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 predict the men’s NCAA champions:
RESULTS
Question: Who is your preseason pick to win men’s NCAAs?
- Texas – 66.6%
- California – 19.6%
- Florida – 9.9%
- NC State – 3.9%
Two thirds of voters selected the Texas Longhorns as their preseason favorites to win the men’s NCAA title in 2018.
That was far-and-away the biggest margin of votes, with last year’s runners-up Cal taking 19.6% and no other team earning more than 10% of the votes. That’s a pretty resounding vote of support for Texas, especially considering how often team/school pride seems to impact these polls in the face of pure logic. It also should proscribe the Longhorns from using the Bill Simmons “nobody believes in us” technique for the coming season – at least, I guess, unless there continues to be some wonkiness in some of the more dual-meet-oriented polls, though certainly not in the poll that matters most.
It’s also a bit surprising to see the generally-organized NC State fandom fall a bit short here. The Wolfpack only gained a few more than 20 votes in this poll, though some of their more vocal fans have certainly made their presence felt in our comment section.
Cal got almost 20% of the votes, which is a solid margin for a team that was second a year ago and brought in an oustanding recruiting class. And Florida’s hype probably builds mostly from Caeleb Dressel swimming like the most unbeatable man on the planet for the last 12 months, along with some key recruiting and transfer pickups.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters about one of the more contentious swimming stories in awhile: Anthony Ervin kneeling during the national anthem at the Raia Rapida meet in Brazil.
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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Early season predictions
50 free Dressel , Schooling , Held D.H. Waddel
100 free Dressel , Carter, Held Apple
200 free Haas, Pieroni, Craig Jensen
500 free Haas, Aubeck, Shoults Fynn
1650 free Mahmood, Aubeck, Ransford Sweetser
100 fly Dressel , Schooling , Held Lanza
200 fly Schooling , Quah, Switkowski Wright
100 back Shebat, Kalizek, Ress Stewart
200 back Mulcare, Shebat, Roberts Reid
100 breast Montague , Vissering, Hoppe Melzer
200 breast Luna, Hoppe, Seliskar Butler
200 im Vazaios , Szaranek , Seliskar Craig
400 im Szaranek , Seliskar , Devine Hugo
200 free relay NC state, Texas, Cal Alabama
400 free relay Texas,… Read more »
First of all, Daniel Roy? Yes please! Second of all, they’re just too good for it to matter this year. They will win. They’ve got Magic going on over there.
This article along with the swim swam community disappoints me a lot… only 2/3 of the votes for Texas??!! comon really?? With Texas’s momentum and drive coming into this 4 peat there is no way with the fire power they have will lose this championships #HOOKEM #4PEAT
So you’re mostly disappointed that other people’s opinions don’t align perfectly with you own. Remind me why this is SwimSwam’s problem?
Because everyone should jump on the bandwagon
Texas’ weakness in Breaststroke and its impact on Medley relays is significant. Melzer, who is performing the best of any of Texas’ breaststrokers right now, has lifetime bests of 53.67/1:58.42. Last year, Licon split 49.75 off the 400 Medley Relay. Melzer will need to make big drops to keep Texas’ relays competitive. Austin Temple has not been swimming well. Temple was 53.76 last year and went a 1:09.50 LC 100m Breast this summer, not the kind of summer season one would hope for. Hopefully, high school breaststrokers, like Daniel Roy and others, will strongly consider coming to Texas and dramatically helping one of the most impressive swimming programs in recent history in its only weak area.
Everyone sleeping on Jared Butler like he isn’t 53.8/1.55.5
You’re right. I should have included Jared Butler.
More like everyone realizing 53.8 isn’t good. (At least for an NCAA title contending relay)
When you’re replacing Licon, you’re gonna have a dropoff. A big one. So comparing to :49 is probably not the best baseline. CAL is also losing Murphy, and Shebat could realistically go :43 this year…
At the UT mock meet I saw a breastroker go a 1:23 150 breast I don’t know who it was but hopefully he goes to UT
Licon and Andrew Wilson both still train with UT. Could it have been them?
They need one of those breastrokers to step up – say, break 53 – if they want to win the medley relays, but hard to see them not finsihing top 4 so that’s not going to cost them the meet… I do think this year’s NCs will be very competitive.
Diving will play a big role in title race.
That new kid on diving platform will be the key figure finally.
Come March TX will he saying “How did we let this one slip away?”
I could see Texas using 3 different guys for the 3 different breastroke distances. It’s not hard to imagine Temple swimming the 50, Melzer swimming the 100, and Jared Butler or Sam Stewart swimming the 200 (Melzer also is nothing to sneeze at in the 200).
Or one of them could take off and become the workhorse breastroker.
Lol NC State