Research Study: The Fine Print as an NCAA Swimmer

By Anamika Nanda

With a 5:30 a.m. wake-up time, weight training at 6:30 a.m., a day full of classes starting at 9 a.m., a brief window to grab lunch before swim practice at 4 p.m., and then dinner in the dining hall at 7 p.m., homework and studying often takes place from 9 p.m. until you can no longer keep your eyes open. This is the non-stop lifestyle of over 23,000 NCAA swimmers around the country. 

Student-athletes face numerous stressors while trying to balance their classes with a practice schedule. NCAA swimmers experience a unique set of pressures, including the same fears of finding a major, worrying about going professional or not, and the constant fear of getting injured. When age is not factored in, my research study, Sport Psychology and Telomere Biology in Collegiate Athletes: The Experiences of NCAA D-I and D-III Swimmers, found that there is a statistically significant difference in the biology of NCAA swimmers and non-student athletes.

I contacted NCAA swim coaches from around the country and had eight institutions representing D-I and D-III participants. A total of 43 students participated: seven swimmers from D-I schools and 21 from D-III, along with a control sample of 15 non-student-athletes recruited from the same institutions as the student-athletes. Every participant filled out the Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale survey and swimmers completed an additional survey, the Student-Athlete Motivations toward Sport and Academics Questionnaire. Further, every participant’s DNA was extracted from dried blood spot samples. For qualitative measurements, student-athletes were given the option to participate in a semi-structured 30-minute interview to discuss psychosocial stressors the swimmers have experienced.

Telomeres are a repetition of a string of DNA nucleotide base pairs, 5’-TTAGGG-3’, and are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes that are observed during DNA replication in mitosis in mammals. Research has shown that as we age, our telomeres decrease in size. Having shorter telomere lengths puts one at a higher risk of cellular aging. In my study, it was found that NCAA swimmers have on average longer telomeres than their non-swimmer counterparts. Meaning, the hours NCAA swimmers are investing in the pool seem to be resulting in biological benefits. 

NCAA swimmers may experience some physical benefits, but there’s a drawback to their mental health. As per my research study, D-I swimmers scored a higher Cohen’s Psychosocial Stress Score (PSS) than D-III swimmers. Additionally, D-I swimmers have a higher Student-Athlete Motivation and Career Athletic Motivation score than D-III swimmers from the Student-Athletes’ Motivation toward Sports and Academics Questionnaire (SAMSAQ). D-I swimmers are more influenced by their self-image of being a student-athlete and by the potential of becoming a professional swimmer compared to their D-III counterparts, which is likely contributing to the difference in stress level across the divisions. The common themes that arose across these divisions included the fear of injury, pressure from academics, and expectations to perform. 

D-III swimmers discussed a greater fear of injury, as many athletes had experienced some form of injury limiting their athletic capabilities, whereas very few D-I swimmers had experiences to discuss. A shared mindset from both D-III and D-I swimmers was that some believed that injury was in their control so long as they took care of themselves. Athletes that knew what caused their injury were more confident to train, whereas others with limited knowledge about their injury had more concerns walking into practices.

The pressure NCAA swimmers experienced from their academics differed by division. D-III swimmers discussed their academics with the attitude of challenging themselves in the classroom, so most of the pressure they experienced was internal. However, D-I swimmers discussed their academics with the attitude of having something else to balance with their practice schedule. The pressure D-I swimmers face with academics is mostly external. All NCAA swimmers are confident in their capabilities to do well in school, but they differ in their attitude regarding school. 

A common pressure NCAA swimmers discussed was the expectations to perform.  D-III swimmers felt this the most and discussed the influence their coaches had on the goals they set for themselves. When it came to D-I swimmers, however, a lot of the pressure they experienced was internal. D-I swimmers had their own goals they expected themselves to reach, which is where they largely experienced pressure to perform. 

Holistically, it is clear to see the stress that the collegiate swimming experience is far more extensive and complex than merely being a student-athlete. When we discuss a student-athletes’ well-being, their mental health needs to be a part of the discussion because the title of being a NCAA athlete, a D-I or D-III swimmer is a lot heavier than it looks. College swimmers put in the hours equivalent to a job, but the fine print under their job description doesn’t include mental health risks. NCAA swimmers may be setting American records at regional championship meets, but they are still human. And although we can’t see the mental battles they are facing daily, their mental health is just as important as their physical — if not more.

Anamika Nanda was a competitive swimmer for nine years on WAVE Aquatics in Redmond, Washington. She also swam for the Redmond High School women’s swim team for four years and was captain her senior year. As a prior USA swimmer, she wanted to learn more about the mental and physical experiences collegiate swimmers face, which inspired her undergraduate honors thesis at the University of Washington. Through the University of Washington’s Anthropology Honors Department, Nanda was able to conduct her study as a Mary Gates Research Scholar. She said she’s thankful to all her study participants for the opportunity to learn from them and add to the literature surrounding mental and physical health in athletics.