Fitter and Faster Swim Camps, a proud partner of SwimSwam’s College Recruiting Channel, continues to celebrate swimmers pursuing their dreams of collegiate competition. With dedication and drive, many athletes work tirelessly to reach this milestone, and Fitter and Faster honors both their efforts and the support they receive along the way.
One such athlete is Rowan Baglole, a standout from Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School in Whitby, Ontario, who has verbally committed to join West Virginia University’s swimming program in the 2026-27 academic year.
“I’m thrilled to announce my verbal commitment to continue both my academic and athletic journey at West Virginia University!” said Baglole. “A heartfelt thank you to my family, Coach Don, Karen, Meena, and Dean for their ongoing support. I’m also incredibly grateful to Coach Sydney, Michael, and Brent for this amazing opportunity. Go Mountaineers 💙💛”
Baglole trains under Coach Don Burton with the Ontario Swim Academy based at the Toronto Pan Am Centre and competes for the Ajax Aquatic Club. The academy is backed by Swim Ontario and several national programs, including the NextGen initiative from Own the Podium, Swimming Canada, and OHPSI via the Canadian Sport Institute Ontario. She excels in sprint freestyle and butterfly events.
Explaining her college choice to SwimSwam, she shared:
“I chose WVU because of the team’s ambition and the coaching staff’s drive to grow the program. That energy is exactly what I want to be a part of! I’m looking forward to training with Olympian Sydney Pickrem, along with Coaches Michael Walker and Brent MacDonald.”
In June, Baglole participated in the 2025 Canadian Swimming Trials, swimming the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle events as well as the 50 and 100 butterfly. She placed 11th in the 50 fly. Earlier in April, she finished 6th in the same event at the Canadian Open, setting a personal best of 27.73. At the Ontario Age Group Championships in March, she posted several PBs: 5th in both the 50 free (26.92) and 100 free (57.41), 4th in the 200 free (2:05.44), 12th in the 100 back (1:06.83), and 11th in the 100 fly (1:03.82).
She also made waves in December at the Ontario Junior International, earning silver in the SCM 50 fly with a lifetime best of 27.46. Additional finals included 12th in the 50 free, 8th in the 100 free, 19th in the 200 free, 9th in the 50 back, and 10th in the 100 fly.
The Mountaineers women’s team placed 9th out of 10 teams at the 2025 Big 12 Championships. Scoring times at that meet were 55.09 in the 100 fly, and 23.17, 50.48, and 1:49.72 in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle, respectively.
At WVU, Baglole plans to major in sports psychology. “I’m excited to pursue sports psychology so I can give back to my sport,” she said. “My goal is to help young swimmers develop mental strategies that boost confidence, resilience, and performance in and out of the pool.”
Be the first to comment