2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Championships: Day 4 Ups/Downs
Queens are poised to repeat as NCAA Division II champions for the 6th consecutive time, while Drury should finish second for the 4th time in a row. Current photo via The NCAA
For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims, swimmers qualify for one of two finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final; places 9 through 16, the B final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time of any heat in the final.
With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers in the A final and “Down” to swimmers in the B final.
Day Four
With Queens poised to win their sixth consecutive NCAA Division II title and Drury to repeat as runners-up, the excitement lies in the next several rungs on the ladder. UIndy and Lindenwood are battling for third place; Wingate, GVSU, and Tampa for fifth; and Carson-Newman, Colorado Mesa, NSU, and Delta State for top-10 status.
Women’s Ups/Downs
The tables below include the top eight of the 1650 free by seed as “up” and the eight fastest out of heats this morning as “down.” Note: The two distance freestyle events are the only cases where “downs” could in fact score among the top 8, depending upon the performances of the eight fastest seeds in their final swims.
In past years, there are prelims for the relays (with the exception of the 4×200 free) in the mornings, but with the reduced field this year, the 2021 NCAA Division II Championships are swimming the relays as timed finals only. Therefore, the following projections include relays in the “ups” and “downs” by seed time.
Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …
