Wednesday, March 25
Atlanta Ga.
TBA
Davidson College Athletics
vs
NCAA Championships
Poolside to Podium and Beyond: Felt Charts His Own Course
3/25/2026 10:14:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Swimming & Diving
Davidson swimmer will compete at NCAAs Thursday and Friday
The Fort Lauderdale Aquatic Center is not your typical neighborhood pool.
It sits on a sliver of Florida land between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, mere steps from the beach, with marina boats bobbing all around. It's home to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and a 27-meter diving platform overlooks a tropical scene highlighted by some of the brightest blues on the spectrum. It's a water-lover's paradise. The address is, literally, on Seabreeze Blvd.
It's also the home pool of Davidson senior swimmer Dylan Felt, and seeing it all, it's easy to imagine him as a young boy getting his start there, splashing in the water, finding his talent and embarking on an aquatic journey that culminates at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta this week.
And it's all true. Felt did grow up and hone his skills in that picturesque hometown pool, at the epicenter of swimming, where he and his friends hung out on the beach between practices and effortlessly cultivated deep, year-round, golden tans. It was an incredible, idyllic, almost magical place to start.
But the start itself — that was an issue.
See, at age 7, Dylan Felt had no interest in competitive swimming. Like none whatsoever.
His older brother, Myles, had joined the Swim Fort Lauderdale club and was enjoying it. But for two months, Dylan simply refused. For 1-2 hours, six days a week and two months, he refused. Outwardly at least, he showed no interest in joining the others, although he otherwise loved playing in the water and had been splashing around in it for years.
So while Myles and the rest of the team practiced, Dylan stayed on the deck with his mother, Moe, and played with his toy cars or his latest gadget of choice. Anytime she suggested he try swimming, he smirked or made faces.
"I couldn't believe the nerve of this kid, sitting poolside six days a week," says Moe, laughing at the memory.
Felt was steadfast, though. He was content on paradise's pool deck, or perhaps more, just determined to do things his way, when he wanted.
"I was just stubborn in general," he says. "But if I'm being honest, I was probably watching the whole time and a little jealous."
Finally, on what the club called a "Fun Friday," when the sessions included games, a coach walked over and asked Dylan to join them. Without hesitation, like there had never been any at all, he did. And quickly, he was hooked.
"That was it," says Moe. "I knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time."
In a full-circle kind of twist, Felt has returned to that Fort Lauderdale pool the last two Januarys. And he's brought a few dozen of his closest friends. It's now the Wildcats' winter training trip destination.
DAVIDSON DAYS
At Davidson, Felt has charted his own course as well. But unlike his younger days, he didn't wait long to make waves.
He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2023 and won not only the Atlantic 10's top rookie honor, but also the A-10 Most Outstanding Performer Award … in his first conference meet.
In four years, he's collected two MOP awards and 15 A-10 medals, including nine golds. Within that stack of hardware, he's won the 500 free title all four years. He won three titles in the 1,650 free and two more in the 200. He's also captured four medals, including three silvers, with his pals on the 800 free relay team.
In 2024, he competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying along the nation's best in four events. He owns all of Davidson's freestyle records, and he set a few in the A-10, too.
And in February, he secured a berth in the NCAA Championships by winning the A-10's 200 free title in 1:33.46. He popped out of the water, glanced at the scoreboard and saw that he'd not only won, but also hit the NCAA cut (1:33.93).
"A wave of emotion came through me," says Felt. "It's been something I've been chasing my four years here."
He added a 500 free cut at an NCAA qualifying event at Georgia the next week, posting a time of 4:17.36. As part of the four-day meet at Georgia Tech, he'll swim the 200 on Thursday and the 500 on Friday.
"I'm so happy that that Davidson College logo is going to be on the banners that they wrap around the pool," says Felt. "I'm going to look at that and be pretty proud of that. People don't really expect a mid-major like Davidson to be at NCAAs, so I'm definitely coming in there, again being like the underdog. Kinda like my story."
BUILT FOR SUCCESS
At 5-foot-9, Felt is not the prototypical, long and lean swimmer, especially in the sprint freestyle events where the giants loom.
Often when he wins and stands atop the podium, the second- and third-place competitors, with their feet planted lower, nearly equal him in height.
But Felt has been overcoming that size differential his entire competitive career. His determination — the same trait he showed as a kid avoiding swimming — is as chiseled as his physique.
"I hate seeing someone touch the wall before me," he says. "I really don't like losing."
Davidson coach John Young sees a combination of factors that set Felt apart. He's technically sound. He's efficient in his stroke. And he's just got a motor and work ethic that is difficult to quantify. Young's first "wow" moment from Felt came during that 2023 A-10 meet, Felt's first, when the young kid from Florida cranked out an intense, memorable, runaway swim … while winning a prelim heat. It was the kind of performance that makes an onlooker wonder if he'd kept enough in the tank to win in the finals (he, in fact, had).
"Objectively, he's a beautiful swimmer," says Young. "It's the result of lessons learned throughout his development in the sport and evidence of his relationship with the water. Combining that technical proficiency with his work ethic, his connection to teammates, his ability to compete in big moments and his willingness to have fun — the result is special."
ELITE COMPANY
Lindsey Martin, Drew Onken, Elise Lankiewicz, Dylan Felt. That's the list.
Felt is in elite company as the fourth Wildcat, and second men's swimmer, to reach the NCAAs. Martin, a multi-event freestyler, was the first Davidson swimmer to qualify, and she swam in NCAAs in both 2010 and 2011. Onken followed in 2012, competing in the 200 breaststroke and the individual medleys. Lankiewicz, also a multi-event freestyler, broke through in 2017.
For Felt, the kid who reluctantly found a home in the water, reaching NCAAs is an exclamation point on a career that's taken him from poolside to the podium and beyond.
"Now that I'm actually there, it's pretty surreal," he says.
And it's something the Wildcats are incredibly proud to see.
"Having Dylan at NCAAs is first and foremost a feather in his cap," says Young. "Qualifying for this meet, like qualifying for the Olympic Trials, makes him a member of an exclusive club. I know that he'll represent Davidson and his teammates admirably, and I hope he's already inspired teammates to think about what they can accomplish in a limitless way."
It sits on a sliver of Florida land between the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic, mere steps from the beach, with marina boats bobbing all around. It's home to the International Swimming Hall of Fame, and a 27-meter diving platform overlooks a tropical scene highlighted by some of the brightest blues on the spectrum. It's a water-lover's paradise. The address is, literally, on Seabreeze Blvd.
It's also the home pool of Davidson senior swimmer Dylan Felt, and seeing it all, it's easy to imagine him as a young boy getting his start there, splashing in the water, finding his talent and embarking on an aquatic journey that culminates at the NCAA Championships in Atlanta this week.
And it's all true. Felt did grow up and hone his skills in that picturesque hometown pool, at the epicenter of swimming, where he and his friends hung out on the beach between practices and effortlessly cultivated deep, year-round, golden tans. It was an incredible, idyllic, almost magical place to start.
But the start itself — that was an issue.
See, at age 7, Dylan Felt had no interest in competitive swimming. Like none whatsoever.
His older brother, Myles, had joined the Swim Fort Lauderdale club and was enjoying it. But for two months, Dylan simply refused. For 1-2 hours, six days a week and two months, he refused. Outwardly at least, he showed no interest in joining the others, although he otherwise loved playing in the water and had been splashing around in it for years.
So while Myles and the rest of the team practiced, Dylan stayed on the deck with his mother, Moe, and played with his toy cars or his latest gadget of choice. Anytime she suggested he try swimming, he smirked or made faces.
"I couldn't believe the nerve of this kid, sitting poolside six days a week," says Moe, laughing at the memory.
Felt was steadfast, though. He was content on paradise's pool deck, or perhaps more, just determined to do things his way, when he wanted.
"I was just stubborn in general," he says. "But if I'm being honest, I was probably watching the whole time and a little jealous."
Finally, on what the club called a "Fun Friday," when the sessions included games, a coach walked over and asked Dylan to join them. Without hesitation, like there had never been any at all, he did. And quickly, he was hooked.
"That was it," says Moe. "I knew it was going to happen. It was just a matter of time."
In a full-circle kind of twist, Felt has returned to that Fort Lauderdale pool the last two Januarys. And he's brought a few dozen of his closest friends. It's now the Wildcats' winter training trip destination.
DAVIDSON DAYS
At Davidson, Felt has charted his own course as well. But unlike his younger days, he didn't wait long to make waves.
He burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2023 and won not only the Atlantic 10's top rookie honor, but also the A-10 Most Outstanding Performer Award … in his first conference meet.
In four years, he's collected two MOP awards and 15 A-10 medals, including nine golds. Within that stack of hardware, he's won the 500 free title all four years. He won three titles in the 1,650 free and two more in the 200. He's also captured four medals, including three silvers, with his pals on the 800 free relay team.
In 2024, he competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials, qualifying along the nation's best in four events. He owns all of Davidson's freestyle records, and he set a few in the A-10, too.
And in February, he secured a berth in the NCAA Championships by winning the A-10's 200 free title in 1:33.46. He popped out of the water, glanced at the scoreboard and saw that he'd not only won, but also hit the NCAA cut (1:33.93).
"A wave of emotion came through me," says Felt. "It's been something I've been chasing my four years here."
He added a 500 free cut at an NCAA qualifying event at Georgia the next week, posting a time of 4:17.36. As part of the four-day meet at Georgia Tech, he'll swim the 200 on Thursday and the 500 on Friday.
"I'm so happy that that Davidson College logo is going to be on the banners that they wrap around the pool," says Felt. "I'm going to look at that and be pretty proud of that. People don't really expect a mid-major like Davidson to be at NCAAs, so I'm definitely coming in there, again being like the underdog. Kinda like my story."
BUILT FOR SUCCESS
At 5-foot-9, Felt is not the prototypical, long and lean swimmer, especially in the sprint freestyle events where the giants loom.
Often when he wins and stands atop the podium, the second- and third-place competitors, with their feet planted lower, nearly equal him in height.
But Felt has been overcoming that size differential his entire competitive career. His determination — the same trait he showed as a kid avoiding swimming — is as chiseled as his physique.
"I hate seeing someone touch the wall before me," he says. "I really don't like losing."
Davidson coach John Young sees a combination of factors that set Felt apart. He's technically sound. He's efficient in his stroke. And he's just got a motor and work ethic that is difficult to quantify. Young's first "wow" moment from Felt came during that 2023 A-10 meet, Felt's first, when the young kid from Florida cranked out an intense, memorable, runaway swim … while winning a prelim heat. It was the kind of performance that makes an onlooker wonder if he'd kept enough in the tank to win in the finals (he, in fact, had).
"Objectively, he's a beautiful swimmer," says Young. "It's the result of lessons learned throughout his development in the sport and evidence of his relationship with the water. Combining that technical proficiency with his work ethic, his connection to teammates, his ability to compete in big moments and his willingness to have fun — the result is special."
ELITE COMPANY
Lindsey Martin, Drew Onken, Elise Lankiewicz, Dylan Felt. That's the list.
Felt is in elite company as the fourth Wildcat, and second men's swimmer, to reach the NCAAs. Martin, a multi-event freestyler, was the first Davidson swimmer to qualify, and she swam in NCAAs in both 2010 and 2011. Onken followed in 2012, competing in the 200 breaststroke and the individual medleys. Lankiewicz, also a multi-event freestyler, broke through in 2017.
For Felt, the kid who reluctantly found a home in the water, reaching NCAAs is an exclamation point on a career that's taken him from poolside to the podium and beyond.
"Now that I'm actually there, it's pretty surreal," he says.
And it's something the Wildcats are incredibly proud to see.
"Having Dylan at NCAAs is first and foremost a feather in his cap," says Young. "Qualifying for this meet, like qualifying for the Olympic Trials, makes him a member of an exclusive club. I know that he'll represent Davidson and his teammates admirably, and I hope he's already inspired teammates to think about what they can accomplish in a limitless way."
Players Mentioned
Fly/Free
/ Men's Swimming & Diving2025-26 Swimming & Diving - Dylan Felt (A-10 Champion)
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