7 Major Mid-Season Invites On the NCAA Slate Next Week

The top NCAA swimming & diving programs tear into mid-season invites starting next week, with a wave of seven different high-level invites featuring ranked teams.

Things kick off Wednesday, with the first night of Missouri’s Mizzou Invite. We’ll have action all the way through Sunday, when Georgia Tech’s invite closes. Here’s a closer look at each invite’s dates, plus the top teams in attendance:

• Wed. Nov. 20 – Fri. Nov. 22: Mizzou Invite (Columbia Missouri)
• Thu. Nov. 21 – Sat. Nov. 23: Art Adamson Invite (College Station, Texas)
• Thu. Nov. 21 – Sat. Nov. 23: Tennessee Invite (Knoxville, Tennessee)
• Thu. Nov. 21 – Sat. Nov. 23: Ohio State Invite (Columbus, Ohio)
• Thu. Nov. 21 – Sat. Nov. 23: Wolfpack Invite (Raleigh, North Carolina)
• Thu. Nov. 21 – Sat. Nov. 23: Purdue Invite (West Lafayette, Indiana)
• Fri. Nov. 22 – Sun. Nov. 24: Georgia Tech Invite (Atlanta, Georgia)

Here’s a full lineup of all mid-season invites featuring a returning top 20 NCAA program:

Mizzou Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #18 Missouri
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #13 Missouri

It’s mostly just the host team to watch for from a team perspective, but there are a handful of top swimmers competing here. Watch for Arkansas sprinter Anna Hopkin in a battle with Missouri’s Sarah Thompson, who currently ranks #3 nationwide in the 50 free. A few top Division II teams will also be competing.

Art Adamson Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #1 Stanford, #8 USC, #15 Texas A&M
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #10 Stanford, #11 Texas A&M, #18 USC

The three-time defending NCAA women’s champs from Stanford are the headliners, but this invite is very solid at the top. Keep an eye on the women’s butterflys, with NCAA final contenders Louise Hansson of USC, Katie Drabot of Stanford and Jing Quah of Texas A&M. For the men, we can’t help but hope for a 200 free showdown between highly-touted recruits Alexei Sancov (USC) and Jack LeVant (Stanford). The event lineup of A&M star Shaine Casas is another layer of intrigue.

Tennessee Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #3 Virginia, #6 Tennessee, #11 Georgia, #14 Indiana
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #4 Indiana, #9 Virginia, #14 Georgia, #15 Tennessee

Probably the best all-around invite of the weekend, with two top-10 men’s and women’s programs. We get a rematch of the exciting Tennessee-Virginia dual meets in which the Volunteers upset the Cavaliers in both genders. For the women, we hope to get a clash in at least one event between Virginia’s top-ranked freshman Kate Douglass and Tennessee’s senior powerhouse Erika Brown. The two could meet in any or all of the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 fly. More standout freshmen dot the meet: Georgia’s Zoie Hartman and Indiana’s Emily Weiss. On the men’s side, Georgia’s Camden Murphy could have some fun fly battles with IU freshman Brendan Burns and UVA’s #2-ranked Cooper Wozencraft.

Ohio State Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #9 Kentucky, #20 Ohio State
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #7 Ohio State, #20 Notre Dame

A few top programs in the mix here. Ohio State has a lot of talent, and is a strong pick to move up our rankings with some good rested swims. Mid-distance free should be a blast, between Ohio State’s Paul DeLakis and potentially Cameron Craig in the 200 free against Notre Dame’s Zach Yeadon and Sadler McKeen, both ranked in the top 12 nationally.

Wolfpack Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #4 NC State, #10 Auburn, #16 Wisconsin, #17 Arizona State
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #3 NC State, #19 Arizona State

Some huge showdowns on the women’s side here. NCAA double backstroke champ Beata Nelson of Wisconsin gets top incoming backstroke freshman Katharine Berkoff from NC State. Auburn’s fast-rising sprint group takes on NC State’s top sprint corps, including what could be the season debut for absent sprinter Ky-Lee Perry. NC State’s men debut a big and high-ceiling freshman class, and they should do battle with a surprisingly-deep Arizona State sprint crew.

Purdue Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #12 Louisville
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #8 Louisville

Louisville are the big hitters here, with the women hoping to reload after graduating Mallory Comerford and the men looking to build on a mostly-returning NCAA team. Nicolas Albiero should swim a lot of events and relays for Louisville, and his event choices between the butterflys and backstrokes are a key storyline. Beyond the Cardinals, watch Pitt sprinter Blaise Vera, who currently leads the NCAA with a 19.53 in the 50.

Georgia Tech Invite

• Ranked Women’s Teams: #13 Florida
• Ranked Men’s Teams: #6 Florida, #17 Alabama

It’s an SEC showdown between Florida and Alabama on the men’s side. Zane Waddell usually goes off with some rest for ‘Bama. Kieran Smith has been a dominant all-arounder for the Gators so far, and he should get at least one strong IM race with Georgia Tech standout Caio Pumputis. For the women, Sherridon Dressel will look to build on her outstanding senior season so far.