CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving has announced its incoming Class of 2030. The group consists of nine athletes, with eight swimmers (Arda Akkoyun, George Dovellos, Konstantinos Geramanis, Mark Iltsisin, Botond Kovacs, Owen Lin, Alex Naydenov, David Naydenov) and one diver (Victor Molin) making up the class.
Arriving in time for the 2026-27 academic year, the class will arrive in Cambridge from all over the world. Two will be coming from the continental United States (Indiana, North Carolina) and seven travel to America from six different countries (Brazil, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Turkey).
The group joins a Harvard program that finished the 2025-26 season with an 8-1 dual-meet record, including a 6-1 mark in the Ivy League. At the national level, Harvard finished the campaign ranked 39th at the NCAA Championships, marking its first appearance in the final team standings since 2022.
Harvard Men's Swimming and Diving Class of 2030
Arda Akkoyun
Izmir, Turkey (MBA Schools Izmir)
Butterfly/Sprint Freestyle
Before Harvard
Member of the Turkish National Team… Competed on the MBA Schools Izmir swimming and diving team for four seasons… Also competed for Fenerbahce Sports Club… Set the national record in all three butterfly events and was a national champion.
George Dovellos
Munster, Ind. (The Bolles School (Fla.))
Mid-Distance Freestyle/Butterfly
Before Harvard
Earned four varsity letters for The Bolles School swimming team… Also competed for Bolles Sharks Club Swimming for five years, swimming the free, fly and relays… Was an individual state championship in Florida… Winter Junior National runner-up (100 fly)… Contributed to The Bolles School Sharks' 36th, 37th, and 38th consecutive state championships… Helped The Bolles Sharks' win three consecutive national championships (2023, 2024, 2025)… Set the Bolles School individual pool record… Set a national age group record in the 200 medley relay… Selected as one of two school members to represent the United States at the United Nations COP26 Climate change summit in Geneva, Switzerland… Bolles School president's award recipient, for outstanding community service… Member of the Bolles School Premedical Society and the Bolles School Investment Club… Selected as one of four school members to serve as an athletic ambassador, facilitating communication between the students, athletes, and administrators… Father was a swimmer at Michigan.
Konstantinos Geramanis
Athens, Greece (Pierce American College of Greece)
Distance Freestyle
Before Harvard
Competed for Pierce American College of Greece and Deree Athletic Club... Multiple-time Greek National Champion... Earned a silver medal at the Mediterranean Swimming Cup... Recipient of the Aristeion (Academic Excellence Award) in 2022, 2024, and 2025... Served on the elected student council during the 2025-26 academic year... Participated in volunteer work with WISE Greece from 2024-26… Mother, Afroditi Avramea, earned an ALM in finance from Harvard Extension School in 2019.
Mark Iltsisin
Tallinn, Estonia (Tallinn High School of Humanities)
Distance Freestyle
Before Harvard
Competed for Kalevi ujumiskool in Eesti ujumisliit… Won an Estonian individual national championship… Helped Kalevi ujumiskool to a national championship… Enjoys playing chess.
Botond Kovacs
Üröm, Hungary (ELTE Radnóti Miklós Gyakorló Általános Iskola és Gyakorló Gimnázium)
IM/Backstroke
Before Harvard
Competed all four years on the varsity team… Swam for Bvsc-Zuglo from 2017-24 and with Ujpesti Torna Egylet at the club level from 2024-26… Was an age group national championship medalist 104 times, emerging victorious 44 times (2018-25)… A 7-time medalist and 2-time champion at the OPEN National Swimming Championship (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)… 3-time medalist at the Central European Countries Junior Meet (2022)… Earned four medals at the 2023 V4 Meet… Vice-champion and bronze medalist at the 2023 European Countries Junior Meet… Was a semifinalist in 2024 and 2025 at the European Junior Swimming Championships… Competed at the Junior World Swimming Championship (2025)… Age category team MVP in 2021 for the club BVSC-Zuglo… Been part of every age-group national team since 2022, making the open national team (C-category) in 2026… Received the class honor for outstanding academic performance in 2023.
Owen Lin
Oak Ridge, N.C. (Northwest Guilford)
IM/Butterfly
Before Harvard
Competed on the varsity swimming and diving (2022-26), golf (2023-24) and cross country (2022-23) teams… Part of Greensboro Swimming Association (2024-26) and East Carolina Aquatics (2016-24)… NISCA Swimming All-American (2024-26)… Named Northwest Millard Coble Male Athlete of the Year (2026)… Recipient of Northwest Program Legacy Award (2026, Swim)… Voted J.H. Rose High School Swimming MVP (2022-24)... J.H. Rose Cross Country MVP (2022-24)… Named to the All-Conference Cross Country Team while at J.H. Rose (2022)… Two-Time Speedo Winter Junior National Medalist (2025)… Toyota National Championships qualifier… Two-Time NCHSAA 8A State Champion (2026)… Multi-time NCHSAA 8A (2025) and 3A (2023 and 2024) State Medalist… Multi-Time North Carolina Swimming State Champion… North Carolina swimming age group state record-holder in 200 free (2023)… USA Swimming Scholastic All-American (2024-26)… AP Chemistry Senior Award recipient (2026)… Captured AP Statistics Senior Award (2026)… An AP Scholar with Honor (2024) and Distinction (2025)... Collected College Board National Recognition Program School Recognition Award (2025)... National Honor Society member (2025-26)... Part of HOSA-Future Health Professionals (2023-26, Regional Sports Medicine Winner)… Member of Asian American Student Association (2024-26)… Health Science Academy participant (2022-24)... Future Business Leaders of America member (2022-24).
Victor Molin
Brasília, Brazil
Diving
Before Harvard
Competed for Instituto Pro Brasil, beginning in 2019… Five-time Brazilian junior champion (2022-26)… 2025 Brazilian national champion in synchronized three-meter diving… Finished in the top-25 at the 2024 Junior World Championships… Crowned 2025 South American junior champion… Top 1-meter performance was 473 points in Boys A.
Alex Naydenov
Pleven, Bulgaria (Geo Milev Secondary School of Mathematics)
Freestyle
Before Harvard
Competed for Invictus Swimming Club (2014-17), NSA Sports Club (2018-19) and Aquazard Swimming Club (2020-26)... Multiple-time Bulgarian National Champion... Earned multiple individual titles at international competitions... Two-time participant at the European Junior Swimming Championships, placing fifth in the 4x200m free relay in 2025... Three-time participant and medalist at Multinations Junior Swimming Meet... Competed at the World Junior Swimming Championships, placing 10
th in the 4x200m free relay... Member of Bulgaria's national junior record-holding 4x200m free relay team since 2023... Consistently ranked among the top students in his class throughout high school... Earned the Cambridge Assessment English C1 Advanced (CAE) Certificate and completed advanced English language studies through Europe Schools... Son of former Bulgarian National Rowing Team member Boyko Naydenov.
David Naydenov
Pleven, Buglaria (Geo Milev Secondary School of Mathematics)
Freestyle
Before Harvard
Competed for Invictus Swimming Club from 2014-17, NSA Sports Club from 2018-19, and Aquazard Swimming Club from 2020-26… Bulgarian national champion in 2018, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025… National record holder… Three-time Multination junior meet participant (2023 Belgrade, 2024 Graz, 2025 Lymassol; one silver and three bronze medals from Multinations)… Two-time European Junior Championships participant (2024 Vilnius, 2025 Samorin)… Finalist in 4x200 freestyle relay at EJSC Samorin 2025 (5
th place)… Participant in the World Junior Swimming Championships in Otopeni 2025 (10
th place, 4x200 free relay)… Member of the record-breaking 4x200m free relay team since 2023… Took extracurricular English language classes between third and 10th grade… Took CAE Cambridge English exam with score A… Father, Boyko Naydenov, was a member of the Bulgarian National rowing team.
