Oakland City University is searching for swimmers to join its men’s and women’s teams after adding the sport to its athletics department.
The Gibson County college will begin swimming competitively in the 2026–27 academic year as part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Mid-South Conference.
Athletics Director T-Ray Fletcher said the swim program gives student-athletes a new avenue to pursue an education at OCU and compete in a sport.
“We’re an NAIA member, and from an athletic and enrollment building perspective, we’re hoping to have 20 to 25 male and 20 to 25 female swimmers. So that’s another 40 to 50 student-athletes on campus,” he said.
OCU will use the pool at the new Toyota Indiana YMCA in Princeton as its home venue. Jake Alexander, the Mighty Oaks’ swimming head coach, is leading a stroke development swim clinic at the facility through Oct. 15.
“It’s going to be a great pool for us to get started in and get the program up and going,” he said. “I’m just excited to get the team going and see where we can set the bar next year.”
Starting the program
The addition of the swim program to Oakland City University Athletics means there will now be 10 sports for men and nine for women. Fletcher noted there has been significant growth in the department over the past five years.
“We’ve added several sports [such as sprint football and track and field], and the Toyota Indiana YMCA in Princeton presented an opportunity for us to add competitive swimming for men and women. So we took advantage of that,” the athletics director said.
The YMCA, which opened in May, is about 15 minutes away from campus. Oakland City University sponsors the aquatic center that bears its name.
“There was some investment there by us to help ensure that we have quality timing for practices and scheduling competitions and things like that,” said Fletcher. “Once we knew when the facility would be completed, we thought, ‘Let’s not try to rush into it this year and have a piecemeal roster. Let’s take a year to recruit and build the program properly.’”
When the time came to choose a coach, Fletcher said Alexander was an enthusiastic and qualified candidate. The Southridge High School and Vincennes University swimmer was an assistant coach for a club in Huntingburg and head coach of the Wabash Valley Swim Team, formerly known as the Vincennes Swim Team.
“I liked his connection with some of the feeder programs and the youth programs in club swimming and thought that would be a good way to start the program,” Fletcher said.
Alexander viewed the OCU swimming leadership role as his chance to transition from part-time coaching to full-time work.
“Because I’ve got a family, a wife and kids, and I didn’t want to have to relocate. And with this university, a small university in a smaller town, it was a great opportunity for me to try to make my passion my career,” he said.
‘We want to be successful’
Alexander believes the swim program will not only attract more students, which means more revenue for Oakland City University, but it will also draw in high-quality scholars.
“Swimmers are typically pretty good students because of the dedication and the drive that it takes to do this sport. You’re in the water the majority of the time you’re practicing. You’re swimming back and forth, and it takes a lot of drive and discipline,” he said.
OCU swimmers benefit from the program by getting the chance to compete in collegiate athletics and fund their postsecondary education, according to Fletcher.
“There’s athletic scholarship opportunity available for them to help offset the cost of college. We’re going to offer them a fair package. Financial aid will be used as well. But we also want to compete at the highest level possible. We wouldn’t do this just as an activity. We want to be successful within our program just like our other athletic programs on campus,” he said.
Alexander also has an advantage: flexibility. He’s creating the swim program from scratch, but with that freedom comes some challenges.
“I am starting from the ground up. There’s no real outline to follow. I’m getting a lot of suggestions from other coaches within the university. But swimming is completely different than tennis, basketball or track and field,” he said. “Another college coach I’ve gotten to know via phone in Illinois has been helping me out and giving me suggestions and has been a mentor to get things started.”
Building the rosters
To prepare for OCU’s inaugural swimming season, Alexander is busy raising awareness in the region about the new program.
“Get the word out that, ‘Hey, we’re here! We are legitimately starting a swim team.’ The college is behind us 100% in trying to get things going,” the head coach said.
“Princeton Community High School, North Gibson School Corp., they’re just now starting swimming as well with the [YMCA] opening. We’re trying to help create that buzz and that demand for them as well,” added Fletcher.
Alexander’s recruitment efforts include attending the 2025 Indiana Swimming Senior State Meet and visiting with Erinn Jankowski, Mt. Vernon High School’s head swim coach.
“I’m trying to work some of the contacts I’ve got, as far as coaching goes, in the immediate area. Beyond that, I am trying to reach out as much as I can,” Alexander said. “I’m looking for passionate swimmers who are excited about the sport and have some room to grow.”
“Coach Alexander is working hard at recruiting and building that first-year roster. We hope to use this year’s cushion to find athletes that will be competitive in year one,” added Fletcher.
For students interested in swimming for OCU, there are several ways to contact Alexander. Prospective athletes can fill out a form on the athletic department’s website or choose another communication method.
“They can send video. They can call [812-631-2302]. They can email. His social media is up and running. Just reach out to him. He’s going to be diligent in making those connections,” Fletcher said.
“I would tell them to get a hold of me any way, shape or form,” added Alexander.