A path back to each other

At the University of Dayton, connections can spark long after graduation. For Maggie Elizabeth Wagner ’17 and David Swearingen, their story began on campus — though they didn’t realize it at the time.

As a junior, Wagner worked as a referee in CampusRec while Swearingen was starting his first year working in aquatics. They never officially met, but in the winter of 2016, they appeared just a few feet apart in a photo promoting the Path to 30 program, encouraging students to get at least 30 minutes of exercise a day.

Years later, the two matched on a dating app, unaware of their shared UD ties. Their first date was simple and meaningful: church, followed by a meal.

“I thought it must be a good sign,” Wagner said. “I was praying for my future husband.”

Over dinner, talk drifted to their college days and a surprising realization surfaced. They hadn’t only shared friends and campus jobs — they had shared that (now infamous) photograph.

“Once we found out that we both went to Dayton …  that we had a lot of friends in common, [it] just sort of took off from there,” Wagner said. “It felt very full circle.”

Their story continued far from campus. On April 13, 2025, Swearingen faked a leg cramp on a Siesta Key beach, then dropped to one knee. Wagner — wearing a Dayton shirt — said yes.

Now planning their wedding in Westerville, Ohio, the couple sees their journey as proof that UD connections can surface when you least expect them — sometimes captured in a photo years before the first hello.