Women’s NCAA Swimming Day 1 Up/Downs: ‘Dawgs Pick Up an A-Finalist, Aggies Slip in Prelims

The day 1 meet recap is available here.

Quick Definitions – “Ups” are the number of swimmers a team has that will be in the A-Final, and barring DQ will finish somewhere from 1st-8th. “Downs” are the number of swimmers a team has that will be in the B-Final, and barring DQ will finish somewhere from 9th-16th.

These up/downs will focus on individual events, with diving now included.

The first number in each column is what actually happened, the number in parenthesis is how each team was seeded to finish in each event. Teams in Green did well compared to seed, teams in red struggled compared to seed, and teams left black were about where expected.

Georgia were the big winners on day 1 of this meet, adding a full A-finalist from where they were seeded (as compared to Cal, who added just a full B-finalist). The Bulldogs also had two very good relays, and did so without using Allison Schmitt yet on the 200. Whether that’s just to get her more rest or to change her to perhaps the 200 medley, it’s a winning proposition for Georgia.

North Carolina, as a team, well outperformed their seeds (much like they did at this meet last season). That rolls us into the teams that didn’t do so hot in the morning, starting with their ACC counterparts at Virginia. The Cavaliers will have only a single swim tonight, that coming from their 200 free relay that’s seeded 13th. Nobody made it back in an individual final (Kelly Offutt looked very good early in the 500 until her cap and goggles came off), and then they scratched the 400 medley to end the session.

The Texas A&M Aggies aren’t looking much like the top-4 team we thought they’d be either, with only B-Finalists, plus a top-two 400 medley for tonight. Arizona and Tennessee now are looking better-and-better for top 5 spots unless the Aggies turn things around (they looked better on that medley at the end of the session); Stanford had some very good swims, and some not as good swims, but overall a positive day for the Cardinal as well.

The one spot Georgia didn’t get help was diving. They get better as the boards get higher, though, so the Bulldogs should still count on some points later in the meet. Tennessee, on the other hand, got two into the A-final, which is going to be big for them. Remember that diving scores reset after prelims, and at this meet, both the A and B finals are fought out.