The Swarthmore College athletics program is guided by a philosophy  that the intercollegiate athletics experience is integral to the educational mission of the College, and that student athletic experiences contribute to, and benefit from, experiences in the classroom and other extracurricular venues.

  

A founding member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Swarthmore supports 22 varsity intercollegiate sports at the Division III level. Swarthmore is also a member of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), a conference comprising Division I, II, and III institutions across the East Coast. Locally, Swarthmore is a charter member of the prestigious Centennial Conference whose members include Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, Franklin & Marshall, Gettysburg, Haverford, Johns Hopkins, McDaniel, Muhlenberg, Ursinus, and Washington. 

Swarthmore teams have been competing since the 1870s, challenging local, regional, and national programs in a variety of sports. In that time, teams have garnered over 260 All-American awards and many additional Academic All-American honors, and 10 former Swarthmore athletes have been inducted into national Halls of Fame. Some athletes have been Nobel Prize winners and others Fulbright Scholars. All have worn the "S" proudly.

The Garnet maintain an appropriate perspective on sports, giving particular attention to competitive athletics as part of the overall educational development of the student. Teams strive to balance a successful athletics experience with academic success and the opportunity to participate in diverse activities on campus.

The College provides excellent facilities for teams and students alike, including a lighted stadium with a 400-meter track and a synthetic grass field. Indoor and outdoor tennis courts, a ten-lane indoor pool, a basketball arena, a field house for indoor practices, and a fully equipped fitness center are among the many other facilities available.      

The athletics experience at Swarthmore is both challenging and rewarding. Anyone interested in competing for Swarthmore should contact the coach of his or her sport(s) by phone or e-mail, or alert the admissions office when arranging an interview and tour.