(Reprinted with permission: DVC Inquirer)

The sight of crystal clear blue water returned to Diablo Valley College last month with the opening of a shining new aquatics facility that highlights the school’s premier water polo and swim programs.

Already, the state-of-the-art complex is getting rave reviews from those who use it most.

“I’m most looking forward to practicing every day in the pool, and racing meets in the pool,” said 18-year-old freshman swimmer Nate Wendling. “Practicing in a super nice pool will definitely help me become faster.”

According to the swim team’s associate head coach, Lee Ward, “the new pool is great.” “It was something that needed to be done, but seemed to have been neglected,” Ward said. 

Head Aquatics Coach Trisha Quan beamed as she described the new infrastructure that is bringing a fresh face to the program. “The new Aquatics Complex is beautiful.” 

"Now, we have a great space to host our aquatics teams and classes. The Olympic-sized pool [which is 50 meters long and 25 yards wide] is ideal, and the on-deck locker rooms, offices and classroom provide comfort and convenience, making daily operations easy,” Quan added.

For the past two years, DVC athletes competing on the swim and water polo teams trained without a campus pool, traveling instead to the Cowell Community Pool in Concord to practice and compete. Construction on the pool, which was completed this summer, started in 2020.

The new aquatics facilities were funded by the $450 million Measure E bond Contra Costa County voters passed in 2014. The Aquatics Complex was upgraded with the rest of the athletics and kinesiology buildings, which in total cost $41 million to complete.

Now, finally, swimmer athletes at DVC have a place they can call their own.

“Having to travel to different training sites has been a hardship for our athletes and aquatic staff,” said Quan. "There’s more flexibility” in students’ schedules," added Ward, “since the travel time to the pool and back to school has significantly decreased.”

The new facilities are equipped with on deck classrooms to help coaches train athletes both in and out of the water. “We're able to go from film review in the classroom directly to practice in the pool within moments. This fosters the knowledge required for our athletes to take their games to another level,” said Quan.

Last year, DVC posted successful results in both aquatics programs, despite lacking home meets or a campus pool to train in. The Women’s Water Polo team finished fourth in the Big 8 Conference and qualified for the NorCal Regional Tournament.

Men’s Water Polo finished second in the Big 8 behind Sierra, and finished third in the NorCal Regional while almost qualifying for the State Championship.

The swim teams found success as well, with the Women’s Swim Team taking home second place at Big 8 and seventh place in the State Championship. The Men’s Swim Team finished third in the Big 8 and 23rd in the state.

Now, as DVC looks to grow its swimming and water polo programs, the pool is expected to be a huge draw, motivating more students to join the teams and continue building a swim culture that connects the community.

“We hope that being back on campus will help grow all our programs and the tradition of excellence that past teams have forged,” said Quan. “We're excited to be back home to host games, and meets, and allow our community to once again celebrate our teams. Our athletes work hard in and out of the pool and they deserve to play in front of their families, friends, and community.”

(Editing by Walnut Creek Magazine. Photography by DVC Aquatics.)