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 to pick the preseason favorite in the women’s Big Ten:
RESULTS
Question: Who should be the preseason favorite to win the 2021 Women’s Big Ten Swim/Dive title?
- Michigan – 51.8%
- Ohio State – 28.0%
- Indiana – 12.9%
- Northwestern – 4.2%
- Someone else – 3.1%
Just over half of voters picked Michigan to surge to the top of the women’s Big Ten in 2021, compared to just 28% voting for defending champs Ohio State.
Ohio State won by almost 200 points last year, and they hold a 166-point margin over Michigan in returning individual points. Michigan does have star power going for it, though: the Wolverines won 8 of 18 swimming events at Big Tens last year, including a triple from then-sophomore Maggie MacNeil. Michigan won three of five relays.
Ohio State won just three events: the 500 free (senior Kathrin Demler), 1650 free (senior Molly Kowal) and 200 free relay. Their depth was astounding, though, with 27 individual scorers at the conference level. 22 of the 27 return for next season.
Indiana, who won the 2019 conference title, was well behind the other two programs in our poll. IU returns about 352 fewer individual points than Ohio State and 186 fewer than Michigan.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters to pick the men’s Big Ten favorites:
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ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
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