By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings are somewhere between the CSCAA-style dual meet rankings and a pure prediction of NCAA finish order. SwimSwam’s rankings take into account how a team looks at the moment, while keeping the end of the season in mind through things like a team’s previous trajectory and NCAA scoring potential. These rankings are by nature subjective, and a jumping-off point for discussion. If you disagree with any team’s ranking, feel free to make your case in our comments section.
Sophie Kaufman, Braden Keith, Spencer Penland, Robert Gibbs, Yanyan Li, and Anya Pelshaw contributed to this report.
Midseason invitationals are in the rearview mirror as NCAA teams take one foot off the gas for the holiday break—outside of a few mid-December dual meets—before diving into winter training and then descending into the new year with conference championship meets and ultimately NCAAs not too far away.
The Texas men have been on an absolute tear since September, highlighted by a phenomenal showing at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite (plus several impressive showings from both collegiate and pro swimmers at Short Course Worlds).
As a result, the Longhorns move into the #1 spot in our power rankings, overtaking Indiana.
Stanford and Virginia Tech were the only other movers in the top 10, switching spots from the pre-invite rankings as the Cardinal move to #8 and the Hokies fall to #10, while Virginia, Louisville and Michigan all moved up in the next three spots.
Alabama was the other big mover on the positive side, moving up from 22nd to 18th, while Texas A&M and Auburn remain in the top 15 but both slid three spots.
Arizona, UNC and Army all moved into the top 25 after they were unranked pre-invite. Minnesota, Penn and Pitt fall out of the top 25 but were all Honorable Mentions.
Previous Rankings:
Pre-season Pre-invitesHonorable Mentions: Pennsylvania Quakers, Pittsburgh Panthers, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Yale Bulldogs
Yale Bulldogs
Before the Ohio State Invitational, Noah Millard‘s previous 1650 was in March 2023. There didn’t seem to be any rust after that 21-month gap, though, as he knocked 14 seconds off his previous best, and has #2 time this season. -RG
-1 (Previous Rank: 24)
Max Wilson is the Seminoles’ top-ranked swimmer with a #9 ranking in the 100 back. But keep an eye on freshman Logan Robinson, who’s already broken the 200 fly school record twice and likely punched his NCAA ticket. -RG
+ (Previous Rank: NR)
Army – The Army-Navy football game may crushed the souls of West Point fans everywhere, but hey, at least their swim teams beat Navy. Plebe (that’s West Point speak for freshman) Johnny Crush has rewritten the Army record book multiple times this season, and currently holds the #3 spot in the 100 back. -RG
+ (Previous Rank: NR)
From returners to first years, UNC looked great at their midseason invite, breaking multiple program records. They already have 2 relay ‘A’ cuts, a big improvement from this time last season. -SK
UNC has four relays ranked in the top 16 nationally so far this season (including a 200 free relay that’s faster than Texas’), and Louis Dramm ranks 8th in the 200 IM. This could be shaping up to be the Tar Heels’ best season in a while. -RG
-1 (Previous Rank: 21)
Jack Hoagland hasn’t shown much in the distance freestyle events, but he ranks #6 nationally in the 400 IM. -RG
+ (Previous Rank: NR)
Arizona seems to be doing well under the new coaching staff. 2024 NCAA qualifier Haakon Naughton has already knocked a second off his 200 fly time, and the Wildcats have the #5 800 free relay time in the country. -RG
-1 (Previous Rank: 19)
Purdue only has a single swimmer with a top 24 ranking — Brady Samuels, who’s 16th in the 100 fly, but Purdue’s strength is their dive corps. -RG
-2 (Previous Rank: 17)
The 200 fly at Short Course Worlds last week was full or current or former NCAA swimmers, and Krzysztof Chmielewski‘s bronze medal time, puts him at #2 in college this season. -RG
+4 (Previous Rank: 22)
Charlie Hawke continues to swim well all season long, as evidenced by his 1:31.05 200 free at the UGA Invite, good for #3. Even though Hawke and teammate Kaique Alves have two of the top ten times in this event, Alabama doesn’t have a ranked 800 free relay…but probably only because they chose not to swim it at midseason. -RG
+1 (Previous Rank: 18)
Jere Hribar generated headlines early this season while swimming against Texas, and he kept the momentum going through Short Course Worlds. His converted times from there put him at #8 (50 free) and #10 (100 free) nationally this season. -RG
#16: Ohio State Buckeyes – (Previous Rank: 16)
Tristan Jankovics could be an early contender for breakout swimmer of the year. After not qualifying for NCAAs during his first two years as a Buckeye, he punched his NCAA invite at the Ohio State Invite with a 3:39.05, setting a Buckeye record. His converted time from Short Course Worlds, where he represented Canada, is about a second faster, and ranks him #2 in the NCAA this season. -RG
-3 (Previous Rank: 12)
Nate Stoffle‘s been Auburn’s best swimmer so far this season, ranking 6th nationally in the 200 back. The Tigers only have top ten relay so far this season (200 medley), but they return the vast majority of last year’s relay legs, so keep an eye on them as the season progresses. -RG
-3 (Previous Rank: 11)
Holy taper, Batman! There may be a new coaching staff in College Station, but Alex Sanchez is still taking a similar approach to the 200 breast — swim it over 2:00 in dual meets, then drop 12+ seconds at midseason. It’s working him, as he’s #7 so far this season in the event. -RG
The Aggie men were good, not great, in their first big taper meet under new head coach Blaire Anderson. Still too soon to write the new administration off, but it will test Anderson’s soft skills to keep this famously-frustrated bunch engaged until SECs. -BK
+1 (Previous Rank: 14)
The Wolverines’ top-ranked swimmer this season is Jon Jontvedt, whose 14:48.20 1650 time puts at #12. Meanwhile, they’ve got the fifth-fastest 200 free relay in the country this season. Make of that what you will. -RG
I think what makes this Michigan team a bit hard to wrap ones head around is that it’s developing some really good depth, but there still aren’t a lot of individual NCAA Championship scoring times there yet. Matt Bowe is clearly making an impact on the swimmers he’s coaching, but the Wolverines’ recruiting still needs time to catch up. -BK
I’m still high on the Wolverines. They’re ahead of where they were at this point last year. Not only are they ahead of this point in the season last year, but Michigan already has a handful of events where their top time this season is faster than last year’s top time from the whole season. It’s flying under the radar, but Michigan has momentum right now. -SP
+3 (Previous Rank: 15)
Denis Petrashov just missed a medal in the 100 breast in Budapest, but his converted time puts him at #3 in the NCAA this season. It looks like Louisville’s relays will deliver, but they could use a few more individual scorers in order to make a run at the top 10. -RG
+2 (Previous Rank: 13)
It looks like Virginia may have rested a little more for the midseason invite than they have the last few years. If so, the approach seems to have worked pretty well, as several Cavalier men punched their first NCAA tickets. That group includes freshman Spencer Nicholas, the only freshman with an ‘A’ cut this season, thanks to his #4 time in the 100 fly. -RG
-2 (Previous Rank: 8)
This is essentially the exact same team that finished 9th last year, so while they haven’t really shown their cards yet this season, that’s no cause for concern. The exception is Carles Coll Marti, who won gold in Budapest with a time that puts him on the top of the NCAA rankings in the 200 breast. -RG
#9: Georgia Bulldogs – (Previous Rank: 9)
The Bulldogs have a pretty notable 1-2 punch of Luca Urlando (ranked 3rd in the 100/200 fly) and Jake Magahey (ranked 3rd in the 500). Georgia fans, though, are going to be looking for the shorter freestyle relays to come around if this team is going to stay in the top 10 come March. -RG
Luca Urlando didn’t compete at midseason invites–he’s their most valuable swimmer, so Georgia looked a less strong than they actually are at midseason, particularly on the relays. -SK
+2 (Previous Rank: 10)
Andrei Minakov ranks #6 in the nation in both fly events after making finals in both at Short Course Worlds. The Cardinal as a whole are off to a strong start, with all five relays ranking in the top 11. -RG
#7: Tennessee Volunteers – (Previous Rank: 7)
Don’t let Tennessee’s dual meet loss to Kentucky fool you — there may not be a ton of depth, but the Volunteers have the guys who will rack up points in the spring. That group is led by Jordan Crooks, who in addition to setting world records at Worlds, holds the top times the 50 and the 100 free in the NCAA this season. -RG
The Tennessee men have the best 1-2 sprint punch in the country in Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe, and depending on how this season turns out, maybe the best 1-2 sprint punch in men’s NCAA swimming history. They still need a few more guys like Nikoli Blackman and Lamar Taylor and Joaquin Vargas to step up and score some individual points, though. -BK
#6: NC State Wolfpack – (Previous Rank: 6)
Fifth-year Owen Lloyd was about a second faster than he was at NCAAs, clocking a 1650 time that puts him 4th nationally. The Wolfpack hasn’t shown a ton of speed yet, but they will. Something about Aiden Hayes… -RG
#5: Arizona State Sun Devils – (Previous Rank: 5)
The Bowman-to-Behm transition seems to be going well for ...
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 2024-25 NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: Post-Invites Edition )
Also on site :
- Paul Pierce is walking 20 miles to work after promise about Celtics’ Game 2
- ‘Crazy about it’ – Tennis world number one Jannik Sinner dreaming about radical career change
- Indian Premier League match plunged into darkness as floodlights turned off and crowd evacuated over ‘security fears’