The cold waters of Cowles have typically flowed in tranquility, minus the actions of the women’s swim team, open swims and water-aerobics groups. But a new turbulence could possibly be coming for the Simpson athletic department in the 2007-2008 school year if a big enough splash is made by male swimmers.

Next year, Simpson could have an intercollegiate-level men’s swim team, which could open a flood of opportunity for Simpson men interested in taking a new athletic dive.

Whether possible participants had been on a team in high school and would like to continue with it, or whether there are students who just love the water and would like to stay fit and improve their form in a competitive environment, the team will undoubtedly open doors for a sport that was at one time limited.

In the past, Simpson has had men’s swimming as a club sport, but as a registered sport, the men’s swim team would compete against other schools in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They would compete during the winter season, the same as the women’s swim team. Last year’s powerhouses were Luther, Loras and Coe, teams that finished one-through-three in the conference championship in that respective order.

Junior Jamie Bradley is excited for the opportunity to be a part of the men’s swim team.

“I swam in high school, and I loved it,” Bradley said. “I think it would be really fun. Swimming is one thing that I was hoping for when I came to Simpson. It would be fun to swim competitively again.”

Bradley also competes on the cross-country team at Simpson.

The men’s swim team was the idea of the would-be coach Mark Wagner, who is also the women’s swim coach.

The possibility of the team has come from two main influences.

“My insistence and the fact that all of our competitors have a men’s team,” Wagner said.

This would mean that men’s athletics would have one more sport than women. Fortunately, Wagner said this still would not cause problems because it wouldn’t apply to Division III.