Swim Across America, the national nonprofit organization that makes waves to fight cancer through charity swims across the U.S., will host its second annual Swim Across America – Michigan Pool Swim on Sunday, October 11, at the University of Michigan Donald B. Canham Natatorium, 500 E. Hoover Ave. in Ann Arbor. The event will feature fun pool relays and an official University of Michigan swim workout, with participants invited to take part in one or both activities. Proceeds from the pool swim, along with funds raised in July through the Swim Across America – Motor City Mile open water swim, support clinical trials and groundbreaking cancer research at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. To register as a swimmer or volunteer, or to donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/michigan.

Spearheading this year’s pool swim is someone who knows both Ann Arbor and Swim Across America well: Lucas Caswell is an Ann Arbor native, accomplished swimmer who currently swims with Washington University Swimming & Diving, a Swim Across America College Ambassador, and the 2025 individual winner of the Swim Across America Collegiate Cup. Lucas earned the national honor as Swim Across America’s top collegiate fundraiser and was recognized this spring at the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Annual Conference. He became involved with Swim Across America shortly after arriving at WashU two years ago, participating in the Swim Across America open water swim by his school. Since that time, he has gotten more involved with the organization and stepped up to lead the pool swim in his hometown.

“What initially began as a team activity with my swim team at WashU, became something much more meaningful when I was invited to meet the cancer researchers whose work Swim Across America funds,” noted Lucas Caswell. “That event was a game-changer for me. It ignited a passion for raising funds for cancer research.”

While Lucas has been lucky and hasn’t lost a loved one to cancer, he notes that his inspiration to fundraise to make a difference comes from a different reason. 

“I work with Swim Across America because they inspire me. The passion, the stories of hope and grief, the unerring commitment to the battle – and because of the model and its impact to the community.”

Meeting Swim Across America-funded researchers and learning firsthand how donations help scientists pursue promising new ideas inspired Caswell to take on a larger leadership role. Now he is bringing that energy home to Ann Arbor.

“The leadership opportunities that Swim Across America has created are meaningful and will continue long after I hang up my goggles,” Lucas noted. “You don’t need to have felt the loss of cancer to know we can do better together. Together we can make waves to fight cancer.”

Caswell is one of many swimmers participating for deeply personal reasons.

For Swim Across America volunteer Emily Brunemann Klueh, an NCAA champion at the University of Michigan who spent 10 years competing on the U.S. National Team, supporting the pool swim brings together her swimming roots and a deeply personal cause. In November 2024, at age 37, Klueh was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Her son was 2½, and her 5-year-old daughter had just started kindergarten. The cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes and the lining of her lungs when it was discovered.

“I was devastated,” Emily Klueh noted. “I did not know what my life was going to look like as my world came crashing down.”

Years of world-class open-water and endurance swimming had taught Emily to navigate physical challenges and pressure. “I know I can do hard things, but this was different,” she said. “Not only was this physically challenging but mentally this was a whole new ball game.”

A licensed mental health and sport performance clinician, Emily Klueh now serves as manager of psychological services for USA Swimming’s National and Junior National Team athletes. She encourages athletes to recognize that it is OK to not be OK all the time and to focus on what they can control — lessons she draws on in her own life.

Her experience has also made her an advocate for early detection and taking ownership of one’s health. When initial blood tests and appointments did not explain what was wrong, Klueh continued to advocate for herself and pushed for a mammogram. A mammogram and ultrasound revealed eight masses and multiple suspicious lymph nodes. Further testing confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma and that the cancer had spread to the lining of her lungs.

Since her diagnosis, Emily has undergone five surgeries and has responded well to her current treatment, which she hopes to remain on for as long as possible. Her family, friends and the athletes she supports have been sources of strength. She shares her story publicly to encourage others to speak up about their health concerns.

“Swim Across America creates platforms for advocacy, awareness and proactive conversations,” Emily said. “These topics are hard, sad, and scary, but we cannot put our heads in the sand to them.”

“The funds from Swim Across America are lifesaving,” Emily emphasized. “The opportunities to invest in new technologies and research are what keep patients like me alive and instill the desire to continue fighting.”

Diana Voges, captain of Team Sisters of the Swells, is both a breast cancer survivor and a participant in medical research trials at the University of Michigan. Her experience has given her a firsthand appreciation for the patients who participate in clinical research and make future treatments possible.

“I am a passionate believer in the value of medical research,” Diana Voges said. “I’ve been a participant in both cardiac and breast cancer medical research trials at UofM. I am overwhelmingly thankful for the brave souls who participated in trials before me, paving the way for the treatment I have received. There is so much still to learn. The work is not done.”

For Diana, Swim Across America provides a natural way to combine that commitment to research with a sport she loves.

“I joined Swim Across America because it combines my love for swimming along with the worthwhile goal of cancer research,” she said.

Also participating is Team Rogel, captained by Erin Christensen, who works as a member of the Rogel Cancer Center staff and brings together supporters of the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center. Erin has been instrumental in helping organize both the open water swim in Detroit and now the UofM pool swim. 

Since the inaugural Swim Across America – Motor City Mile open water swim in 2019, six Rogel Cancer Center researchers have received Swim Across America grants through a competitive grant process.

Those grants have supported Kyoung Eun Lee, Ph.D., in pancreatic cancer research; Phillip Palmbos, M.D., Ph.D., in bladder cancer research; Angel Qin, M.D., in research examining treatment response in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer; Calista Harbaugh, M.D., in colorectal cancer surgery research; and Jiahe Li, Ph.D., in developing technology targeting bacterial toxins in the gut associated with colorectal cancer.

The 2025 grant recipient, Matthew Iyer, M.D., Ph.D., is studying blood samples from pancreatic cancer patients and healthy family members to identify tiny pieces of tumor-related RNA in the blood, research that could ultimately help scientists better understand and detect the disease.

That direct connection between swimmers and researchers is at the heart of Swim Across America’s model: Money raised locally helps fund promising local research that might otherwise struggle to secure early-stage funding.

The October 11 event begins with swimmer check-in from 9:30 to 10 a.m., followed by a welcome at 10:15 a.m. and swimming, music and relays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. A wrap-up and social will follow.

Swimmers are encouraged to raise at least $100. Participants who raise $1,000 or more earn WaveMaker status and special recognition. Swimmers and volunteers of all ages and abilities are welcome.

Nationally, Swim Across America has raised more than $150 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has helped fund clinical trials that contributed to FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy medications Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. In the past year, Swim Across America funded a breakthrough clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that showed immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded first-of-their-kind gene editing innovation grants to the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, advancing novel CRISPR gene and base editing techniques used in targeted therapies, immunotherapies and cellular therapies. Swim Across America supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.

For more information or to register to swim, volunteer or donate to the Swim Across America – Michigan Pool Swim, visit swimacrossamerica.org/michigan.