Making waves

The ripple effect of Planned Giving on Lyons artistic swimming

For Rebecca Ercoli, it was a coach’s dream come true.

In 2022, Wheaton’s director of aquatics and the program she coaches became the beneficiaries of the Janyce Q. Vaughan ’53 Endowed Coaching Fund for Artistic Swimming.

Thanks to the generosity of a former Wheaton artistic swimmer, Ercoli, in the midst of her 18th season at the helm of artistic swimming, is expanding the program, which was established on campus in 1941.

“This endowment gift, as the program heads toward the 85th anniversary of its founding, helps ensure that Wheaton artistic swimming is positioned to thrive for another 85+ years,” said Ercoli.

“It also demonstrates our program’s seriousness to the global artistic swimming community, including potential recruits and their families.”

In the pool, the Lyons recently secured their 10th consecutive East Regional Championship and for the first time in its history, three team members earned All-Conference honors from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation for their performance this season.

Ercoli shared that next season’s incoming recruiting class is the largest since 2016. Furthermore, the team will boast its largest roster since 2012.

The expansion of the team is due, in part, to a partnership established several years ago with the Attleboro Norton YMCA. Members between the ages of 6 and 18 are invited to participate in an artistic swimming program, immersing themselves in knowledge and competition, with support from members of the college’s team. The “Lyonfish” practice three times a week at the YMCA and on Sundays at Wheaton, when Lyons team members volunteer to assist the Lyonfish.

“[Our team members] think it’s great because it reminds them of the importance of basic skills and how far they’ve come themselves. And it’s a lot of fun.” said Ercoli.

“From a parent’s perspective, my daughter swam last year on the Lyonfish team. To have your child interact with a college athlete, it’s so impactful [to show that] this is what you can do if you work hard in school and in this sport and stick with it.”

Artistic swimmers compete in the pool.
Wheaton’s artistic swimming team competes against Stanford University on January 25, 2025. (Photo by Keith Nordstrom)

Marina Greenwood ’25 has helped coach the Lyonfish for two seasons. Among her swimmers was Sierra Bausemer ’28, who became the first Lyonfish team member to enroll at Wheaton and become a member of the Lyons team. This fall another former Lyonfish, Gabrielle Bausemer (Sierra’s sister), will join the Lyons.

“When we started the program several years ago, this is exactly what we were hoping would happen, that the program at the Y would kind of become our funnel system.” Ercoli explained.

Sierra Bausemer helped coach the Lyonfish this season.

“Being a member of the artistic swimming team has allowed me a space to grow tremendously as an athlete and a person,” said Bausemer. “I hope that as a coach with the Lyonfish I can foster the same passion, skill and dedication in my athletes that the Wheaton swimmers supported in me when I was a Lyonfish swimmer.”

It takes a significant commitment from Greenwood and Bausemer to compete and coach, according to Ercoli. “They’re pretty incredible people,” she said. “We practice for three hours every weekday morning, and they go to the Y to coach for two hours, three nights a week.”

The hectic schedule has not hindered Greenwood. The business and management major earned an All-Academic Award from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation last season. She will graduate in May after just three years at Wheaton. “I’ve taken five courses every semester and it comes down to great time management,” Greenwood shared, indicating that she focuses on the task at hand for each responsibility.

“Coaching has always been a dream of mine, so having this opportunity through this partnership has given me the basic foundation of coaching and I hope to continue with it for as long as I can.”

Ercoli eagerly awaits what next season will bring for the team. “Our program is quickly growing and there are a lot of needs if we want to stay competitive with the other varsity programs,” she said. “I hope that this is just the start of what is yet to come. These athletes work so hard.”