Rowan women’s swimming won their third straight season opener on Saturday, beating the Stevens Institute of Technology, 175-87, once again at Tony Lisa Natatorium.

“I want to say it was absolutely one of the best starts that I’ve had in my time both as an assistant and a head coach here,” head coach Elise Fisher said. “And I think the energy that they arrived on campus with from the start of the season, before we got started, is undeniably what is carrying them every day at practice. … They have a relentless attitude, so I’m excited to see where it heads.”

The Profs won 12 out of 14 total events on Saturday, seeming to dominate the pool. And, they did it without Ella Pennington, a senior coming off a 2024-25 season that included a selection to the All-American First Team. Pennington was at a Biomedical engineering conference in California. 

Rhylee Cornell, a sophomore, earned New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Women’s Swimmer of the Week with her performance against Stevens, winning both the 100 and 200 Breaststroke events with times of 1:08.49 and 2:29.79, respectively. 

“I’m grateful to get that title,” Cornell said. “Honestly, that early on in the season, it felt so surprising for me. I kind of went in blind, because I didn’t know what to expect for myself, because it’s the first meet of the season. You can only go up from here.”

Another top performer for the Profs in the season opener was Kaitlyn Crouthamel, who won the 200 Free at 1:58.14, 500 Free at 5:18.17, and 1000 Free at 10:51.6, as well as being a part of the 200 Free Relay team that took home first place. Her wins in the 1000 Free and 200 Free were back-to-back events, which was a challenge that the junior successfully navigated.

“It was very challenging,” Crouthamel said. “Friday night, I was really nervous, and I told myself, ‘When you wake up on Saturday morning, just try to shake the nerves out and just go into it with a positive mindset.’ … At the end of the day, though, I was really happy with how I did. I really exceeded my expectations, so it was super exciting.”

Fisher says Crouthamel is someone she’s had an eye on since her freshman year of high school. Now, seven years removed from ninth grade, she’s made a huge splash to begin the season.

“She’s someone who I can put in any event, and expect her to just get excited,” Fisher said. “I knew that putting her in the 1000 Freestyle and then having that 200 Free back-to-back was going to be a challenge for her. And at this point in her junior season, I knew what she would be able to do. I think she shocked herself in how well she did in both events.”

Now, after a dominant open to the season, the Profs dip into NJAC competition. They’ll visit Montclair State on Friday night.

Cornell says the team has one mission facing the Red Hawks.

“Show them what a Prof is,” Cornell said.

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