If Stanford Athletics is "Home of Champions," then one can argue the most prolific room in the house is the Avery Aquatic Center.  Since opening in its current form in 2001, the magnificent facility has seen a trio of NCAA team champions, 37 individual NCAA titles, 11 Pacific-10 Conference team champions, 122 individual Pac-10 titles, five MPSF team winners, four U.S.  Collegiate team champs, 20 U.S.  Collegiate individual titles and 18 Stanford Olympians (through the 2004 Games) grace its waters in the sports of men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's water polo and synchronized swimming.

Widely considered the finest outdoor swimming and diving facility in the United States - and perhaps the world - Avery Aquatic Center will welcome the 2008 USA Olympic Swimming Team prior to the Beijing Olympics, after having also played host to the country's Olympic swimmers before the 2004 Athens Games.  2004 also saw the facility house both the Summer Junior and Senior Nationals, while 2006 brought an international flavor with the FINA Masters World Championships - which featured 7,200 athletes from 75 different countries competing in all five aquatic disciplines.  America's best divers came to The Farm in the summer of 2007 for the Kaiser Permanente National Diving Championships, while 2009 will feature the U.S.  National Synchronized Swimming Championships.

Initially christened the deGuerre Pool Complex after Dorothy and Sidney deGuerre, the original facility was completed in 1972.  In May 1999, an extensive renovation and expansion began that would ensure a world-class home for Stanford Aquatics well into the future.  Behind these efforts were the generosity and passion for water sports of Burt and Marion "Pete" Avery and their family.

As it stands today, Avery Aquatic Center features four separate pools: the Avery Competition Pool, the Maas Diving Center, the Belardi Pool and the Baker Pool.  The main attraction is the Competition Pool, which can hold up to 2,530 fans (2,480 fixed seating) and hosts all of Stanford's swimming, water polo and synchronized swimming events.  One of the fastest pools in the nation, the Competition Pool is 37 meters long and 20 meters wide, tapers from 11 to 14 feet deep and features dual one-meter and three-meter Maxiflex springboards on the south end.

Avery Aquatic Center also houses the Maas Diving Center, which stands as the finest outdoor diving facility in the country.  Stanford student-athletes, along with divers from around the world, are treated to a concrete dive tower with platforms at 1, 3, 5, 6 and 10 meters.  The dive platforms are covered in Mondo Surfacing, while the tower is flanked on each side by dual one-meter and three-meter Maxiflex springboards.

Complementing the two world-class competition areas are a pair of top-rate training pools which offer Stanford student-athletes and coaches tremendous flexibility when designing training programs.  The Belardi Pool is 50 meters long, 25 meters wide and tapers to a depth of 11 feet in the center, while the Baker Pool is also 50 meters long, but 25 yards wide and with a varying depth of 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet.

Stanford's many student-athletes in the aquatic disciplines have four locker rooms at their disposal.  The Sandy Foundation Men's Team Room and the Harold A.  Miller Women's Team Room were each refurbished in 1996 by Joan and Mel Lane, while the new Men's Timkin Room and the Women's Team Room were completed in 2000.

The many fans of Cardinal aquatics can keep track of the meets, events and games via a Daktronics scoreboard on the north end of the Avery Competition Pool.

Avery Aquatic Center is truly among the best facilities in the world, and ensures that Stanford University and Cardinal student-athletes will be at the forefront of the aquatics world well into the future.

Locker Rooms

The Sandy Foundation Team Room (Men's) is located on the east side of the pool deck.  The Harold A.  Miller Team Room (Women's) is located on the west side of the deck level.  Both rooms were refurbished by Joan and Mel Lane in 1996.  In 2000, two additional team locker rooms were completed.  The Men's Timkin Team Room and the Women's Team Room are now in use.