Courtesy of the Bolles School, a SwimSwam partner
At The Bolles School & Bolles School Sharks, college placement isn’t the goal—it’s the natural result of a system grounded in academic excellence, expert coaching, and competitive results that speak for themselves.
Bolles is known not only as one of the most successful swimming programs in the world, but also as one of the most academically rigorous college preparatory institutions in the United States. The synergy between these two identities—elite student and elite athlete—is what makes Bolles distinctive.
Academic Excellence That Prepares Students for Any Path
Student-athletes enrolled at The Bolles School experience a rigorous academic curriculum designed to challenge, engage, and prepare them for success at the collegiate level. Small class sizes, a wide array of honors and AP courses, and an institutional focus on college readiness help students build the study skills, discipline, and time management required to excel.
“Bolles swimmers leave not only prepared to compete in the NCAA—they leave prepared to succeed in the classroom on day one,” says Peter Verhoef, Head Coach and Aquatics Director at Bolles.
Swimming Success That Opens Doors
From NCAA Championships and U.S. Olympic Trials to the Olympics, Bolles student-athletes are consistently represented at the highest levels of the sport. Bolles swimmers have gone on to compete for top NCAA programs across all divisions. In the Class of 2025 alone, 50% of the 47 swimming graduates will compete at the college level, with another 25% continuing in club swimming.
Student-athletes seeking a Division I experience find homes at Power 4 programs like Stanford, Cal, Michigan, Florida, NC State, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Louisville, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, Duke, Cincinnati, Miami, and Alabama, as well as highly selective institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Air Force, Navy, and Army. Others thrive at strong mid-major programs such as Richmond, Northern Iowa, Liberty, Oakland, Florida Atlantic, Queens, and Towson.
Finding the Right Fit
While Bolles has a proud tradition of placing swimmers in top-tier programs, the focus remains on helping each athlete find the right fit—not just the biggest name. That means identifying colleges that align with a student-athlete’s values, training style, academic goals, financial circumstances, and social environment. The objective is not simply to commit, but to thrive in a setting that supports long-term success.
“College swimming should open doors far beyond the pool,” says Alexis Keto, Associate Head Coach of the Bolles School Sharks. “Whether it’s relationships with the coaching staff, research opportunities, academic programs, or career development, the goal is to help athletes find schools that align with their ambitions in and out of the water.”
This approach leads Bolles athletes to successful careers at Division II and III programs like Emory, Denison, Colorado School of Mines, Rollins, Truman State, Rhodes, and Coe—where they consistently make an impact at their respective NCAA Championships.
Some student-athletes, focused more on academics or leadership development, find continued success through club swimming at major universities such as Florida, Florida State, and Florida Gulf Coast.
A Coaching Staff Built on NCAA Experience
Every member of Bolles’ senior coaching staff has both competed and coached at the Division I level. That experience translates not only into high-level technical training, but also into access to a vast national network of college coaches and programs.
“The full-time coaching staff at Bolles has decades of combined experience in NCAA swimming,” says Jake Gibbons, Head Varsity Coach at The Bolles School. “We know what college coaches are looking for, and we stay current with the shifting landscape of recruiting, scholarship opportunities, and program expectations.”
Learn More
Bolles continues to be regarded as the premier preparatory program for student-athletes who aspire to excel in both collegiate swimming and academics. To learn more about The Bolles School and Bolles Swimming, visit www.bolles.org or follow @bolles_school_sharks on Instagram.
