At CVXCA, we love being part of the moments that mean something to teams.

This time, that meant working with San Diego State University Swimming & Diving on a special run of custom towels created for the athletes who qualified for the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships. The women’s championship is set for March 18–21 in Atlanta, with the championship field selected by the NCAA.

For college swimmers and divers, this meet is one of the biggest stages in the sport. Reaching the NCAA Championships means an athlete has earned a place in a nationally selected field and the opportunity to compete against the top qualifiers in Division I.

A custom project built around a special moment

For this project, we worked directly with Associate Head Coach Joe Spahn at San Diego State.

Coach provided the initial design direction and logos, and from there our team got to work building out options that felt worthy of the occasion. We sent over four mockups to help the staff review different directions. After looking through them, Coach came back with a few revisions he wanted to explore further, including one important adjustment: making the calendar element larger so more of the detail could really come through in the final design.

That kind of collaboration is one of our favorite parts of the process. A coach knows the program, the moment, and what will resonate with the athletes. Our job is to take that direction, shape it into strong custom concepts, and refine the details until it feels right.

Tight turnaround, local production, and a factory that delivered

What made this project even more meaningful was the timeline.

Normally, custom towels like this would run in the range of two to three weeks from approval to production and delivery. In this case, the timing was much tighter. These towels were being ordered to present alongside other special gear for the athletes who had qualified, so they needed to arrive fast.

Our factory made it happen.

We turned this project in under a week, which is not the norm, but absolutely the kind of challenge we are proud to step up for when the moment matters. It certainly helped that we manufacture in Buena Park, California, and these towels only had to ship just down the road to San Diego County.

That combination of responsive communication, quick revisions, local production, and close shipping distance allowed us to help SDSU celebrate its qualifiers on time.

Why the NCAA Championships matter so much

For swimmers and divers, qualifying for the NCAA Championships is not just another meet on the calendar.

It represents a season of work paying off at the highest level of college competition. The NCAA field is announced by the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships Subcommittee, and earning one of those spots is a major accomplishment for both the individual athlete and the program.

That is why the details around this kind of moment matter.

When a team wants to recognize athletes who reached that level, a custom item becomes more than gear. It becomes part of the memory. It is something athletes can keep, use, and associate with a huge milestone in their career.

Why custom towels work so well for teams

Custom towels are one of those products that check a lot of boxes for swim and water polo programs.

They are practical, visible, easy to personalize, and tied directly to the sport. They can feel premium without being overly complicated, and they work for a wide range of moments across a season.

A few great uses for custom towels include:

• Championship qualifier gifts
• Senior gifts
• End-of-season recognition
• Team store or booster items
• Full program orders
• Special event or alumni weekend gifts

They also give programs another way to build team identity beyond the suit.

At CVXCA, we are known for custom aquatics apparel, but we offer more than just suits. Towels are a great example of how teams can extend their look across additional custom products and create something memorable for athletes, families, and supporters.

From design direction to finished product

One of the biggest takeaways from this SDSU project is how simple the custom process can be when there is good collaboration.

In this case, the flow looked like this:

1. Coach shared logos and design direction
2. We created four mockups
3. The staff reviewed and requested a few revisions
4. We refined the artwork, including enlarging the calendar detail
5. Final art was approved and order was paid
6. Production moved quickly to hit the delivery window

This is our process for all custom items. Thus we are happy to assist on towels, suits, warmups, parkas, team gear, and more.

Looking to create custom towels for your team?

Whether you are celebrating NCAA qualifiers, recognizing seniors, building out gifts for your full roster, or looking for another custom product to round out your team offering, custom towels are a strong option.

And because we work closely with coaches and programs throughout the design process, we can help you move from concept to final product in a way that feels straightforward and team-focused.

Big moments deserve thoughtful details.

We were proud to work with Assistant Coach Joe Spahn and San Diego State University Swimming & Diving on this project, and we’re wishing the Aztecs the best as they compete on one of college swimming’s biggest stages this week. The 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships run March 18–21 in Atlanta.

Ready to start your own custom towel project?

CVXCA can help your team create custom towels and other aquatics products that go beyond the suit.

Reach out to our team to start the process. Whether you need gifts, recognition items, or full-program custom products, we’d love to help you build something your athletes will be proud of.