Magazine Spring 2024 New Aquatics Center Makes a Splash

By Sarah Camp

On March 1, Westmont dedicated the Tom and Meg Names Aquatics Center amidst a steady rainfall. Erin Names Shagren and Monica Names-King wanted to honor their parents, Tom and Meg, who passed away in 2016. In 2018, a grant from the Tom and Meg Names Family Foundation allowed Westmont to launch a women’s swim team, hire a head coach and improve the facilities, providing resources critical for a successful start.

“We both agreed that funding the swimming program was a great opportunity and something my parents would be excited about,” Erin says. Their investment is yielding a great return: The six-women team finished eighth in the nation this year and were all named Academic All-Americans.

Erin and Monica serve on the board of trustees of the Tom and Meg Names Family Foundation, which funds projects in sports, health and social services. The grant to Westmont aligned with the foundation’s interest in supporting sports programs that “foster physical development, build character and nurture the importance of fair play.” It also reflected the values of the foundation’s namesakes, Tom and Meg, who felt “kindness and mercy could move mountains.”

Monica and her husband, Steve, attended the dedication with Erin and her husband, Mark, the parents of Megan Shagren ’18. Robert Ruiz, Westmont’s athletic director, cited the exceptional achievements of a program just in its fifth year, noting its eighth-place finish and Academic All-Americans.

Hiring a great head coach helped the college build a winning team committed to academic life and the Westmont community. Ruiz praised Coach Jill Lin, who led the team to two top-10 finishes at the NAIA National Championships in 2022 and 2023. The Warriors also finished ahead of all other NAIA teams at the PCSC Championships in 2022 and 2023.

“My dream is to see Westmont’s team become one of the most sought-after programs for swimmers who want to be part of a family, a legacy, and a community — and to be fully invested in all the college offers,” Lin said. She expressed gratitude directly to the women who made it possible: Erin and Monica. “None of this could have happened without you,” she said. “Thank you for believing in us before the team even existed.”

The grant also funded a new strength and conditioning facility, Westmont’s first weight-training and exercise room dedicated to student athletes. Previously, they shared the fitness center with the student body. The space facilitates specialized training for each sport and features technology that tracks athletes’ progress during their workouts. The new training facility will help student athletes better prepare for competition in the National Collegiate Athletics Association Division II, which they began this year.