2024-25 Women’s NCAA Power Rankings: Final Edition

As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings account for 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, Yanyan Li, Robert Gibbs and Anya Pelshaw contributed to this report. 

The final edition of our Women’s NCAA Power Rankings is here, as we give our final predictions for the team standings at next week’s meet.

It was close, but the top five teams remain the same from the pre-conference rankings, with Tennessee and Florida tying in their average vote but a tiebreaker keeping the Gators ahead of the Lady Vols.

Indiana moves up two spots into 6th, while other teams moving up multiple spots were Alabama, Auburn and Miami (FL), while Virginia Tech and Pitt cracked the top 25 after they were on the outside looking in last month.

Purdue dropped down three spots to #25, while Florida State and UCLA fell out of the rankings.

Previous Rankings: 

• Pre-season
• Pre-Invite
• Post-Invite
• Pre-Conference

Honorable Mentions: Florida State Seminoles, UCLA Bruins, Arizona Wildcats, Utah Utes, Houston Cougars

#25: PURDUE BOILERMAKERS -3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 22)

The Boilermakers finished 18th last season with three scoring divers. They’ve lost one, Maycey Vieta, but still have Daryn Wright and Sophia McAfee, who project to score enough to keep them in the 20-25 range. -JS

#24: PITT PANTHERS + (PREVIOUS RANK: NR)

Sophie Yendell placed 17th in the 100 fly (51.35) last season after a breakout 50.87 swim at ACCs. She’s coming off a massive best time of 21.30 in the 50 free at this year’s conference meet, and also posted a solid 51.13 clocking in the 100 fly. If she can at least recreate those swims at NCAAs, the Panthers will be in for some points that should crack the top 25. -JS

#23: LSU TIGERS +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 24)

LSU is only seeded for 12 swimming points at NCAAs, but they’ve still got the game-changing diver in Montserrat Lavenant, who scored 34 on her own last season and dragged them to a 21st-place finish. She wasn’t quite as strong at the 2025 SEC Championships as she was last season, but still, having Lavenant with a few points from the pool here and there should place them in the top 25. -JS

#22: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES + (PREVIOUS RANK: HM)

A lot of Virginia Tech’s hopes hinge on Carmen Weiler Sastre performing at NCAAs, as she’s seeded to score 12 of their 13.5 individual swimming points. With seeds of 10th in the 200 back and 12th in the 100 back, Weiler Sastre cracking an ‘A’ final would be significant for the Hokies. The 400 free relay will also be key for this team. -JS

#21: MIAMI (FL) HURRICANES +2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 23)

Without star divers Chiara Pellacani and Mia Vallee last year, the Hurricanes fell to 40th and only scored three points at NCAAs. The dynamic duo is back this season and are coming off going four-for-four in podium finishes in the springboard events at ACCs, with Pellacani winning the 3-meter title. In addition to that, senior Giulia Carvalho has had a breakthrough season and is seeded for 19 points. -JS

#20: TEXAS A&M AGGIES -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 19)

The Aggies don’t have their top two scorers from last season with Miranda Grana transferring and diver Joslyn Oakley graduating, making the addition of Else Praasterink as a transfer from Louisville all the more important for the team this season. Praasterink scored 15 points last year, and Texas A&M will need that, and big contributions from their only two swimmers seeded to score, Chloe Stepanek and Olivia Theall, to finish in the top 20. -JS

#19: ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 18)

Can the Sun Devils carry over the momentum of their first conference title in program history to the NCAA Championships? Caroline Bentz was dominant at Big 12s but will need to be at her absolute best at NCAAs, with seeds ranging from 15th to 22nd, right on the bubble for second swims. Julia Ullmann and Charli Brown are two others to watch for with scoring potential, and the team will need to move up in a few relays and get on the board to stay competitive. -JS

#18: AUBURN TIGERS +2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 20)

All of the Tigers’ psych sheet points come from relays, and getting any extra from individual events would be a big bonus. Their best opportunity is first-year Lora Komoroczy in the 100 back (21st seed) and sophomore Morgan Carteaux in the 100 fly (25th seed). A lot of how their final standing looks at the end of the meet relies on the 200 medley and 200 free relays. -JS

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

Duke is coming off a strong ACC showing highlighted by Kaelyn Gridley winning the conference title in the 100 breast. For NCAAs, however, Gridley is seeded seven spots higher in the 200 breast (2nd), giving her 26 projected points between those two races. Ali Pfaff and Tatum Wall are also seeded to score, and diver Margo O’Meara should contribute double-digit points. -JS

#16: UNC TAR HEELS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 15)

Aranza Vazquez Montano‘s 40 points led UNC to a 17th-place finish last year, and she’s back along with freshman Lanie Gutch, who’s been on a tear this week at the Zone Championships. On top of that, the Tar Heels have 26.5 psych sheet points, 18 of which come from relays. -JS

#15: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE +2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 17)

The Crimson Tide may only have three swimmers seeded to score, but their relays have been dynamite this year and are projected to compile 62 points, which is 11th-best among all teams. Five of the seven writers have Alabama finishing 14th or better, but the other two have them 20th and 21st, resulting in them landing at #15 instead of the 13-14 range. Last year, Avery Wiseman was their only individual scorer and they finished 23rd. Cadence Vincent and Emily Jones joining her this year would go a long way. -JS

#14: GEORGIA BULLDOGS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 13)

Georgia placed 13th last year with Abby McCulloh, Rachel Stege and Dune Coetzee being their top three scorers, and that trio is seeded to do the same for the Bulldogs this year. The loss of Zoie Hartman leaves them without a top breaststroker for the medley relays, which plays a part in them likely dropping at least one spot in the standings. -JS

#13: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 14)

Ohio State’s top seven scorers from the 2024 NCAA Championships won’t be competing for the Buckeyes next week, so despite winning the Big Ten title last month, the depth they showed there won’t translate directly as they’ve only got four swimmers seeded to score. The top two are freshmen, who they’ll rely on heavily to carry over the Big Ten momentum and thrive at their debut nationals. -JS

#12: WISCONSIN BADGERS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 11)

Phoebe Bacon‘s last hurrah for the Badgers. She’s scored 179 points through four NCAA appearances so far and will easily eclipse 200 this year. Bacon is seeded to score 42 points—she’s always been able to step up when it counts, but the backstroke field is loaded this year, so nothing is set in stone. But as she goes, Wisconsin goes, though freshman Maggie Wanezek gives them a second double-digit scorer. Hailey Tierney is key for the relays and Cal Dunn could hit the board again in the 400 IM. -JS

#11: USC TROJANS +1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 12)

Having Kaitlyn Dobler back for one more year and Minna Abraham with one year of experience under her belt gives USC a strong 1-2 punch seeded for 20+ points. Claire Tuggle will play a prominent role in the relays and their point potential. -JS

#10: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 10)

A Louisville team that historically hits their NCAA taper as well as anybody did so again last year, placing 6th. -BK

The loss of their top 2024 scorer, Christiana Regenauer, is the main reason they project to drop four spots, but the Cardinals are also without diver Else Praasterink (15 points last year), who transferred to Texas A&M. Louisville’s relays are still seeded for 100 points, however, so that’s a big key. -JS

#9: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES – (PREVIOUS RANK: 9)

With six swimmers seeded to score individual points, Michigan ranks 6th in psych sheet scoring but writers were hesitant to put them there, with votes ranging from 7th to 10th. Stephanie Balduccini and Hannah Bellard‘s evolution as sophomores, and the return of Letitia Sim, are the big reasons why the Wolverines should move up in the standings after placing 12th last year. They rank 5th in terms of relay psych sheet points (120), so following through and holding their seeds will be paramount in delivering a finish in the 8-9 range. -JS

#8: NC STATE WOLFPACK -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 7)

No Berkoff for the first time in a long time, but the freshmen duo of Leah Shackley and Erika Pelaez takes over seamlessly for the Wolfpack. They placed 10th last season and are seeded for 8th right now. There’s no denying their ability, but the question for Shackley and Pelaez will be, will they wear down over the course of the meet with four days of racing in a pressure-packed environment with the team relying on them so heavily? -JS

#7: CAL GOLDEN BEARS -1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 6)

French newcomers Mary-Ambre Moluh and Lilou Ressencourt have given the Bears a bit of rejuvenation this season, and with Isabelle Stadden in her final year, this projects to be their best finish since 2021. Neither Moluh or Stadden were at their best at the ACC Championships, which I’m viewing as a positive as they save their taper for NCAAs. Lea Polonsky and Maya Geringer should supplement the team with additional points. -JS

#6: INDIANA HOOSIERS +2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 8)

The Indiana women’s swimmers appear locked in. The team could shift a few spots depending on how diver Skyler Liu performs at NCAAs – she was great in 2023, but struggled last year at the national championship meet. -BK

#5: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 5)

Tennessee’s reputation as a team that performs better at SECs and NCAAs should be a thing of the past after they placed 4th last season, but they still received four 5th-place votes despite being seeded 3rd on the psych sheets (the Vols tied with Florida in average vote, but the Gators got the edge for 4th after removing the highest and lowest votes). Camille Spink hit a new level at SECs, Josephine Fuller is consistent as ever, and Mona McSharry is hunting down her first national title after several close calls. They’ve also got first-years McKenzie Siroky and Ella Jansen coming in with a ton of ability. Personally I see them getting by Florida this year, but Stanford is a different animal with Torri Huske. -JS

#4: FLORIDA GATORS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 4)

The Gators are led by Bella Sims and Emma Weyant, and will be relying on first-years Julie Brousseau and Anita Bottazzo to contribute some big points to keep them in the top four. Seven schools are seeded for 100+ relay points, and Florida isn’t one of them, sitting at 98. Stepping things up there would go a long way in helping their cause as they battle Stanford and Tennessee. -JS

#3 STANFORD CARDINAL – (PREVIOUS RANK: 3)

The Stanford women really turned things around last season while Torri Huske was on an Olympic redshirt. That momentum hasn’t changed now that she’s back competing with the varsity squad. -BK

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

Texas has some divers, but they were just so-so at Zones. Surely not enough to make up the 144-point gap on paper with Virginia. -BK

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

The queens reign again. That’s all there is to it. Sit back and enjoy Gretchen putting on one of the most spectacular swimming performances you’ll ever see. – BK

WRITER BALLOTS