Comparing The NCAA Championships To Short Course Worlds

This article originally appeared in the 2023 College Preview issue of SwimSwam Magazine. Subscribe here.

The NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving Championships are among the most expressive meets in swimming, with performances that are often among the best in history. The depth is almost unmatched anywhere in the world, and an increasing international presence means that not just the top American swimmers, but many of the world’s top swimmers, run through the NCAA system.

Some NCAA records over the years have been legendary. For example, Natalie Coughlin’s 49.97 in the 100 backstroke in 2002 for Cal is a performance that many predicted was ahead of her time — and they were right — as it took 15 years for another swimmer to break the 50-second barrier. In 2018, Caeleb Dressel’s 17.63 in the 50 freestyle for Florida was a quantum leap forward — at the time almost a second faster than the second-fastest swimmer in history.

However, the fact that the NCAAs are performed in short course yards makes the results assimilation not an easy task, especially for those who do not follow the college season closely and who are not from the U.S. Many have no idea what it means, for example, to swim a time below 18 seconds in the men’s 50 freestyle.

Therefore, it is not easy to compare NCAAs results with those of other major meets performed in long course or short course meters.

Some performances in short course yards have definitely been on the level of the great performances we witness at World Championships and the Olympic Games. But, overall, how do the NCAAs results compare to these meets?

Short Course Yards x Short Course Meters

The Olympic Games and the World Aquatics Championships are the most important meets on the swim calendar and, as a rule, bring together the very best in swimming. So, it seems obvious that the level of these competitions in general is higher than that of the NCAAs — and any other swim meet in the world.

Perhaps it makes sense, however, to compare the NCAAs to the World Short Course Championships. Despite being a World Championships, the short course version of the meet does not bring together all the top swimmers on the planet, unlike its long course counterpart. But there are always great athletes, world records, and great races, just like in the NCAAs.

Therefore, the question remains: which competition is stronger, NCAAs or World Short Course?

In this article, we will try to make a comparison between the results of the 2022 World Short Course Championships, held last December in Melbourne, and the 2023 NCAAs held in March.

But, before that, we bring an additional and interesting comparison, to get an idea of the balance of forces of the two meets.

In 2000 and 2004, the NCAAs were performed in short course meters. The idea, at the time, was to compete in the NCAAs in a 25-meter pool in Olympic years, already aiming at preparing for the U.S. Olympic Trials.

It was something that only happened in those two years; in the next Olympic year, in 2008, the NCAAs were performed, as usual, in short course yards.

As expected, there were fast performances and several world records. And, interestingly, in those years, World Short Course Championships were also held, just a few months away from the NCAAs.

Therefore, it is possible to make a direct comparison between the times of the winners.

2000 NCAAs x 2000 World Short Course Championships (fastest time in bold)

2004 NCAAs x 2004 World Short Course Championships (fastest time in bold)

In 2000, out of 12 individual events, the women’s NCAA had the fastest winning times in four, and the Worlds, in seven — there was a tie, in the 100 backstroke.

Regarding men’s events, out of 13 events, in eight events the results of the NCAAs were faster, against five of the Worlds.

That is, considering both genders, the NCAAs had faster winning times in 12 events, and the Worlds had the faster time in 12.

In 2004, it was almost a massacre in favor of the NCAAs.

Women’s NCAA had faster winning times in 10 of 12 races. Men’s NCAA, in nine of 13 races. That is, totaling 19 fastest times for the NCAAs, against six of the Worlds.

That is, as you can see, taking this particular cut into account, in terms of winning times, the NCAA has a level similar to, or even superior to, that of the World Short Course Championships.

But that was two decades ago. How is the panorama today?

Comparing the latest results

As mentioned, the goal here is to compare the 2023 NCAAs to the 2022 World Short Course Championships.

In terms of the fastest times in history, the 2022 Worlds registered two world records, both from Canada’s Maggie MacNeil, in the women’s 50 backstroke and 100 butterfly.

As for the 2023 NCAAs, counting women and men, eight fastest times in history were set. On the women’s side, 50 free (Maggie MacNeil, this time representing LSU), 100 backstroke (Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh), 200 breaststroke, 100 butterfly and 200 IM (Virginia’s Kate Douglass). On the men’s side, 200 breaststroke, 200 and 400 IM by Arizona State’s Leon Marchand.

The following table shows the winning times of the two competitions. Obviously, times from short course yards and short course meters are not directly comparable. Therefore, there is an additional column converting NCAA times for 25-meter pools using the Swim Time Converter tool on the SwimSwam website.

Yards to meters conversions are controversial, mainly because the conversion can vary from athlete to athlete. Although the conversion from short course yards to short course meters is usually more accurate than a 50-meter pool, due to the equal number of turns in most events.

For these reasons, the performances highlighted in bold are those in which, notably, there is no discussion in relation to which was the most impressive. On the other hand, events in which the winners of the two meets presented similar times after the conversion, with a small difference between them, were considered as ties.

2023 NCAAs x 2022 World Short Course Championships (fastest time in bold)

By this analysis, on the women’s side, of 13 competitions, there is a clear advantage in five of them for the NCAAs, and four in the Short Course Worlds.

On the men’s side, the score is also five to four, also in favor of the NCAAs.

Because of the conversions, it’s hard to pinpoint which competition had the most impressive winning times. But the comparison proves that, yes, the NCAAs have a level similar to that of the World Short Course Championships, if not higher. If the NCAAs eventually returned to being performed in short course, undoubtedly incredible performances would happen. Like, for example, a sub-54-second in the women’s 100 backstroke or a 1:58 in the men’s 200 breaststroke.

But for now, the debate will continue to exist in the theoretical world. While answers of certainty can sometimes be fun, so too are answers of ambiguity.