The men's team is coming off a championship season after they won the 2012 Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) championships last winter, the school's third conference title since the conference was founded in the 2007-08 season.

Zimmerman won his third CCSA Swimming Coach of the Year award, while returning senior Peter Gibbons was named the CCSA Male Diver of the Year and Most Outstanding Diver of the Meet after he won both the one-meter and three-meter dives and set two new school records.

The women's squad is coming off a record-breaking season as the team scored the most points (267.0) at the CCSA Championships in program history, while returning junior Sarah Boyle won the 200-meter backstroke with a school-record time of 2:00.00.

"As always, the competition schedule for the Swimming & Diving Team will be a CCSA conference which includes dual meets against rivals Davidson, Gardner-Webb and Georgia Southern, and we have put together a very challenging non-conference schedule."

The Cougars will open the season with an intrasquad meet on Oct. 6 at 11 a.m. at the Stern Center pool on campus. The following Saturday, both squads will be at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Ga., while the women will travel to Georgia Southern on Oct. 20. The Cougars will close out the fall season with a dual meet at Davidson (Oct. 27), a home dual meet against South Carolina (Nov. 9) and then up to Charlotte, N.C. for the Wingate Fall Frenzy on Nov. 18.

"We will kick off our competition season with a meet against ACC power Georgia Tech at their facility, which is the pool that hosted all of the aquatic competition during the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games," Zimmerman said. "We also have two meets against SEC power South Carolina and a dual meet against East Carolina, one of the top teams in Conference USA. We round out our non-conference schedule with very challenging competitions against Queens and Wingate, both NCAA Division II top ten teams."

CofC will host the Savannah School of Art & Design and Campbell for a meet on Jan. 12, 2013. The Cougars will then honor the senior class with a Parents Weekend meet against CCSA foe Gardner-Webb on Jan. 18-19 at the Stern Center pool.

The Cougars will close out the season by traveling to Columbia, S.C., for men's and women's competition against South Carolina, Queens and Wingate on Jan. 25-26, followed by a dual meet at East Carolina (Feb. 2).

College of Charleston will travel back to the University of Georgia for the 2013 CCSA Championships on Feb. 21-23, looking to defend the men's conference title.

"Having a challenging dual meet schedule like ours is purposeful as we prepare for our ultimate competitions of the season, the CCSA Championships and the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships. I believe the difficult dual meet schedule we have put together will have us better prepared to compete at the highest level possible at our most important competitions of the season. As always, it is our goal to win the CCSA Championships and get swimmers and divers qualified for and competing at the NCAA Division I Championships."