the transfer process has been difficult, I am confident and excited by my commitment to swim at Brown University. The coaching staff and team have made Brown feel like home. Additionally, the open curriculum provides me the opportunity to freely explore my diverse passions. I can’t wait for the next 3 years! Go Bruno! 🤎🐻
As a freshman, Klinginsmith won two Division III national titles: the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. In the 100 freestyle, she won with a 49.28, using a powerful back half to pass Emory senior Caroline Maki. She claimed the 100 butterfly in 53.65, just off the personal best and program record she set at the 2023 NESCAC women’s conference championships. She also added a third place finish in the 200 IM (2:00.73).
In addition to her success in her individual events, the Ohio native was also a big contributor to the Jumbos’ relays. She swam on four relays including the national title winning 400 freestyle relay, where she led off in 49.04, a new personal best and team record. The relay posted 3:21.66 to out-touch NYU and set a new NESCAC record.
She also led-off their runner-up 800 freestyle and 200 freestyle relays. In the 800 free relay, she led-off in a personal best 1:49.59 and she split 22.65 on the 200 free relay.
Klinginsmith also had success on the conference level. She won the 100 free and 100 fly at 2023 NESCACs and finished second in the 200 IM. She swam on the same four relays that she did at NCAAs and all but the 200 medley relay (which finished second) won gold. Her 92 individual points helped Tufts claim back-t0-back NESCAC titles and earn the fourth-most points in the history of the meet with 1984.5 points.
Though she was at Tufts for less than 12 months, she made big improvements this season. Below is a chart of her time improvements from pre-Tufts to after the 2022-23 season.
| High School Personal Best | Freshman Year Personal Best | |
| 50 Free | 24.83 | 23.17 (22.65 split) |
| 100 Free | 51.68 | 49.04 |
| 200 Free | 1:54.34 | 1:49.59 |
| 100 Butterfly | 55.20 | 53.56 |
| 200 IM | 2:04.59 | 2:00.73 |
Klinginsmith will have an immediate impact at Brown. Her personal bests in the 100 free and 100 fly would make her the fastest on the team for the 2022-23 season, and her 200 IM would have been second. At the 2023 Ivy League Championships, her best times in her championship events would earn three ‘A’ final berths and eventually finished third in the 100 free, fourth in the 100 fly, and seventh in the 200 IM.
Like at Tufts, Klinginsmith also projects to be an asset to Brown’s relays, particularly the sprint freestyles. Her 22.65 split from NCAAs would have been second fastest. Only one Brown swimmer on the 400 free relay went sub-50: the anchor Morgan Lukinac (49.76).
At the 2023 Ivies, Brown finished fourth with 952 points, 41 points ahead of Columbia.
Welcome Lily! Go Bruno!!
I feel like the transfer into an Ivy school might actually be the rarest thing in all of this.
Transferring to an ivy league school after freshman year is every tufts undergrad’s dream
#truth
True. Especially to Brown from Tufts. Very similar student bodies.
This is so valid. Transferring to an Ivy school–even as an athlete–is VERY difficult. I don’t think coaches have as much pull in the admissions process when it comes to transferring to the Ivy League.