Student Podcast Challenge: Cold Weather Swimming

NPR | By Eliza Dunn,

Student Podcast Challenge

Published November 17, 2025 at 4:19 PM EST

One of our NPR College Podcast Challenge finalists brings the story of a group of women who, every week, take an icy plunge into the Connecticut River.

This is an excerpt from "Brave Souls" by Eliza Dunn, a recent graduate of Dartmouth College. Her story was a finalist in the 2024 NPR College Podcast Challenge.

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