OCALA, Fla. – Four athletes represented Pepperdine swim at the National Invitational Championships (NIC) this week. Aliyah Fan, Anna Ryan, Kylie Taylor, and Maile Sullivan competed in three days of postseason play to mark the conclusion of the season.
From head coach, Dan Marella:
"Every season has a story. Every month has tremendous ups and downs. Every training cycle comes with different individual challenges. It's really easy to ride the roller coaster.
This year was about not getting on that ride. Too often we let failure overshadow our successes in our sport. In fact, most of our success this year came from learning from our shortcomings and moving forward.
August 2025 feels like forever ago now. And I can say with extreme confidence that this team moving forward is much stronger than it was in August when our freshmen moved in. Much stronger than when we had our best mid-season performance in program history. And much, much better than when I took over and struggled to find my footing in December.
We wrapped up our season here in Ocala at NICs. To be able to bring two of our freshmen to this meet means so much for our program, but more importantly their development into elite athletes and strong leaders. They were a part of our best relay this year, taking down Power 4 and top mid-major programs along the way this week. They learned what it's like to double taper at this level, and saw how other programs operate.
The future for this program is extremely bright. It's time to go back to work!"
The Waves were at it bright and early on day one. Their two freshmen (Fan and Sullivan) and two seniors (Ryan and Taylor) joined forces in the very first event. They swam to a time of 1:34.05 in the 200 free relay.
Pepperdine swam in a collection of individual events too. Taylor swam in the 50 (26.31) and 100 back (57.09). Sullivan went in the 100 free (51.55). Joining her in this event were Fan (52.23) and Ryan (52.44). Aliyah also competed in the 100 fly (55.58).
Complete results for the NICs can be found here.
The team ends its season having seen a plethora of success. The Waves took down rival San Diego for the first time in four years, rose above five other schools to win the Rodionoff, dominated Seattle U in the Redhawks' own pool, and capped off senior day with an unforgettable diver relay.
Thirteen program records fell—fueled by an impressive 78 lifetime-bests. Two divers punched their ticket to an NCAA Zone Qualifier, with the dynamic between senior Vivian Vallely and freshman Jackie Johnson encapsulating the talent brewing in Malibu. Twice the Waves were honored with an MPSF Female Athlete of the Week Award; both first-years in Sophia Blietz and Maile Sullivan. Nonetheless, it is the graduating class that set the standard these up-and-comers look to maintain.
Thirteen Waves are set to graduate this spring, their impact on the roster invaluable. During their stay off PCH they were twice conference champions, navigating from the PCSC to MPSF. Whether weathering a November deluge or scorching September practice, their time on the board or in the water embodies resilience, dedication, and everything it takes to make Waves.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE SWIM AND DIVE
Pepperdine swimming & diving has a rich history spanning four decades, having posted top-five finishes in its conference in 32 of 40 seasons. The Waves have captured three conference championships in the past five seasons, its first three conference titles, winning its first MPSF Championship in 2025 after joining the conference the season prior. In 38 seasons in the PCSC, the Waves saw 48 individual champions and 20 PCSC Swimmer or Diver of the Year awards. Andreea Trufasu stands as the program's lone Olympian, having competed in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
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