2023-24 NCAA Women’s Power Rankings: December Edition

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.

Braden Keith, Spencer Penland, Yanyan Li, Sophie Kaufman, Robert Gibbs and Anya Pelshaw contributed to this report.

Midseason madness in the NCAA hit us last month, with teams showing more of what they’ve got during the first of three taper tests in the season.

There was a lot of movement across the board—Ohio State and Stanford made big leaps from last month, USC continued to climb up the top 10, and Michigan and Auburn also saw notable progressions.

On the flip side, Indiana and Tennessee slid down the rankings in the top 10 after teams like the Cardinal and Trojans showed out. Virginia Tech was the only non top-10 team to fall more than one spot, interestingly.

Previous Ranks

• NCAA Women’s Power Rankings – Pre-Season Edition
• NCAA Women’s Power Rankings – November Edition

Prior to the invitational meets, Florids was a polarizing team for writers, but not anymore. Previously split between 4th and 7th-place votes, the Gators are now the near-consensus #3 team in the nation, moving past Louisville.

Stanford and USC are in a similar boat in terms of being highly debated (votes ranging from 5-10), though most believe both squads are on the up and up.

Honorable Mentions: Arkansas, South Carolina, Princeton, Penn

#25: FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES – (PREVIOUS RANK: 25)

Samantha Vear and Maddy Huggins could propel Florida State from 33rd in 2023 into the top 25 in 2024. -SK

#24: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 23)

The Boilermakers return two of their three scoring divers from last season and Daryn Wright is coming off a very strong showing at Winter Nationals. -JS

#23: LSU TIGERS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 22)

A lot of very similar teams here at the bottom. Among them, LSU’s Montserrat Lavenant is the best, followed by Florida State’s Samantha Vear. -BK

#22: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 21)

Megan van Berkom is a projected scorer in the 200 fly and 400 IM, but her most impressive swim at the Minnesota Invite may have been the 500 free, where she hit a big PB. -JS

#21: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES -3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 18)

Caroline Bentz has impressed thus far but Emma Atkinson‘s status looms large for this team’s prospects. -JS

#20: AUBURN TIGERS +4 (PREVIOUS RANK: 24)

Relays have looked good, with the Tigers hitting two ‘A’ cuts in the 200 medley and 400 free relays at the UGA Invite (which also bodes well for the 400 medley and 200 free). Hannah Ownbey has progressed into a likely scorer. -JS

#19: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 20)

Cadence Vincent and Jada Scott‘s breakthroughs in the sprints are big for this rebuilding Alabama team. -SK

The rise of swimmers like Cadence Vincent and Jada Scott have kept this program afloat after they suffered major losses this season. I’m still waiting to see what kind of impact Liberty Williams will have for this team too. -YL

#18: TEXAS A&M AGGIES +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 19)

Miranda Grana has really kicked the NCAA door down and established herself as a potential multi-event scorer. -JS

#17: DUKE BLUE DEVILS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 16)

Duke’s medley relays are really good. -BK

#16: ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 15)

To go with their individual performances at the NC State Invite, the Sun Devils have qualified four relays for NCAAs. They didn’t field any at NCAAs last year and four gives them a chance to dramatically increase their overall points. -SK

I feel bad sliding them down a few slots even as they keep swimming better, but it’s more about other teams around them showing out even bigger. Women’s NCAAs this year is going to be fun with so many programs heading in the right direction at the same time. -BK

Loved what I saw from the ASU women at midseasons. -YL

#15: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 14)

A lot of their top swimmers weren’t racing at the Duke Invite but were instead at the U.S. Open. That hurts their projections at this point, but they’ve got some likely scorers in the pool coupled with the diving dynamo that is Aranza Vazquez.

#14: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES +3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 17)

Stephanie Balduccini led the way as multiple underclassmen swam PBs at the UGA Invite, adding to the Wolverines’ momentum heading into the second half of the season. -SK

Michigan has looked excellent through the first half of the season, especially with their sprint group. The 3:10 400 free relay at mid-season was a pleasant and promising surprise. They’ll still need to find a fix for the breaststroke leg of their medley relays but it looks like this Michigan team could potentially have several individual scoring swimmers at NCAAs, including a couple who could score 20-30 points. -SP

#13: GEORGIA BULLDOGS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 13)

Georgia’s distance crew looked great at their midseason invite. -SK

#12: WISCONSIN BADGERS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 12)

Bacon and co. were sizzling at the Texas Invite, and the addition of Hailey Tierney is paying dividends in the relays—the Badgers have hit three ‘A’ cuts and were faster in Austin in the 400 free and 400 medley than NCAAs last year. -JS

#11: CAL GOLDEN BEARS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 11)

Relays were firing on all cylinders at the Minnesota Invite, but they probably need a few more individual scorers to crack the top 10. -JS

#10: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS -5 (PREVIOUS RANK: 5)

Camille Spink is going to be a force. 21.3/46.6 relay splits in her first big college meet is some serious stuff. -YL

#9: INDIANA HOOSIERS -3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 6)

Indiana’s drop is more due to the standout invitationals we saw from Stanford and USC. -JS

#8: USC TROJANS +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 9)

USC women are showing up and showing out. Their challenge last year was hitting their taper at NCAAs, though, so that will continue to weigh back their ranking. Their top diver graduated from last year – might get a few points this year, but not as many as last year. If they have a near-perfect NCAAs, a top 4 finish is not out of the question. -BK

Okay, okay, I give in to the USC bandwagon. Being top five in the nation for every single relay is legit and will go a long way. -YL

#7: NC STATE WOLFPACK – (PREVIOUS RANK: 7)

Solid at their home invite, but no crazy breakouts like some of the other teams—which could be a good thing at season’s end but doesn’t do much for their current ranking. Kennedy Noble held off from racing the 200 back, where she’s in title contention. -JS

#6: STANFORD CARDINAL +4 (PREVIOUS RANK: 10)

It’s a shame that Caroline Bricker isn’t a sprinter, because the lack of sprinters is what continues to hold Stanford back. -YL

Caroline Bricker‘s breakout and a bunch of rebounds make the Cardinal better than any of us thought with all they’ve lost the last two years. And it’s not just their swimmers – their only NCAA qualifying diver from last year Lauren Burch is having a really good season too. -BK

#5: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES +3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 8)

A lot of familiar names leading the Buckeyes at the OSU Invite, but the emergence of Krista Marlin is a pleasant surprise. Coming over from Penn State—where she took a medical redshirt as a freshman—she was among the team’s top performers in mid-November, giving Ohio State another potential scorer. Katherine Zenick still has another gear to get to and their relays were still elite. -JS

#4: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 3)

The Louisville women for sure have some talent, especially in the sprints. But they’re starting to feel like a team that is maybe 1 or 2 short of a top 3 finish at NCAAs. But remember, Louisville always hits a good NCAA Championship taper. -BK

I get the Florida hype right now, but I think we are underestimating how good Louisville’s relays are and how well they perform at the end of the season. They weren’t super flashy at invites but I think that’s nothing to worry about. -YL

#3: FLORIDA GATORS +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 4)

We knew that Florida’s stars were going to keep them moving up the standings, but its the performances from their depth swimmers like Molly Mayne and Olivia Peoples that makes them a top 3 team for me. -SK

Bella Sims‘ new freestyle technique is a big-picture conversation that could impact her international future, but she’s a 55+ NCAA Championship individual scorer regardless. -BK

#2: TEXAS LONGHORNS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 2)

Texas women are in the same position as last year. Thanks to their divers, they have a chance at running down Virginia if Virginia doesn’t fire full-steam at NCAAs. But Virginia always fires at NCAAs, so that would have to change. Don’t forget that Texas gets Lydia Jacoby back for the spring semester. -BK

#1: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

Remember when swimulating, Virginia hasn’t swum an 800 free relay this season – which they’ll almost surely win. -BK

WRITER BALLOTS