Final week—however earlier than the Caspar Corbeau announcement—we launched our post-invites NCAA Division I energy rankings. So, it appeared becoming to verify in with the Division I mid-major energy rankings that we did in October in the beginning of the 2024-25 NCAA season.
For these unfamiliar with the Division I energy rankings, the train balances a CSCAA-style twin meet rating and a prediction for the NCAA Championships end order. Issues work in a different way within the mid-major energy rankings. As an alternative of making an attempt to stability the 2 totally different rating types, we’re making an attempt to foretell what the highest 10 would appear to be at a hypothetical mid-major-only championship meet with high 16 scoring.
Once we first ranked these groups, not all had raced their first meet of the season. A good quantity of educated guesswork goes into rankings when not all groups have had a meet but. However now, these applications have all been to a midseason invitational, and a number of information factors can be found about how new additions slot in with the workforce. Add in the truth that it’s been a quick begin to the season, and it’s secure to say there’s been loads of upheaval since October.
Ladies’s Energy Rankings
- Princeton College (—)
- The College of Akron (+4)
- San Diego State College (-1)
- Harvard College (-1)
- College of Nevada (+)
- Southern Illinois College (+)
- Liberty College (+)
- College of Pennsylvania (+)
- College of Nevada, Las Vegas (-5)
- Tulane College (+)
One factor that hasn’t modified, although, is Princeton’s grip on the highest of the ladies’s energy rankings.
The Tigers maintained their high spot within the rankings with a robust exhibiting on the Large Al Invitational that they hosted after Thanksgiving. They’ve bought not less than one swimmer ranked within the mid-major high 10 this season for the 50 and 100 freestyle, which is a power that carries over to their relays, as they’re high three amongst mid-major applications this season within the three freestyle relays—they usually personal the highest time within the 800 freestyle relay. Final yr, they have been the one mid-major workforce to ship relays to NCAAs.
However the workforce’s largest power up to now this season is the IM group. Eleanor Solar and Dakota Tucker are 1-2 amongst mid-major applications within the 400 IM up to now after season-bests of 4:08.37 and 4:09.68. Plus, Meg Wheeler and Heidi Smithwick additionally rank within the high 10. Solar owns the quickest 200 IM time as nicely (1:57.10), with Tucker and Sabrina Johnston within the high 10 as nicely at fifth (1:58.28) and eighth (1:59.20).
Akron’s relays have helped them fly up the rankings, shifting up 4 spots from October. The workforce swept the primary two days of the 2024 Zippy Invite, together with an astounding 1-2-3-4-5-6 end within the 50 freestyle. Once more, the relays are essential for Akron’s stand up the standings; they’re within the high three for mid-major applications in every, powered by sturdy efforts from Maddy Gatrall, Abby Daniel, Adrianna Szwabinska, and Rebecca Reid.
Their efforts are sufficient to maneuver them forward of San Diego State and Harvard College in the intervening time, although we definitely haven’t seen both attain their most potential up to now this season.
Nevada, Southern Illinois, Liberty, Penn, and Tulane have all moved into our high 10 rankings since October. Southern Illinois has gotten a lift from Olivia Herron’s breakout this season as she’s set a number of Missouri Valley Convention and SIU faculty data within the breaststroke and IM occasions already this season. Herron’s dramatic drops this season give SIU a robust 1-2 punch in Herron and backstroker Celia Pulido, who loved a breakout season of her personal final yr.
The College of Pennsylvania girls have maintained their power within the distance occasions even with the commencement of NCAA scorer Anna Kalandadze. Anna Moehn has been wonderful for the Quakers, even cracking the all-time mid-major high 10 within the 1650 freestyle. But it surely’s not simply Moehn contributing. Freshman Kayla Fu has energized the dash free/fly group she’s damaged the 100 fly faculty report a number of instances this season, and Katya Eruslanova has additionally damaged the 200/400 IM report. Each sit inside the highest 5 this season of their major occasions (Fu within the 100 fly, Eruslanova within the 400 IM).
It was a tricky name on the final two spots on this rating; different groups that we thought-about for the highest 10 have been Hawaii, Military, Florida Worldwide, Yale, Brown, and Rice. Rice and Yale have been each ranked in our October version, whereas Brown and FIU have been honorable mentions then, too. Cal Baptist’s dash freestyle star Sofia Maksimova has had a stable begin to the season; she sits atop the mid-major season rankings within the 50 freestyle and second within the 100 freestyle, although the Cal Baptist girls are nonetheless making an attempt to get entangled within the high 10 struggle.
Males’s Energy Rankings
- Princeton College (+1)
- Yale College (+5)
- U.S Military West Level (+1)
- Harvard College (-3)
- California Baptist College (+)
- College of Hawaii (—)
- Brown College (+)
- U.S. Naval Academy (-4)
- George Washington College (+)
- College of Nevada, Las Vegas (-5)
The Princeton males’s season has been highlighted by Mitchell Schott’s unimaginable fall, however it’s a full workforce effort that’s powered them into the highest spot within the males’s rankings. Patrick Dinu, Christopher Zhang, Logan Noguchi, Brett Feyerick, and extra have contributed to the Tigers’ successes up to now this season. In October, it felt like a coin flip for the highest spot between Harvard and Princeton, however the Tigers’ efficiency this fall took away any doubt for the mid-season version of those rankings.
The Tigers are removed from the one mid-major males’s program off to a scorching begin this season, as Yale and Military have each come out swinging, which is mirrored in each groups shifting up the rankings to second and third, respectively. Yale’s gotten an enormous increase from the return of Noah Millard after an Olympic redshirt. Millard made his identify recognized within the 500 freestyle through the 2022-23 season, however he’s expanded his vary this season, posting all-time mid-major high instances within the 200 and 1650 freestyle. He ranks first within the mid-majors within the 200, 500, and 1650 freestyle this season.
Freshman Nicholas Finch has added his identify to the all-time high 10 within the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, giving Yale one other prong of assault for these hypothetical championships but in addition the 2025 Ivy League Championships. And whereas we’re speaking about freshmen already among the many high 10 swimmers within the mid-majors, Johnny Crush has added his identify to the rankings within the 100/200 backstroke. Crush has lived as much as the expectations that adopted him to the West Level campus this season, however he’s not the one motive Military has moved up the rankings.
Kohen Rankin, Daniel Verdolaga, Riley Groves, and Wes Tate are among the different Military swimmers who’ve had a heavy affect this time period, which was highlighted by successful each occasion on the Star Meet as they reclaimed bragging rights from rival Navy. It’s secure to say the e book is much from closed on that rivalry this season, although. The Midshipmen have performed their playing cards nearer to the chest up to now—it’s why they’ve slipped within the rankings—however they’ll absolutely be at their greatest for the postseason as they appear to protect their convention championship streak.
UNLV has additionally slipped, however as with Navy, that’s extra a product of different groups exceeding expectations to start the season. UNLV has discovered success as nicely; for instance, Daniel Nicusan took down a five-year-old program report within the 200 IM.
California Baptist, Brown, and George Washington are all ranked for the primary time this season, changing Queens (NC), Columbia, and Denver. Cornell, UC Santa Barbara, and Oakland have been the opposite faculties that have been within the combine for a spot within the high 10 rankings this time round.
