For senior freestyle swimmer Allie Waggoner, swimming is more than a passion: it’s in her DNA. Her mom swam for the University of Virginia, her sister swims at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and her younger brother swims for the Jersey Wahoos—the very club where Waggoner herself started her journey.
She started swimming at just six months old, then competitively at “five or six” and hasn’t stopped since.
“My parents set me up and I just fell in love [with the sport] right then and there,” she said.
On Wednesday, March 5, it was announced that Waggoner was invited to the 2025 NCAA Swim & Dive Championships, making her the first female Seton Hall swimmer and second overall swimmer in Seton Hall history to do so.
This historic achievement should come as no surprise to those who have followed her career up to this point. A three-time Seton Hall Female Athlete of the Year, Waggoner holds multiple school and conference records and is a six-time Big East champion. This past season, she unanimously won the Most Outstanding Women’s Swimmer award at the 2025 Big East Swim and Dive Championship. She won three events at the championship, including a Big East and school record-breaking swim to win the 1650 free for the third consecutive year.
Receiving an invite to the NCAA Championships had been a goal of Waggoner’s since she came to Seton Hall. To qualify, she needed to be ranked within the top 40 nationally. “There’s a website that shows national rankings, so after I swam the mile at the Big East championship, [head coach Derek Sapp] told me I was 31st,” she said. “That wasn’t the official document saying I made it, so it didn’t really sink in. But I was so excited to see it.”
For Waggoner, this is more than just a personal achievement. She said she hopes it will help bring recognition to her school and the conference.
“I want people to know how hard Seton Hall works,” Waggoner said. “Coming here, you can become better, so I want to get Seton Hall’s name out there to show how [great] the Big East and Seton Hall can be.”
Of course, her success didn’t come without challenges.
Waggoner described her freshman year at Seton Hall as a “learning experience.” After finishing fifth and sixth in two events at the Big East championships, she said she was motivated to train harder in the offseason that year.
“I knew that wasn’t my best performance and I wanted to do better, so I was willing to do what I had to do, [both] in and out of the pool,” she said. “[It] really pushed me to train hard during the summer. I was doing doubles four times a week and I had nothing on my mind but swimming.”
“Doubles” are two training sessions in one day, according to Waggoner.
She also mentioned missing the Olympic trial cut in the mile by just .01 seconds last summer. Although she was disappointed at first, she said she reminded herself that it wasn’t the “end all be all” and there were other things she wanted to achieve.
“It’s hard to see the bigger picture sometimes, but that’s definitely something I’ve learned while I’ve been at Seton Hall,” Waggoner said.
Although it may be cliché, it’s common knowledge that no matter how talented you are, you won’t be successful without hard work. Waggoner attributes much of her success to her rigorous training schedule and work ethic.
“I train six days a week,” she said. “I do doubles three times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are when I do the majority of my distance practices, which can range from 6000 to 8000 yards.” In total, Waggoner said she spends roughly 18 hours a week in the pool.
When she’s not in the pool, Waggoner is a huge Disney fan, even labeling herself a “Disney adult.” She loves to watch Disney movies with friends and family and has been to Disney World in Florida “probably over 20 times.” She added that something on her lifetime bucket list is to visit all the Disney theme parks around the world.
That passion will become an even bigger part of her life after she graduates. “Starting in August, I’ll be working for Disney,” Waggoner said. “I got accepted into the Disney College Program.”
As she looks back on her career, Waggoner said one of her all-time favorite swimming memories is this past year’s Big East championship, where she knew she had a good chance of qualifying for the NCAA championship after winning three events.
“That whole meet feels like a fever dream,” she said. “I just have so many fond memories.”
Waggoner added that she hopes to make more memories in Federal Way, Washington where she’ll compete in the NCAA Women’s Swim and Dive Championships from March 19 to March 22. Seton Hall fans can follow the action on ESPN+.
“This might be my last meet,” she said, “but I’m just excited to race the best college athletes right now.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor for The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
