Pepperdine swimmers work through a lap during a practice in Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on Sept. 29 to prepare for their upcoming season. Swim & Dive will begin their season Oct. 9 to host the Rodionoff Invitational. Photos by Griffin Pilcher
Although Pepperdine Swim & Dive rode a wave of success in the 2025-26 season, with a new season comes a clean slate.
Looking to turn the tide and rewrite the record books, the Waves will host the Rodionoff Invitational at Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool to kick off the 2026-27 season with fresh faces, returning leadership and a fresh set of goals.
Coming off a historic season run — one that cemented 13 new program records under Head Coach Dan Marella — this year’s team, dubbed as Team 1, looks to leave their mark in more ways than one.
“We want to be the team that’s ambitious,” Marella said. “We want to be the team that takes ownership of their successes and their failures, and lastly, the team that trusts each other that everyone’s doing their best to get to that next level.”
Marella is entering his first full season as head coach after serving as interim head coach, a role he was named to when former head coach Ellie Monobe accepted the first head coaching position for Saint Mary’s College’s swimming program in November 2025, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
However, Marella is no stranger to Pepperdine Swim & Dive. He initially joined the Waves as a volunteer assistant Swim & Dive coach in September 2022 before becoming a full-time assistant coach for the 2023-24 season, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
While the team set 13 program records — three diving, four relays and six indvidual — under Marella’s leadership last season, he said the accomplishment is not something he carries into the coming season as a bragging right.
“We’ve talked a lot about how we can inherit what we want to inherit and make this year as much of a clean slate as we want to,” Marella said. “From a staff perspective, no egos in coaching, we’re going to do what’s best for these women.”
Diving Into Year Two
For sophomore diver Jackie Johnson, a clean slate does not mean leaving behind what she accomplished last season.
Johnson made a splash during her freshman campaign, setting a 3-meter program record in only her first collegiate match, making her eligible for the NCAA Diving Zone E Championships in March 2026. She then established a 1-meter record with a score of 271.20, which she later surpassed with her own score of 283.80, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Becoming the 11th Wave to do so, Johnson said competing at Zones was a goal she had set out for herself at the beginning of her freshman season.
“I’m most proud of my zone qualification scores on both 1-meter and 3-meter,” Johnson said. “That was my ultimate goal last season and I was able to achieve it.”
Sophomore diver Jackie Johnson completes her dive into Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool during a practice session Sept. 29. Johnson is the only returning diver on the 2026-27 season roster.
Now with a full season of competition and collegiate championship experience under her belt, Johnson is hungry for more.
“Last year, it was a lot of taking it in and seeing what it’s like and now that I know what it’s like, I hope to go compete and place higher this year,” Johnson said. “As a freshman, it could definitely be intimidating, but it was also a really cool experience because I got to be filled in a room with some of the best divers in the country.”
The Newest Waves
Since losing four senior divers to graduation last spring, Johnson is the only returning diver with a full season of Pepperdine experience. To join her on the diving squad, she will be accompanied by junior transfer Taityn Speier and two freshmen, Miley Cavaness and Bailey Mahoney.
Now stepping up to fulfill leadership responsibilities as a sophomore, Marella hopes for Jackie to remain true to herself.
“What we need from her is for her to be herself,” Marella said. “Be that natural leader that she is and also raise the level of competition, and practice competition in competition and also help guide the three newcomers that are here.”
Johnson said the mixture between experienced divers and freshmen is a strength.
“It’s a really good balance because they have both of us to help them,” Johnson said. “And then they’re also so hardworking. We’re a really good squad this year and we’re going to do really well.”
While the energy is high on the diving board, the same energy can be said for the swimmers.
Nine freshmen have been added to the swim roster and sophomore swimmer Aliyah Fan said she couldn’t help but notice how quickly the newcomers have found their place within the team.
“They’ve integrated with our team really well,” Aliyah Fan said. “Even though they’re like a third of our team, they’ve really become super involved and everyone’s got along pretty well.”
The excitement is felt among the entire team, with Johnson feeling the same spark in her squad’s dynamic.
“Excitement is at an all time high with three newbies and me, myself,” Johnson said. “I love diving, so I’m very excited and we’re all looking forward to the season together and everything we’re gonna achieve.”
The newest additions have already brought their burst of enthusiasm to Malibu, a different vibe than the coaching staff said they have seen in previous years.
“The biggest thing that I’ve noticed from these women is the energy that they bring is awesome,” Marella said. “6 a.m. is early, but these girls are bright. They are laughing, they are smiling. That kind of energy is new for us.”
Sisterhood in the Pool
Aliyah Fan’s name is marked in the program record books, including the 200 freestyle, with a time of 1:51.02. She also swam legs in the 200, 400 and 800 free relay and 400 medley relay, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Not only does she excel at the collegiate level, but she does it with her sister, senior Kiana Fan, in the same pool. The pair of sisters have been swimming together for most of their lives, but they said their different events allow them to be each other’s biggest cheerleaders without competing for the same spotlight.
“Last year, it honestly made the transition so much easier because she could tell me what she’s gone through and I’ve seen her do it,” Aliyah Fan said. “She’s a great mentor and I look up to her.”
This Year’s Focus
While the rookies are bringing a new sense of excitement to the team, the Waves are relying on their returners to build on last season’s lessons to find even greater success this year.
“First of all, last year was crazy,” Marella said. “A lot of that success was due to our support staff, whether it be strength and conditioning, athletic training, other head coaches around the program and obviously Monique [Demaisip], our dive coach, did phenomenal.”
Marella said the key to success from the coaching staff was rooted in creating an environment that welcomes both mistakes and failures.
“What really worked last year was the type of environment that we created,” Marella said. “It was an environment where failure was encouraged, understanding that failure is a privilege.”
A Pepperdine diver stands atop the diving board while another Wave tucks into position during a practice in Raleigh Runnels Memorial Pool on Sept. 19. The diving squad welcomes two freshmen and one transfer to their roster this season.
During Labor Day weekend, the team’s retreat in Big Bear Lake, Calif., served as bonding time and laid the foundation for the coming season. Marella said the group looked beyond the soon-approaching season and toward where it hopes to be four years from now. As a result, the team’s list of goals stretched from the pool to the classroom.
“For us, we’re trying to achieve 100 best times for the year,” Marella said. “From an athletic standpoint, that is daunting and another daunting goal that we set out as a group is to rewrite every single school record. We feel like we’re in a unique position where that’s possible.”
Marella said the Waves are also aiming to break the GPA record once again and lead the department for the fifth straight year. Last year, the team averaged a GPA of 3.62, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
Yet, some of the team’s biggest goals lie in individual achievement.
“I want to go back to zones and I’m hoping to qualify on all three,” Johnson said. “I qualified on 1-meter and 3-meter last year and I’m hoping to do one, three and platform this year. And then just hoping to place better.”
The Waves compete in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) conference, where the swimmers hope to see all their months worth of early morning and evening practices pay off.
“There’s so many things I’m excited for, but definitely conference is something that I’m looking forward to because it’s such a high energy meet,” Aliyah Fan said. “You get to see your results from the whole year and when it pays off, it’s such a rewarding feeling. All that hard work really meant something and you really learn and grow a lot from everything.”
The Waves will jump into the season at Raleigh Memorial Pools to host the Rodionoff Invitational from Oct. 9-10. The invitational was renamed in 2021 to honor Nick and Carrie Rodionoff, who guided the program for 18 years as head Swim & Dive coach and volunteer and administrative assistant, according to Pepperdine Athletics.
This story was copy edited by Olivia Schlossin.
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Contact Madison Chavez via email: madison.chavez@pepperdine.edu
