For Washington University senior Alex McCormick, becoming a national champion was a dream four years in the making.

Across four days from Feb. 14-17, the No. 14 ranked Washington University men’s and women’s swim and dive teams attempted to do exactly that, putting themselves to the test against elite competition in the 2024 UAA Championships. The women’s (1,162 points) and men’s (1,105 points) teams fell short of the UAA title, but placed fourth and fifth respectively, finishing in the middle of the talented eight-team conference.

The Washington University No. 11 Men’s and No. 14 Women’s swimming and diving teams were defeated by Division I Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) 127–95 and 143–93, respectively, in the teams’ final dual meet, on Feb. 2, before the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship.

The Washington University No. 10 men’s and No. 14 women’s swim teams defeated Division II University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) on Jan. 12. The next day, the Bears traveled to Illinois to face off against Division II McKendree University, producing mixed results. The women’s team defeated the Bearcats, but the men’s team fell to McKendree.

“I noticed that was the first time I was smiling behind the blocks,” Bunner, who transferred to Washington University this fall, said. “Because those are my teammates. Those are the people who accepted me and I just get to get up and race them.”

Washington University No. 8 men’s and No. 17 women’s swim team competed in the Denison Invitational on Nov. 30 to Dec. 2,  placing 4th and 5th respectively.

In front of a packed crowd, the Washington University men’s and women’s swim teams opened their season against Division I St. Louis University Billikens on Oct. 20. The men — who placed seventh last year at the NCAA Championship — beat the Billikens with a scoreline of 128.50-105.50 and the women beat the Billikens 129.50-113.50. Following this victory, both teams moved to 1-0 on the season.

If Kevin Hao was rusty after an extended break from competition, he didn’t show it.

The Washington University swimming and diving teams won the Illinois Wesleyan Invite on Saturday, continuing its early season successes. On the men’s side, the No. 5 Bears earned 144 points, outpacing second-place Augustana College by 43 points. In the women’s competition, No. 6 Wash. U. tallied 177 points, beating second-place Illinois Wesleyan University by 62 points.

The Washington University swimming and diving team put on an impressive performance in their home dual meet on Saturday against DePauw University, beating the Tigers by a combined score of 317-200, as the men’s and women’s teams both won their competitions with scores of 155-94 and 162-106, respectively.