SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which new-look team would finish highest at men’s NCAAs:
RESULTS
Question: Which heavily-rebuilt roster will finish highest at 2019 Men’s NCAAs?
- Florida Gators – 48.2%
- USC Trojans – 31.4%
- Georgia Bulldogs – 20.4%
Nearly half of voters picked a retooled Florida team to top USC and Georgia at this winter’s men’s NCAA Championships.
Florida certainly has the highest starting point (5th last year), but also suffered the biggest losses: the Gators return only 16 NCAA points after losing Caeleb Dressel (60 points), Jan Switkowski (54 points), Mark Szaranek (41 points), Ben Lawless (7 points) and Blake Manganiello (5 points) to graduation and Michael Taylor to a redshirt season. The Gators are also adjusting to a coaching turnover, with longtime skipper Gregg Troy retiring and passing the reins to assistant Anthony Nesty. On the other hand, Florida brings in the #2 recruiting class nationally, loaded with top talents like rangy freestyler Trey Freeman, top freshman IMer Kieran Smith and star distance man Robert Finke.
USC gained just under a third of the total votes. The Trojans were 6th last year, 94 points behind Florida, but they return twice as many points (32) as the Gators. USC, though, lost the bulk of their relay prowess, including three of four legs on the winning 200 medley. Notable graduations are Santo Condorelli (27 points), Dylan Carter (18 points), Dash Enos (13 points) and Ralph Tribuntsov (11 points), and the Trojans also lost Jake Sannem to transfer and Robert Glinta (14 points) to the professional ranks. Their recruiting class is good, though, ranked #6 nationally and led by #3 overall recruit Alexei Sancov.
Georgia was just 10th last year, far behind Florida and USC. They return 31 points, though, and when you factor out graduating seniors, their 66 projected points easily top the other two. On the other hand, they graduate two Olympians: Gunnar Bentz (34 points) and Jay Litherland just outside our top 12 nationally(14 points). Their recruiting class was , but does have #19 overall recruit Andrew Abruzzo (a potential powerhouse in distance free, strokes and IM) and a few key transfers.
In our first edition Power Rankings, we actually voted in reverse order of SwimSwam readers, putting Georgia 8th, USC 9th and Florida 11th.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters if the high-profile Indiana victory over the Texas men changes their NCAA title predictions:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
