Members of Ohio State men’s swimming team in Atlanta in March 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics.
College swimming usually does not come with DJs, rapid-fire races or spectators packed shoulder to shoulder around the pool.
The College Swimming League wants to change that, and Ohio State is buying into the experiment.
The Buckeyes will be one of 12 teams competing in the CSL’s inaugural season, a new fall league designed to make college swimming faster, easier to follow and more accessible to viewers.
While the Buckeyes welcome the added exposure, Ohio State director of swimming and diving Bill Dorenkott said entertainment will remain secondary to developing athletes and competing for championships.
“We’re in the development business, not the entertainment business,” Dorenkott said.
The CSL looks to improve a concern junior swimmer Mila Nikanorov had about the accessibility of college swimming in the past.?
“One of the things that make swimming not watchable is the access to it,” junior swimmer Mila Nikanorov said. “With all the events and swimmers that compete, it’s kind of hard to follow if you’re not a swimmer yourself.”
The CSL’s inaugural season will have six regular-season matches featuring four teams, followed by a postseason wild-card meet with teams ranked three through seven competing for the last spot in the championship meet. All meets will last one day.?
The league wants to brand itself as a fan-first alternative during the fall portion of the college swim season, using rapid-fire racing and new events to increase entertainment value. Part of CSL’s attempt to attract viewers comes through new events designed with spectators in mind.
Nikanorov said the skins format uses elimination-style 50-yard sprints that eventually narrow the field to a head-to-head race, creating an event she finds entertaining even as a non-sprinter.
Co-founder of the College Swimming League, Kyle Sockwell, described how the meets can be watched.
“Every match is on ESPN platforms in the US, some on linear networks, and DAZN carries all eight events free to view everywhere else,” Sockwell said. “We have athletes from more than 35 countries, and for most of them this is the first time family back home can watch them race for their school.”
For international Buckeyes such as sophomore Cornelius Jahn, a native of Germany, the expanded television distribution carries personal significance.?
“It means a lot to me, because it’s hard for my parents to watch all the races or just follow my swimming career over here in the U.S.,” Jahn said.
Dorenkott said he believes the CSL can provide exposure and entertainment while, more importantly, helping Ohio State develop swimmers and compete for championships.?
“The question is, ‘does the CSL complement our existing goals?’, and the answer is yes,” Dorenkott said.
For Sockwell, having Ohio State in the inaugural 12-team field would only be the start of what the CSL envisioned for the future.
“I would love for it to be 500 teams, but we’re going to start with 12 and we’re going to try to get to 16 and we’ll see what happens from there,” Sockwell said.
Jahn, Nikanorov and Dorenkott viewed the CSL as something that could reshape not only Ohio State swimming, but the future of collegiate swimming.
“I think that our championship should be a celebration of the sport, with the goal of selling out arenas,” Dorenkott said. “If we’re there in five years, then I know our sport is in a really good spot.”
