MURFREESBORO, N.C. - For newly hired Chowan University swim coach,Lucas Pels, challenges are something that he embraces. After all the former Chowan Hawks swimmer didn't get his name on the Chowan Swimming Records Board by letting challenges pass him by. Pels was hired in late October after athletic administration wooed him away from a large corporation's management training program in his home state of Florida. The challenge: the competitive swim season had already started for the Hawks. Getting to Murfreesboro and working with a team that had already been practicing and competing for eight weeks certainly posed some challenges for all parties involved. Pels literally hit the ground running and jumped from his packed personal car to a Chowan van packed full of swimmers.
"The transition has been fairly easy so far," said Pels with a smile. "I wasn't scared to accept the position and to coach these swimmers. Coaching is something that has come easy to me, no matter if you are dealing with club level swimmers or college level swimmers."
Familiarity has certainly helped Pels in the transition from the corporate world back to the pool deck. Pels' name is written all over the Chowan University Men's Swimming record book. He has Top 10 all-time finishes in six events (50 free, 100 free, 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 IM, and 400 IM), along with all-conference finishes in the 200 medley relay and the 200 breast stroke. Coming back to the program as a coach that he actually helped to build as a student-athlete has come easily to Pels to this point in the season.
"Having that familiarity with the town, the campus, the pool has made things a lot easier for me," said Pels. "I love it. I like the small town living, the small campus, and Chowan. I always knew I wanted to come back."
Pels, a native of Ponte Vedra, Florida, went to work straight away when he arrived on campus. Shortly after arriving on campus, he loaded the team up to travel to the UNC-Pembroke meet where they faced off against UNC-Pembroke, Converse University, and Barton College. After helping the men's team garner their first-ever team win over rival Barton College, Pels has led the team to three straight meets with both the men's and women's teams having star performances.
"I had no expectations of anyone specifically in the first meet," continued Pels. "I just wanted to see where everyone was physically and how each of them would approach their races."
What Pels found with the teams was an optimistic attitude. "Considering that the teams had been without a coach for several weeks, I found that the teams were in good spirits. They had fantastic attitudes. They were all ready to race and to be coached to swim their best. That's half the battle. A positive attitude helps swimmers get to their full potential."
The Hawks are at the midway point of their 2025-2026 season. Both teams just wrapped up the mid-season meet at King University. After four weeks of solid training Pels has pushed the team to not only perform their best physically, he has pushed them to continue to approach each race with the same attitude and optimism he found they possessed when he first arrived. That approach has worked, especially at the mid-season meet. At the King Mid-season Invitational, the team combined for 28 personal bests, 19 meet medals, and 11 season bests.
Robert Liz Cabrera, Dimitrije Markovic, Vanja Romic, and Sara Turanjanin each grabbed gold medals in the three-day event. Liz Cabrera posted a personal best in the 50 free to take the gold, as did Markovic in the 500 freestyle. Romic set a school record to grab gold in the 100 breaststroke and Turanjanin took the top spot in the 100 backstroke.
Chowan Men's Swimming Posting Personal Bests through Five Meets
Newcomer Michael Grenier has shown great potential all year long in all events he has swam but has really shined in the 1650 freestyle event. He finished a close second at the mid-season meet for a silver medal finish. Grenier is one of four freshman swimmers on the men's side that have swam competitively for the Hawks to this point in the year. Stefan Reedy, Quintin Mitchell, and Christopher Goode have all shown promise for the Hawks in several events. Reedy is a quality backstroke and freestyle competitor while Mitchell has swam both the freestyle and the butterfly for the Hawks. Goode also swims the freestyle and butterfly, a tough stroke for any swimmer.
Aleksei Belolipetskii returns as one of the top swimmers in the conference in the breaststroke and has been training to get in peak performance for the upcoming Conference Championship in February. Belolipetskii was the 2023-24 Conference Carolinas Swimmer of the Year and swam to his second NCAA "B" time in his specialty, the 200 IM. This race combines all four swim strokes: freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. It is especially challenging because of the combined strokes and the ability to master each with quality times. Belolipetskii has a strong work ethic, and according to Pels is on pace for a brilliant second half of the season.
"He is getting better through every single practice," said Pels of his all-conference senior swimmer. "This off season leading into January we will focus on hard training and staying in the pool and getting Aleksei on track for another top tier performance in the second half."
Another senior who is leaving their mark on the record boards is Liz Cabrera. The sprinter has been untouchable through four meets this season in the 50 freestyle. He continues to improve his time as the season progresses. At the King mid-season, he swam three personal bests in the 50 and 100 freestyle events and in the 100 backstroke.
"Robert is just a phenomenal swimmer," said Pels. "He is built for the sprint and loves competition. I can't wait to see how he goes into the 2026 portion of the season."
Junior mid-distance swimmer Dimitrije Markovic has had a spectacular first half of the season. Markovic took home three medals at the King Mid-Season Invitational, including a season best swim in the 500 freestyle. His finish earned him a gold medal in the 500 free. He also finished 2nd in the 200 freestyle and was a part of the 3rd place relay teams for the Hawks.. Markovic is committed to his training, and like Belolipetskii and Liz Cabrera, will continue to train efficiently and effectively to ensure optimal performance by the Conference Carolinas Championship in February.
"Dimitije has had a great start to the season," continued Pels. "He is so committed to training, to his diet, and to the team. His hard work and commitment to the team shows up everyday in his training and in his outcomes."
Joining the core of returning swimmers are a group of freshmen led by Michael Grenier, Stefan Reedy, Quintin Mitchell, and Christopher Goode. Grenier took home two medals in the mid-season meet at King in November and in the second half of the season, he gives the Hawks a legit threat in the distance swimming events.
"Michael is working hard in the pool," said Pels. "He is putting in the work and it will pay off when it counts."
Pels also said that having teammates push one another in training helps create an environment ripe for competition. Reedy, Mitchell, and Goode all have had personal bests throughout the first half of the season. "The guys have been pushing one another, which is really good for training," continued Pels.
Newcomers Nasir Nelson-Fernandez and Julius Riley have worked hard this season getting acclimated to the pool as newcomers to the sport. Riley and Nelson-Fernandez are three-sport athletes for the Hawks, competing for the cross country and cheer programs.
Chowan Women's Swim Team Poised for Competition
The women's squad is small in number but packed with talent and grit. Lina Danna, Ariana Vizcaya, and Elizabeth Waltz return to the pool as the Hawks anchors. Danna had a strong outing in November at the mid-season meet at King University. She swam a personal best in the 100 yard freestyle and helped the Hawks 400 yard freestyle relay to a 3rd place finish. The mid-distance swimmer is joined on the roster by Vizcaya, a sophomore from Clearwater, Florida. The versatile swimmer has posted personal bests in the butterfly, breast, and freestyle swims this year.
"Lina is very competitive and wants to get better with each practice," said Pels. "She has a lot of potential and is poised to have a great second half to the season."
"Ari is working hard despite dealing with recovering from knee surgery," continued Pels. "She is always willing to jump in and do what is needed to get stronger and to help the team."
Elizabeth Waltz returns for her junior season with two full seasons of competition under her belt. Waltz turned in personal best performances in the 100 yard and 200 yard backstroke events at the King mid-season event.
"Elizabeth is showing up, working hard, and continues to get better," said Pels. "Her times as of late definitely show that."
The Hawks have another upperclassman, a transfer from Indian River State College in Florida, Emma Rooney. Rooney has five first place finishes through five meets this season, including a personal best performance in the 400 yard freestyle against Peace University.
"Emma comes from a really strong junior college swim program at Indian River State College," said Pels. "I look forward to seeing how Emma continues to progress. She has a great attitude and works hard. She is really committed."
A trio of true freshmen round out the women's squad: Vanja Romic, Sara Turanjanin, and Hasnae Idrissi. Romic shattered a five-year-old program record in the 100 Breaststroke at the King mid-season meet and earned the Conference Carolinas Freshman Swimmer of the Month award for December. Romic, a native of Serbia, has six first place finishes through five season meets.
"Vanja is a competitor," said Pels. "She has taken coaching well and applied it when it counts. I look forward to seeing what she can accomplish."
Turanjanin, also from Serbia, has four first place finishes this season and shines in the backstroke events. "Sara has battled through some shoulder soreness and still continues to post great times," said Pels. Turanjanin posted a first place finish at the King mid-season meet in the 100 yard backstroke, beating out several seasoned swimmers for first touch and top spot on the podium.
Hasnae Idrissi is the sister of former Chowan Hawks stand out swimmer, Atar Idrissi. Hasnae is making a name for herself as a versatile swimmer. She has swam personal bests in the 50 yard freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 and 200 backstroke events this season. "Hasnae has a great attitude and work ethic," said Pels.
The Season Ahead
The Chowan swimming programs are poised for a compelling season, aiming for personal bests and a climb up the conference rankings. The Hawks have five meets under their belts this season, and still have more than half the season to go when they return to the pool in the new year.
Chowan will open up the 2026 campaign on January 10th against Virginia Wesleyan and Barton, both teams the Hawks have historically competed well against. On January 17th Chowan will travel to Washington & Lee University to compete against the host team and Randolph-Macon. To continue with a packed January docket, the Hawks will host Virginia Wesleyan on January 24th for Senior Day before hitting the road again to close out the month on January 31st at King University.
Under Pels, the Hawks are focused on leveraging their individual strengths for team success, all in preparation for the 2026 Conference Carolinas Championship in February.
