Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Stockton Photo, Inc.
Men's Swimming and Diving Welcomes Nine Newcomers
8/4/2026 2:30:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Eight swimmers and one diver join program for 2026-27 season
NEW YORK — The Columbia men's swimming and diving program and head men's swimming coach Jim Bolster, along with head diving coach Scott Donie, announced the addition of nine newcomers ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The class of 2030 hails from six different states, and is composed of eight swimmers and one diver.
Details on this season's incoming class are below. Fans can access the complete 2026-27 Columbia men's swimming & diving roster by clicking this link.
Tristan McCain – Fy. – Distance Freestyle – 6-2 – CC – Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal School / Longhorn Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
A distance freestyler from Austin, Texas … Four-year varsity swimmer at St. Stephen's Episcopal School … Competed for Longhorn Aquatics from 2021-25 and Hill Country Aquatics in 2026 … Member of the National Latin Honors Society.
Personal:
Plans to major in comparative literature and society at Columbia College … Enjoys running, soccer, volleyball, reading, meeting new people, and thrifting … Son of Jon McCain, who played soccer at the University of Texas.
Cory Han – Fy. – IM/Back/Breast – 6-4 – CC – Carmel, Indiana / Carmel High School / Carmel Swim Club
Prior to Columbia:
An individual medley, backstroke, and breaststroke swimmer from Carmel, Indiana … Four-year varsity swimmer at Carmel High School … Four-time IHSAA Boys Swimming State Championship finalist (2024-26) … Two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American (2024-26) … Three-time Speedo Summer and Winter Junior National qualifier (2024-26) … Earned the Indiana Swimming Top Performer Award in 2018-19 and 2024-25 … Recorded personal best times of 3:54.83 in the 400-yard individual medley, 1:48.67 in the 200-yard individual medley, 49.13 in the 100-yard backstroke, and 1:47.66 in the 200-yard backstroke … Competed for Carmel Swim Club for 13 years (2013-26).
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics at Columbia College … Earned a 4.4 cumulative weighted GPA, scored a 5 on six AP exams, and received AP Scholar with Distinction recognition (2024-26) … Volunteered more than 150 hours at his local church throughout high school … Enjoys fishing, video games, basketball, pickleball, and spending time with friends … Has been fishing for more than 10 years … Brother, Leo, competed in swimming at NYU from 2022-26.
Braeden Valenzuela – Fy. – Diving – 5-11 – CC – Laguna Niguel, California / San Juan Hills High School / Crown Valley Diving
Prior to Columbia:
A diver from Laguna Niguel, California … Competed in diving at San Juan Hills High School while also participating in high school surfing as a freshman … CIF Southern Section qualifier and CIF Champion … Earned league champion honors, team MVP recognition, and Scholar-Athlete Award honors … Finished among the top four at the CIF State Finals and holds the school record in diving … Recorded a personal-best score of 555.10 on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards … Qualified for USA Diving regionals, zones, and Junior Olympic Nationals meets multiple times from 2021-26 … Competed for Crown Valley Diving since 2019 and represented the AAU Diving Team at international competition in Croatia in 2025.
Personal:
Plans to major in architecture at Columbia College … Valedictorian of his graduating class … Earned AP Scholar recognition, completed College & Career Advantage coursework, and received Principal's Honor Roll and Superintendent's/Principal's Honor Roll recognition … Enjoys listening to music, going to the beach, arts and crafts, baking, cooking, and thrifting.
Timothy Lee – Fy. – Sprint Freestyle – 6-1 – CC – Closter, New Jersey / Northern Valley Regional High School / Lifetime Metro Swim Team
Prior to Columbia:
A sprinter from Closter, New Jersey … Competed in swimming at Northern Valley Regional High School … Named 2026 team MVP and holds the school record in the 50-yard freestyle … Two-time county champion in the 100-yard freestyle (2022-23, 2025-26) … Four-time Scholastic All-American (2022-25) and two-time NVD Scholar-Athlete Award recipient … Competed for Scarlet Aquatics from 2019-25 before joining Lifetime Metro Swim Team in 2025-26 … Competed at the Summer Junior Nationals.
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics at Columbia College … Volunteered with SwimAmerica … Enjoys playing pickleball.
Kyle Li – Fy. – Breaststroke/IM – 5-11 – CC – Chantilly, Virginia / Chantilly High School / Chantilly High School Swim & Dive
Prior to Columbia:
A breaststroke and individual medley swimmer from Chantilly, Virginia … Competed for Chantilly High School Swim & Dive from 2022-26 … Four-time state champion and Virginia all-time state record holder in the 100-yard breaststroke (53.54) … Two-time Washington Post First Team Winter All-Met selection (2025, 2026) … Eight-time NISCA All-American … Three-time All-Northern Region Team selection (2024-26) and two-time All-State Team honoree (2025, 2026) … Set four high school records … Competed at the club level from 2017-26 … US Open finalist (2024), Toyota National Championships qualifier (2025), and two-time Winter Junior Nationals finalist (2025).
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics and applied mathematics at Columbia College … Earned a 4.5 GPA, National Merit Finalist recognition, AP Scholar with Distinction honors, an AP Capstone Diploma, and was a Presidential Scholars Program nominee … Volunteered more than 200 hours teaching children how to swim through his local swimming club's prerequisite program and spent 20 hours tutoring computer science and math through high school honor societies … Enjoys fishing, hiking, basketball, snowboarding, playing piano, and trying new foods.
Krish Jain – Fy. – 5-9 – CC – Jacksonville, Florida / The Bolles School / Bolles School Sharks
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Jacksonville, Florida … Four-year swimmer at The Bolles School … Helped lead the Bulldogs to a Florida High School State Championship … Part of a national high school record-setting 200-yard medley relay team … Earned Scholastic All-American honors … Competed for the Bolles School Sharks from 2022-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in finance at Columbia College … Member of the National Honor Society … Enjoys spending time with friends and playing video games.
Levi Skaistis – Fy. – IM/Breaststroke – 6-0 – CC – Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal School / Hill Country Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
An individual medley and breaststroke swimmer from Austin, Texas … Four-year varsity swimmer and one-year varsity tennis player at St. Stephen's Episcopal School … Scholastic All-American … Holds the Southern Preparatory Conference record in the 100-yard breaststroke and the Southern Preparatory Conference pool records in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley … Competed for AGUA from 2013-19, Longhorn Aquatics (LCA) from 2019-22, TXLA from 2022-25, and Hill Country Aquatics from 2025-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in English at Columbia College … Member of the Cum Laude Society and National Honor Society (2023-26) … Enjoys singing, reading, and tennis … Helped set a school and meet record during his freshman year of high school.
Rohan Mehra – Fy. – 5-11 – Distance – Jersey City, N.J. / Riverdale Country School / AGUA Swim Team
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Jersey City, New Jersey. … Competed for Riverdale Country School's boys swimming team throughout high school … National-level swimmer with the AGUA Swim Team since 2018 … Winter Junior Nationals qualifier and Futures, Sectionals, and Senior Zones finalist … Selected for the USA Swimming Regional Diversity Select Camp in 2023 … Captured the Senior Mets Championship High Point title in 2026 … Holds AGUA Swim Team records in the 200-yard butterfly and 800-meter freestyle relay … Earned the club's Breakthrough Award in 2026 … Ranked among New Jersey's top-10 swimmers.
Personal:
Plans to major in financial engineering at Columbia Engineering … Published research on AI-generated phishing email detection in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovation … Delivered a TEDx talk titled "Creating an Army of Mission-Driven Swimmers" … Founded a learn-to-swim program serving underserved children in the Bronx and created an organization that helps swimmers establish similar programs … Volunteered as a STEM educator with the Museum of Mathematics and Welcome Home Jersey City … Helped develop AI policy at Riverdale Country School and coded a school bus tracking application serving more than 1,000 students … Earned multiple mathematics honors, including the Stevens Math Olympiad title, and was a three-time National Latin Exam Gold Medal (Summa Cum Laude) recipient … Enjoys coding.
Jason Wang – Fy. – 6-1 – Sprint Freestyle – Katy, Texas / Obra D. Tompkins High School / Katy Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Katy, Texas … Competed for Obra D. Tompkins High School's boys swimming team from 2021-25, serving as team captain … Four-time NISCA All-American … Earned a medal in the 100-yard freestyle at the 2025 Texas UIL 6A State Championships … TYR Pro Series finalist … Three-time Winter/Summer Junior National competitor from 2024-26 … Seven-time Obra D. Tompkins High School record holder … Competed for Katy Aquatics from 2015-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in computer science and economics at Columbia Engineering … Earned National Merit recognition and AP Scholar with Distinction honors … USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … Graduated with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and 4.83 weighted GPA … Enjoys playing Fortnite and exploring different buffets.
KEEPING UP WITH THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia men's swimming and diving program, follow @CULionsMSD and @CULionsDiving on Instagram and Twitter, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
The class of 2030 hails from six different states, and is composed of eight swimmers and one diver.
Details on this season's incoming class are below. Fans can access the complete 2026-27 Columbia men's swimming & diving roster by clicking this link.
Tristan McCain – Fy. – Distance Freestyle – 6-2 – CC – Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal School / Longhorn Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
A distance freestyler from Austin, Texas … Four-year varsity swimmer at St. Stephen's Episcopal School … Competed for Longhorn Aquatics from 2021-25 and Hill Country Aquatics in 2026 … Member of the National Latin Honors Society.
Personal:
Plans to major in comparative literature and society at Columbia College … Enjoys running, soccer, volleyball, reading, meeting new people, and thrifting … Son of Jon McCain, who played soccer at the University of Texas.
Cory Han – Fy. – IM/Back/Breast – 6-4 – CC – Carmel, Indiana / Carmel High School / Carmel Swim Club
Prior to Columbia:
An individual medley, backstroke, and breaststroke swimmer from Carmel, Indiana … Four-year varsity swimmer at Carmel High School … Four-time IHSAA Boys Swimming State Championship finalist (2024-26) … Two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American (2024-26) … Three-time Speedo Summer and Winter Junior National qualifier (2024-26) … Earned the Indiana Swimming Top Performer Award in 2018-19 and 2024-25 … Recorded personal best times of 3:54.83 in the 400-yard individual medley, 1:48.67 in the 200-yard individual medley, 49.13 in the 100-yard backstroke, and 1:47.66 in the 200-yard backstroke … Competed for Carmel Swim Club for 13 years (2013-26).
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics at Columbia College … Earned a 4.4 cumulative weighted GPA, scored a 5 on six AP exams, and received AP Scholar with Distinction recognition (2024-26) … Volunteered more than 150 hours at his local church throughout high school … Enjoys fishing, video games, basketball, pickleball, and spending time with friends … Has been fishing for more than 10 years … Brother, Leo, competed in swimming at NYU from 2022-26.
Braeden Valenzuela – Fy. – Diving – 5-11 – CC – Laguna Niguel, California / San Juan Hills High School / Crown Valley Diving
Prior to Columbia:
A diver from Laguna Niguel, California … Competed in diving at San Juan Hills High School while also participating in high school surfing as a freshman … CIF Southern Section qualifier and CIF Champion … Earned league champion honors, team MVP recognition, and Scholar-Athlete Award honors … Finished among the top four at the CIF State Finals and holds the school record in diving … Recorded a personal-best score of 555.10 on the 1-meter and 3-meter boards … Qualified for USA Diving regionals, zones, and Junior Olympic Nationals meets multiple times from 2021-26 … Competed for Crown Valley Diving since 2019 and represented the AAU Diving Team at international competition in Croatia in 2025.
Personal:
Plans to major in architecture at Columbia College … Valedictorian of his graduating class … Earned AP Scholar recognition, completed College & Career Advantage coursework, and received Principal's Honor Roll and Superintendent's/Principal's Honor Roll recognition … Enjoys listening to music, going to the beach, arts and crafts, baking, cooking, and thrifting.
Timothy Lee – Fy. – Sprint Freestyle – 6-1 – CC – Closter, New Jersey / Northern Valley Regional High School / Lifetime Metro Swim Team
Prior to Columbia:
A sprinter from Closter, New Jersey … Competed in swimming at Northern Valley Regional High School … Named 2026 team MVP and holds the school record in the 50-yard freestyle … Two-time county champion in the 100-yard freestyle (2022-23, 2025-26) … Four-time Scholastic All-American (2022-25) and two-time NVD Scholar-Athlete Award recipient … Competed for Scarlet Aquatics from 2019-25 before joining Lifetime Metro Swim Team in 2025-26 … Competed at the Summer Junior Nationals.
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics at Columbia College … Volunteered with SwimAmerica … Enjoys playing pickleball.
Kyle Li – Fy. – Breaststroke/IM – 5-11 – CC – Chantilly, Virginia / Chantilly High School / Chantilly High School Swim & Dive
Prior to Columbia:
A breaststroke and individual medley swimmer from Chantilly, Virginia … Competed for Chantilly High School Swim & Dive from 2022-26 … Four-time state champion and Virginia all-time state record holder in the 100-yard breaststroke (53.54) … Two-time Washington Post First Team Winter All-Met selection (2025, 2026) … Eight-time NISCA All-American … Three-time All-Northern Region Team selection (2024-26) and two-time All-State Team honoree (2025, 2026) … Set four high school records … Competed at the club level from 2017-26 … US Open finalist (2024), Toyota National Championships qualifier (2025), and two-time Winter Junior Nationals finalist (2025).
Personal:
Plans to major in financial economics and applied mathematics at Columbia College … Earned a 4.5 GPA, National Merit Finalist recognition, AP Scholar with Distinction honors, an AP Capstone Diploma, and was a Presidential Scholars Program nominee … Volunteered more than 200 hours teaching children how to swim through his local swimming club's prerequisite program and spent 20 hours tutoring computer science and math through high school honor societies … Enjoys fishing, hiking, basketball, snowboarding, playing piano, and trying new foods.
Krish Jain – Fy. – 5-9 – CC – Jacksonville, Florida / The Bolles School / Bolles School Sharks
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Jacksonville, Florida … Four-year swimmer at The Bolles School … Helped lead the Bulldogs to a Florida High School State Championship … Part of a national high school record-setting 200-yard medley relay team … Earned Scholastic All-American honors … Competed for the Bolles School Sharks from 2022-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in finance at Columbia College … Member of the National Honor Society … Enjoys spending time with friends and playing video games.
Levi Skaistis – Fy. – IM/Breaststroke – 6-0 – CC – Austin, Texas / St. Stephen's Episcopal School / Hill Country Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
An individual medley and breaststroke swimmer from Austin, Texas … Four-year varsity swimmer and one-year varsity tennis player at St. Stephen's Episcopal School … Scholastic All-American … Holds the Southern Preparatory Conference record in the 100-yard breaststroke and the Southern Preparatory Conference pool records in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley … Competed for AGUA from 2013-19, Longhorn Aquatics (LCA) from 2019-22, TXLA from 2022-25, and Hill Country Aquatics from 2025-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in English at Columbia College … Member of the Cum Laude Society and National Honor Society (2023-26) … Enjoys singing, reading, and tennis … Helped set a school and meet record during his freshman year of high school.
Rohan Mehra – Fy. – 5-11 – Distance – Jersey City, N.J. / Riverdale Country School / AGUA Swim Team
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Jersey City, New Jersey. … Competed for Riverdale Country School's boys swimming team throughout high school … National-level swimmer with the AGUA Swim Team since 2018 … Winter Junior Nationals qualifier and Futures, Sectionals, and Senior Zones finalist … Selected for the USA Swimming Regional Diversity Select Camp in 2023 … Captured the Senior Mets Championship High Point title in 2026 … Holds AGUA Swim Team records in the 200-yard butterfly and 800-meter freestyle relay … Earned the club's Breakthrough Award in 2026 … Ranked among New Jersey's top-10 swimmers.
Personal:
Plans to major in financial engineering at Columbia Engineering … Published research on AI-generated phishing email detection in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovation … Delivered a TEDx talk titled "Creating an Army of Mission-Driven Swimmers" … Founded a learn-to-swim program serving underserved children in the Bronx and created an organization that helps swimmers establish similar programs … Volunteered as a STEM educator with the Museum of Mathematics and Welcome Home Jersey City … Helped develop AI policy at Riverdale Country School and coded a school bus tracking application serving more than 1,000 students … Earned multiple mathematics honors, including the Stevens Math Olympiad title, and was a three-time National Latin Exam Gold Medal (Summa Cum Laude) recipient … Enjoys coding.
Jason Wang – Fy. – 6-1 – Sprint Freestyle – Katy, Texas / Obra D. Tompkins High School / Katy Aquatics
Prior to Columbia:
A swimmer from Katy, Texas … Competed for Obra D. Tompkins High School's boys swimming team from 2021-25, serving as team captain … Four-time NISCA All-American … Earned a medal in the 100-yard freestyle at the 2025 Texas UIL 6A State Championships … TYR Pro Series finalist … Three-time Winter/Summer Junior National competitor from 2024-26 … Seven-time Obra D. Tompkins High School record holder … Competed for Katy Aquatics from 2015-26.
Personal:
Plans to major in computer science and economics at Columbia Engineering … Earned National Merit recognition and AP Scholar with Distinction honors … USA Swimming Scholastic All-American … Graduated with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and 4.83 weighted GPA … Enjoys playing Fortnite and exploring different buffets.
KEEPING UP WITH THE LIONS
For the latest on the Columbia men's swimming and diving program, follow @CULionsMSD and @CULionsDiving on Instagram and Twitter, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
IM/Back/Breast
/ Men's Swimming and DivingBack/IM
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFree
/ Men's Swimming and DivingBreast/IM
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFree
/ Men's Swimming and DivingDistance
/ Men's Swimming and DivingIM/Breast
/ Men's Swimming and DivingDiving
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFree
/ Men's Swimming and DivingFriday, December 23
Tuesday, February 16
Saturday, February 29
Thursday, February 27
