With many colleges going again to campus in a number of weeks, it’s time for NCAA preview season. Listed below are the #13-16 ranked recruiting courses for this fall on the ladies’s facet.
Just a few essential notes on our rankings:
- The rankings listed are primarily based on our Class of 2024 Re-Rank. “HM” refers to our honorable mentions and “BOTR” refers to our Better of the Relaxation part for top-tier recruits.
- Like most of our rankings, these placements are subjective. We base our staff ranks on quite a lot of components: prospects’ incoming instances are by far the primary issue, however we additionally think about potential upside within the class, class dimension, relay affect and staff wants being crammed. Larger weight is positioned on recognized success in brief course yards, so overseas swimmers are barely devalued primarily based on the issue in changing lengthy course instances to brief course manufacturing.
- Transfers are included, although weighed lower than recruits who got here in with 4 seasons of eligibility.
- For the total checklist of all verbally dedicated athletes, click on right here. An enormous thanks to SwimSwam’s personal Anne Lepesant for compiling that index – with out it, rankings like these can be far much less complete.
- Some groups had not launched a finalized 2024-25 staff roster on the time these articles have been printed, that means it’s doable we missed some names. Tell us within the feedback beneath.
BEST NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING RECRUITING CLASSES: WOMEN’S CLASS OF 2024
Beforehand Ranked: N/A
#16 Georgia
Katie Belle Sikes leads the best way for the small class. She has nice 50 free pace, being as quick as a 21.90 within the occasion which is already on the border of scoring at NCAAs. That is also an enormous relay increase, because the staff’s quickest cut up with a flying begin this previous season was a 21.70. She additionally dropped a 48.73 within the 100 free, a time that with extra enchancment may even be on the border of scoring at NCAAs. She additionally has been as quick as 53.52 within the 100 fly.
Landreneau additionally highlights the category and threw down a 1:46.32 within the 200 free final December. She nonetheless appears to be like to enhance within the different freestyle occasions, with a greatest time of a 49.86 within the 100 free however coming in as a sub-50 100 freestyler continues to be one thing to notice. Lee additionally boosts the free group with a 50.29 within the 100 and 1:49.52 within the 200.
Noecker is a key decide up as a breaststroke specialist, particularly because the staff loses Zoie Hartman who was the quickest 100 breaststroker by over three seconds (58.56). Noecker enters with a greatest time of a 1:01.89 which she swam in March, exhibiting good momentum into school.
Maluka has 2 years left however is an instantaneous increase within the dash free occasions in addition to the 200 IM, particularly with the departure of Hartman. She made NCAAs this previous season and has a greatest time of a 1:43.94 within the 200 free and a 1:54.43 within the 200 IM.
#15 Virginia Tech
- Prime Tier Additions: BOTR Emily Santos (breast), BOTR Amanda Barnard (distance free), BOTR Christine Datovech (fly), Julia Murphy (fly)
- The “Relaxation”: Lexi Sawwa (free), Maxine Egner (Sweden, dash free), Sofia Salvato (Italy, again), Riley Morgan (fly), Michayla Eisenberg (diving), Aleena Stukus (breast/free), Esther Park (breast), Amanda Aidar (IM/free)
This can be a huge class for Virginia Tech, which helps increase its rankings forward of Georgia, regardless of Georgia having an “HM” ranked recruit.
Santos represents Panama on the worldwide stage however trains out of Florida so she has SCY expertise. Her greatest instances within the breaststroke occasions stand at 1:00.74 within the 100 and a couple of:12.42 within the 200.
Her 100 breast time within the LCM pool is a 1:08.68 that she swam in June, so she appears primed to interrupt the 1:00 mark as soon as she is again in a SCY pool. The staff didn’t have anybody beneath 1:03 this previous season so Santos is a big get for this system.
Barnard enters as a 1:48.38 200 freestyler together with a 4:46.12 within the 500, instances which can be nonetheless off of constructing NCAAs however have the potential to get there.
Christine Datovech and Julia Murphy are strong butterflyers. Datovech has been as quick as 53.66 within the 100 whereas Murphy has been as quick as a 53.79. The staff solely had one sub-54 butterflyer this previous season so each deliver depth and pace to the group.
#14 Auburn
- Prime Tier Additions: BOTR Olivia Stewart (breast), BOTR Taylor Grimley (fly/again/free), Julia Strojnowska (Canada, free), Bella Ekk (dash free),
- The “Relaxation”: Avery Mehok (free/again), Sarah Bush (dash free), Kate Murray (dash free), Annika Finzen (breast/free), Ashlyn Morr (dash free), Audrey Crawford (fly), Izzy Iwasyk (dash free), Carly Bixby (fly), Georgia Colborn (fly/again), Audrey Olen (free/again), Amie Perna (again)
An enormous incoming class helps increase the category within the rankings and it’s loaded with dash freestylers.
Stewart is simply off of breaking the 1:00 mark within the 100 breast popping out of highschool with a 1:00.24. She additionally has been as quick as 2:12.52 within the 200. Each instances are from her senior 12 months, which exhibits strong enchancment earlier than school.
Grimley is flexible however appears to have her largest strengths within the fly occasions, with greatest instances of 52.98 within the 100 and 1:59.58 within the 200. That 100 fly time shouldn’t be far off of constructing NCAAs, however she nonetheless will want a couple of second drop to make the cutline. She additionally has been as quick as 53.69 within the 100 again and a 22.84 within the 50 free offers her relay potential.
Strojnowska arrives with an enormous vary within the freestyle occasions, though the mid-distance and distance occasions appear to be her power. Her 200 free converts to a 1:47.65, her 500 free a 4:43.69, and 1650 a 16:23.24.
Bella Ekk had a strong senior 12 months, swimming greatest instances in all three dash free occasions. She was as quick as a 22.84 within the 50, 49.53 within the 100, and 1:46.64 within the 200. Kate Murray additionally brings in a strong dash free instances, particularly with a 1:47.51 within the 200 free.
#13 Northwestern
- Prime Tier Additions: Zoe Nordmann (mid-d free), Gray Davis (IM/again/fly), Luiza Lima (Brazil, distance free), Sophie Martin (Australia, fly/breast/IM/dash free), Nikki Venema (Princeton fifth 12 months switch, dash free/fly), Ekaterina Nikonova (Florida switch, dash free)
- The “Relaxation”: Lily Mehok (fly), Claire Mehok (again), Brianna Deierlein (again/free), Olivia Detter (dash free), Isabelle Chen (Diving), Teya Nikolova (Bulgaria, breast), Lila Bleakney (Canada, fly), Caroline Li (Cal diving switch)
This can be a big class and two NCAA-qualifying fifth years give it a lift. It’s international-heavy which makes it a bit of more durable to see the potential it has beneath second-year head coach Rachel Stratton-Mills.
Zoe Nordmann and Gray Davis spotlight the home a part of the category. Nordmann, the youthful sister of Lillie and Lucie Nordmann who swam at Stanford, has greatest instances of 1:47.5 within the 200 and 4:44.8 within the 500. The staff graduated its prime 200 and 500 freestyler Ayla Spitz from this previous season so Nordmann’s arrival is essential to fight the loss.
Davis is primarily an IMer with greatest instances of 1:59.3 within the 200 and 4:15.4 within the 400 but in addition has vary into the backstrokes (53.5 and 1:57.8) in addition to 53.0 within the 100 fly. Her greatest instances would have been the quickest on the roster this previous season in each IM occasions.
Starting with their worldwide heavy class, Sophie Martin has lots of versatility. She lately swam a 1:00.41 within the LCM 100 fly in April, a time that converts to a 53.16. She additionally has been as quick as 1:09.74 within the 100 breast, a time that converts to a 1:01.02.
Luiza Lima additionally brings worldwide success and has LCM greatest instances of 4:17.83 within the 400 and 16:43.53 within the 1500 free. These convert to 4:48.88 within the 500 and 16:23.85 within the 1650. Though these aren’t NCAA-qualifying instances but, they increase the staff on the Large Ten stage.
A pair of transfers are additionally boosts to this system Nikki Venema provides power to the dash free and fly group. She would have led the staff within the 50 and 100 freestyles this previous season and been the quickest 100 flyer by about two seconds as her greatest time is a 51.95. Ekaterina Nikonova arrives from Florida and would have additionally led the staff within the 50 and 100 freestyles this previous season and her 200 free time (1:43.83) would have scored at NCAAs, serving to fill the lack of Spitz.
