National swimming and diving championship books next 2 years in Ypsi

On the Ground Ypsilanti is an “embedded journalism” program covering the city and township of Ypsilanti. It is supported by Ann Arbor SPARK, the Center for Health and Research Transformation, Destination Ann Arbor, Eastern Michigan University, Engage @ EMU, Washtenaw Community College, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, and Washtenaw ISD.

The Ann Arbor Sports Commission (AASC) recently announced that the 2027 and 2028 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletes (NAIA) Swimming and Diving National Championships will take place at Eastern Michigan University’s (EMU) Jones Natatorium in Ypsilanti.

The Ypsilanti area has recently attracted several big-name sports events due to collaborations with the commission, which also encouraged a national rowing competition called RowFest to move to Ypsilanti Township last year. AASC Director Meaghan Hughes says her organization will bring the 2026 region 5 USA Diving championship event to EMU as well. That’s part of the sports commission’s efforts to “make Washtenaw County a destination,” she says.

Hughes says she expects the championships to economically benefit the greater Ypsilanti area in a variety of ways, including opportunities for local businesses to feed and accommodate 26 to 30 teams from across the U.S. The four-day event has practice time built into the front end, meaning at least four- or five-night stays for most competitors.

“We anticipate a $275,000 impact on the region, and we’re excited to work with local businesses to promote them, to get the teams out in the community when they come,” Hughes says.

Hughes says the diving and swimming events chose Ypsilanti because of proximity to arts, culture, freeways, and airports, but also because EMU’s facilities are attractive. The natatorium has an Olympic-size pool, springboards and platforms for diving, and other amenities desirable for a large competition, including seating for 800 spectators.

Hughes says her team typically spends a full year preparing for each big event. They will attend the previous year’s competition to get an idea of how it’s run so they can see how to improve on it if and when they win the bid for the next year’s event.

She says it’s significant to schedule two years back to back for the NAIA championships, which isn’t guaranteed during the bidding process. 

“The benefit of hosting two years back to back is that we can learn the first year and then elevate it the second year as we learn, grow, and gain knowledge from it as an opportunity to make it better,” Hughes says.