Nearly 900 Swimmers and Volunteers Expected at Roger Wheeler State Beach; Nation’s Largest Swim Across America Event Has Raised More Than $3 Million for Cancer Research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island

Swim Across America, the national nonprofit organization that makes waves to fight cancer through charity swims across the U.S., will host the 17th annual Swim Across America – Rhode Island Open Water Swim on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Roger Wheeler State Beach, 100 Sand Hill Cove Road, in Narragansett. Swimmers of all ages are invited to participate in a quarter-mile, half-mile or 1-mile open water swim, as well as the Kids Splash & Dash. Those unable to participate in person can still make waves to fight cancer through SAA My Way, Swim Across America’s virtual option. Proceeds support cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. To register to swim, volunteer or donate, visit swimacrossamerica.org/rhodeisland.

Established in 2010, Swim Across America – Rhode Island has raised more than $3 million for cancer research at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island. Each year, the swim attracts nearly 900 swimmers and volunteers, making it the largest Swim Across America event in the country. The Rhode Island swim also attracts close to a dozen collegiate swim teams — more than any other Swim Across America event nationwide — along with Olympians and other special guests, including Rhode Island native and Olympic medalist Elizabeth Beisel.

This year’s swim will be especially meaningful as the Swim Across America community celebrates a longtime participant who has helped make the Rhode Island event what it is today: Providence College Swimming & Diving Head Coach John O’Neill, who is retiring this year after an extraordinary 36 seasons leading the Friars.

The September 12 Swim Across America – Rhode Island open water swim will serve as the morning kickoff to a full day celebrating Coach O’Neill, with swimmers, Providence College alumni, former athletes, colleagues and friends coming together at Roger Wheeler State Beach to honor his commitment to swimming — and to cancer research. A retirement reception honoring O’Neill will follow later that evening on the Providence College campus.

Coach O’Neill’s involvement with Swim Across America – Rhode Island has spanned 16 years. Through his relationships with coaches and collegiate programs throughout New England, he has helped build the Rhode Island swim into the Swim Across America event with the largest collegiate participation in the country. Providence College Swimming & Diving alone has raised more than $550,000 to support cancer research in support of Swim Across America – Rhode Island’s local beneficiary, Women & Infants Hospital.

“Coach O’Neill has been such an important part of Swim Across America – Rhode Island for the past 16 years,” said Doug Sayles, event director of Swim Across America – Rhode Island. “He has brought generations of Providence College swimmers into this event, helped engage college programs from throughout New England, and most importantly, shown young athletes how they can use the sport they love to make a meaningful difference for families facing cancer. We are incredibly grateful to John and thrilled that this year’s swim can be part of celebrating his remarkable career.”

Coach O’Neill originally became involved with the Rhode Island swim because cancer had touched the lives of too many people he knew.

“Too many family members and friends have been lost to cancer and we wanted to do something that could help,” Coach O’Neill said of his involvement with Swim Across America.

His commitment to the cause became even more personal as he supported Providence College swimmers who themselves faced cancer, including former student-athletes Colleen Lowell ’97 and Kara McCurdy ’22. McCurdy continued swimming at Providence after battling cancer and later joined O’Neill and the Friars at the Swim Across America – Rhode Island event.

For Coach O’Neill, bringing college swimmers together at Roger Wheeler State Beach has always been about more than one morning of swimming. He has encouraged student-athletes to see how their sport can be used to make a difference for patients and families and has hoped their connection to Swim Across America will continue long after graduation.

“Our Rhode Island Swim is unique with so many college participants involved,” Coach O’Neill said in a previous Swimming World article about the event. “We hope that once the students graduate and relocate, they stay involved with Swim Across America no matter where their future takes them!”

That legacy will be on full display September 12 as generations of Providence College swimmers and members of the greater New England swimming community gather to celebrate O’Neill while continuing the cause that has been so important to him.

O’Neill first took over the Providence College swimming and diving program in 1984 and coached the Friars for 17 seasons before spending five years as head coach at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He returned to Providence in 2007 and has led the Friars for another 19 seasons. During his 36 seasons at Providence, nine of his student-athletes combined to win 20 BIG EAST individual championships. Coach O’Neill was inducted into the Rhode Island Aquatic Hall of Fame in 1994 and this year received its Elliss Mayers Humanitarian Award. Providence College has also established the Cindy and John O’Neill Swimming and Diving Endowed Fund in honor of his career and lasting impact on generations of student-athletes.

The connection between Coach O’Neill, collegiate swimming and Swim Across America reflects what has made the Rhode Island swim distinctive for nearly two decades: hundreds of athletes, coaches, families, cancer survivors, volunteers and supporters using the sport they love to help fund research that can change the lives of cancer patients.

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 the 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 that immunotherapy alone could successfully treat certain types of cancer. The organization also recently awarded two first-of-its-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, has eight named Swim Across America labs, and supports work at many of the nation’s leading cancer institutions.

For more information, to join as a swimmer, volunteer, or to participate virtually or donate to Swim Across America – Rhode Island, visit swimacrossamerica.org/rhodeisland.