Goolrick Pool Maintenance
The Goolrick Pool at the University of Mary Washington has reopened for the spring 2025 semester beginning with the start of classes on January 13, following a six-month renovation that upgraded all areas of the facility, both in function and appearance. The first home varsity swim meet of the season will be held on Saturday, January 18, as the Eagles celebrate senior day.
“The primary focus has been on improving and extending the life of our historic facility,” said UMW Aquatics Coordinator and Pool Operator Kyle Diederich, a senior on the men’s swim and dive team. “It has long been a place of opportunity, potential, and excitement for those who use it. With this renovation, Goolrick Pool has been transformed into a modernized and improved aquatic facility, continuing to serve its purpose for current and future generations of UMW students and the local community.”
The renovation to the historic facility was extensive and included the following improvements: (1) the full replacement of the pool deck and pool perimeter lip tile, covering over 5,000 square feet; (2) the removal of all existing in-pool tiling and underwater lighting, followed by waterproofing the pool shell and resurfacing it with quartz aggregate pool plaster; (3) the upgraded replacement of various pool-related plumbing systems, including the main drain system, return inlets (“jets”), and overflow gutter drains; (4) numerous upgrades and maintenance to the pool pump room and its internal systems; (5) re-painting the entire facility in a new color scheme and design; (6) and the installation of new lane lines, school-branded backstroke flags, an accessible lift, and university-branded starting blocks, which will debut at their first competition on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
“We are excited to reopen Goolrick Pool, a facility rich in history and tradition, now revitalized for the future,” said Director of Athletics Patrick Catullo. “This renovation ensures that our swimmers and the UMW community will practice and compete in a first-class facility as we celebrate the continued success of our championship teams.”
The Goolrick Pool at UMW has a half-decade history of welcoming swimmers. First-opened in 1969, ithas hosted aquatics sports and campus recreation, including some years with a water polo team, a synchronized swimming team, and a dive team (under prior depth regulations). The six-lane, 179,000-gallon Goolrick Pool is also the aquatic home to Campus Recreation activities, which have included games of battleship, club swim practices, individual exercise classes and recreational swim for the UMW community and guests. The pool may also be rented out for events and local swim practices.
See the fitness class schedule and facilities information from Campus Recreation.
“This comprehensive renovation has improved the quality of the pool for swimmers and for staff, allowing for a more efficient operation of the pool, including maintaining the water temperature and chemical balances,” said UMW Campus Recreation Director Michael Middleton. “We are excited to welcome swimmers back in the water!”
The Goolrick Pool was previously closed in the summer of 2023 for evaluation and mechanical repairs, and had some system repairs in 2018, but has not been significantly renovated in more than 20 years. Over its operating span, ithas been open 95% of the time to the campus community and guests, with the public invited for specific events. The 2024 project was completed by Millennium Pools & Spas.
Now, as the varsity swim teams jump back in, their new team shirts say it best: “Sunrises are better at Goolrick.”
For more information about Goolrick Pool, contact Campus Recreation at campusrec@umw.edu.