It’s post-NCAA retrospective time, as we look back at recruit rankings through the lens of now-updated NCAA scoring data. We’ve focused in on the senior class (after four NCAA seasons) and the freshman class (after their first NCAA showings), and now it’s time to share all of our data for the four classes currently making up the NCAA field.
Further reading:
- Revisiting recruiting ranks: High school class of 2019
- Revisiting recruiting ranks: High school class of 2022
We’ll also include this year’s freshmen and seniors to have all the data in one post. You can find further analysis of those classes above.
Notes:
- The data included is only individual scoring at NCAAs. That’s not an exact measure of an athlete’s contribution to a program: many of these swimmers (and others not listed) were relay scorers at NCAAs, scored significant points at conference meets and provided great leadership and culture-building for their programs. This data isn’t a perfect analysis of the best recruits – it’s merely a quick look at the data we can compile.
- Some of these athletes haven’t had as many scoring seasons as others in their class. Some redshirted a season and have more remaining seasons. Some deferred their enrollment as freshmen. Some sat out a year with a transfer. Some turned pro early. Some will turn pro early. Some are hard to pigeonhole into a specific class, international athletes especially. We did our best to group athletes where they best fit. Again, this isn’t a hard-and-fast ranking of value – it’s just the best data we can compile.
- The ranks are from our recruit rankings, typically compiled when these athletes were high school juniors. We don’t include internationals in those rankings, as it’s difficult to figure out if and when internationals will join the NCAA and which class they should be grouped with before they appear in the NCAA. Do bear in mind that our rankings were done well over a year before any of these athletes appeared in NCAA competition, so if you do have a quibble with a specific rank, you may want to check how fast that athlete actually was when the ranking was done before you get too livid. Unranked recruits showing massive improvement curves are some of the best stories in the NCAA year-in and year-out, and one reason we rank recruits is so we can better see which athletes had great rises during their college careers.
- All that said, compiling these ranks is a lot of data entry and a lot of research. If we missed anyone, or misclassified anyone with the wrong class or with the wrong domestic/international tag, please let us know in the comments and we’ll update our data as soon as possible!
SENIORS (HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2019, COLLEGE CLASS OF 2023)
| Rank | Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2020 NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
2020 NCAA Psych Sheet Points
|
| 1 | Kate Douglass | Virginia | 174 | — | 54 | 60 | 60 | 51 |
| 2 | Zoie Hartman | Georgia | 73.5 | — | 41 | 20.5 | 12 | 45 |
| 3 | Katharine Berkoff | NC State | 137 | — | 44 | 48 | 45 | 16 |
| 4 | Emily Weiss | Indiana | 0 | — | 0 | – | – | 18 |
| 5 | Coleen Gillilan | Notre Dame | 8 | — | 8 | no invite | 0 | |
| 6 | Ella Nelson | Virginia | 138 | — | 48 | 42 | 48 | 33 |
| 7 | Kaitlynn Sims | Michigan | 14 | — | 14 | 0 | no invite | 17 |
| 8 | Caitlin Brooks | Kentucky | 10 | — | 6 | 2 | 2 | 15 |
| 9 | Ayla Spitz | Cal | 24 | — | 20 | 4 | 0 | |
| 10 | Kelly Pash | Texas | 115.5 | — | 42.5 | 44 | 29 | 4 |
| 11 | Zephy Koh | Princeton | 0 | — | redshirt | – | – | no invite |
| 12 | Alexandra Crisera | Stanford | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 13 | Hannah Bach | Ohio State | 40 | — | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
| 14 | Madelyn Donohoe | Virginia | 36 | — | 8 | 15 | 13 | |
| 15 | Cora Dupre | Indiana/Alabama | 41 | — | 12 | 29 | – | 17 |
| 16 | Lexi Cuomo | Virginia | 31 | — | 11 | 5 | 15 | 7 |
| 17 | Ashley Turak | Indiana | 7 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 18 | Lindsay Looney | Arizona State | 26 | — | redshirt | 7 | 19 | |
| 19 | Ellie VanNote | UNC | 6 | — | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 20 | Mary Smutny | Texas | 0 | — | no invite | no invite | no invite | no invite |
| HM | Caroline Bentz | Virginia Tech | 3 | defer | 0 | 0 | 3 | no invite |
| HM | Talia Bates | Florida | 30 | — | 24 | 6 | 0 | no invite |
| HM | Chloe Clark | Cal | 0 | — | no invite | no invite | – | no invite |
| HM | Caroline Cooper | UNC | 0 | — | no invite | no invite | no invite | no invite |
Unranked Recruits
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2020 NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
2020 NCAA Psych Sheet Points
|
| Abby Hay | Louisville | 65 | — | 15 | 20 | 30 | |
| Lauren Poole | Kentucky | 56 | — | 22 | 23 | 11 | |
| Kristen Stege | ECU/Tennessee | 50 | — | 24 | 11 | 15 | |
| Gillian Davey | Kentucky | 29 | — | 9 | 15 | 5 | 4 |
| Rachel Klinker | Cal | 29 | — | 10 | 13 | 6 | 9 |
| Amy Fulmer | Ohio State | 29 | — | 0 | 6 | 23 | |
| Christiana Regenauer | Louisville | 27.5 | — | 0 | 0 | 27.5 | |
| Tylor Mathieu | Florida | 19 | — | 6 | 11 | 2 | |
| Heather MacCausland | NC State | 15 | — | 0 (scratch) | 0 | 15 | |
| Josie Panitz | Ohio State | 12 | — | no invite | 0 | 12 | |
| Emma Wheal | Stanford | 11 | — | 11 | 0 | relay-only | |
| Anna Kalandadze | Cal/Penn | 7 | — | – | 0 | 7 | |
| Felicia Pasadyn | Harvard/Ohio State | 6 | — | – | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| AJ Kutsch | Tennessee/Auburn | 5 | — | – | 5 | – | |
| Beth McNeese | Kentucky | 4 | — | 4 | no invite | 0 | |
| Kathleen Golding | Florida | 4 | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| Meredith Rees | Missouri | 4 | — | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Mia Motekaitis | UC Davis/Cal | 4 | — | no invite | 0 | 4 | |
| Emma Shuppert | Duke | 2 | — | 2 | no invite | 0 | |
| Katie Mack | Florida | 1.5 | — | 1.5 | relay-only | 0 | |
| Kaitlynn Wheeler | Kentucky | 1 | — | 1 | relay-only | 0 | |
| Averee Preble | Auburn | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Ellie Marquardt | Princeton | 0 | — | no invite | no invite | 12 |
International Recruits
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2020 NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
2020 NCAA Psych Sheet Points
|
| Hannah Brunzell | Northwestern | 16 | — | 16 | 0 | relay-only | 3 |
| Abbey Webb | Auburn/NC State | 9 | — | – | 0 | 9 | |
| Mariella Venter | Michigan | 5 | — | 5 | no invite | no invite | |
| Weronika Gorecka | Akron | 4 | — | no invite | 0 | 4 |
Diving Recruits
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| Mia Vallee | Miami (FL) | 82.5 | 18 | 34.5 | 30 |
| Jordan Skilken | Texas | 43 | 7 | 23 | 13 |
| Nike Agunbiade | USC | 43 | 12 | 13 | 18 |
| Maycey Vieta | Purdue | 28 | 16 | 12 | |
| Joy Zhu | Minnesota | 23 | 23 | ||
| Janie Boyle | Texas | 20 | 5 | 15 | 0 |
| Melissa Mirafuentes | Wyoming | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Markie Hopkins | Northwestern | 5 | 5 | ||
| Mackenzie Crawford | Ohio State | 4 | 4 | ||
| Anne Tuxen | LSU | 1 | 1 | ||
| Aliyah Watson | Duke | 1 | 1 |
JUNIORS (HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2020, COLLEGE CLASS OF 2024)
- Top-ranked recruit Regan Smith only competed one season with Stanford before turning pro—first deferring her enrollment in 2020-21 for the Olympics and then moving to Arizona State to train under Bob Bowman last summer.
- Even if Smith had completed three seasons of college competition like the majority of this class, Alex Walsh might still be the top point scorer, as the former Nashville Aquatic Club member has been massively successful through her junior year at Virginia. Walsh swept her individual events last season, and added one win, one runner-up finish and one-third place showing this year, bringing her tally to 161 points.
- Phoebe Bacon and Olivia Bray have remained consistent scorers and join Walsh with more than 100 points through three seasons, as does UNC diver Aranza Vazquez Montano.
- Emma Sticklen and Gabi Albiero had very strong junior campaigns, with Sticklen’s 46.5-point total third-highest in the class this season behind only Walsh and Vazquez Montano.
- Early enroller Reilly Tiltmann and international breaststrokers Anna Elendt and Mona McSharry are among the other standouts from this class this season. (Tiltmann was included with this class after she graduated high school early and joined UVA for the 2021 NCAAs.)
| Rank | Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| 1 | Regan Smith | Stanford | 52.5 | defer | 52.5 | pro |
| 2 | Alex Walsh | Virginia | 161 | 48 | 60 | 53 |
| 3 | Phoebe Bacon | Wisconsin | 130 | 51 | 33 | 46 |
| 4 | Olivia Bray | Texas | 106 | 30 | 34 | 42 |
| 5 | Isabelle Stadden | Cal | 86 | 30 | 27 | 29 |
| 6 | Lillie Nordmann | Stanford | 26 | defer | 17 | 9 |
| 7 | Kaitlyn Dobler | USC | 60 | 23 | 20 | 17 |
| 8 | Abby Arens | NC State | 17 | 0 | 17 | |
| 9 | Emma Sticklen | Texas | 91.5 | 18 | 27 | 46.5 |
| 10 | Anna Keating | Virginia | 26.5 | 0 | 14.5 | 12 |
| 11 | Emma Weyant | Virginia/Florida | 65 | defer | 32 | 33 |
| 12 | Tristen Ulett | Louisville | 16 | 0 | 10 | 6 |
| 13 | Abby Harter | Virginia | 42 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
| 14 | Gabi Albiero | Louisville | 85 | 5 | 35.5 | 44.5 |
| 15 | Janelle Rudolph | Stanford | 0 | 0 | no invite | |
| 16 | Chase Travis | Virginia Tech | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 17 | Kathryn Ackerman | Michigan | 12 | 12 | 0 | |
| 18 | Samantha Pearson | Stanford | 0 | defer | – | |
| 19 | Katherine Zenick | Ohio State | 31 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| 20 | Maxine Parker | Georgia/Virginia | 33.5 | 10 | 23.5 | |
| HM | Paige Hetrick | Louisville | 23 | 0 | 5 | 18 |
| HM | Emma Atkinson | Virginia Tech | 47 | 21 | 19 | 7 |
| HM | Isabel Gormley | Stanford | 0 | 0 | no invite | – |
| HM | Megan Deuel | Notre Dame | 0 | 0 | no invite | no invite |
| HM | Nicole Oliva | Cal | 0 | no invite | – | – |
| HM | Ella Ristic | Indiana | 0 | 0 | 0 | relay-only |
| HM | Chloe Stepanek | Texas A&M | 43 | 26 | 1 | 16 |
UNRANKED RECRUITS
| Rank | Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| Early ’21 (#12) | Reilly Tiltmann | Virginia | 78 | 23 | 37 | 18 |
| BOTR | Sarah Foley | Duke | 42 | 22 | 20 | |
| BOTR | Lola Mull | Northwestern | 30 | 11 | 19 | 0 |
| BOTR | Megan Van Berkom | Minnesota | 19 | 6 | 13 | |
| Maya Geringer | Ohio State | 15 | 3 | 9 | 3 | |
| BOTR | Liberty Williams | Louisville | 13 | 4 | 9 | |
| Aly Breslin | Tennessee | 13 | no invite | 0 | 13 | |
| Meghan Lee | Auburn | 5 | no invite | 0 | 5 | |
| BOTR | Amanda Ray | Florida | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Sophie Housey | Michigan | 2.5 | 2.5 | no invite | – | |
| Anna Havens Rice | Kentucky | 1 | 1 | 0 | no invite |
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITS
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| Anna Elendt | Texas | 88 | 14 | 31 | 33 |
| Mona McSharry | Tennessee | 77 | 31 | 15 | 33 |
| Avery Wiseman | Alabama | 26 | defer | 22 | 4 |
| Emily Gantriis | Cal | 10 | 10 | relay-only | |
| Nicole Maier | Miami (OH) | 9 | no invite | 0 | 9 |
| Amalie Mortensen | Arizona | 2.5 | 2.5 | – | |
| Yara Hierath | NC State | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| Maddy Gatrall | Akron | 1 | no invite | no invite | 1 |
DIVING RECRUITS
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2021 NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| Aranza Vazquez Montano | UNC | 105 | 47 | 31 | 47 |
| Tarrin Gilliland | Indiana | 58 | 31 | 47 | – |
| Anne Fowler | Indiana | 37 | 15 | 5 | 17 |
| Montserrat Lavenant | LSU | 33 | 9 | 7 | 17 |
| Emma Gullstrand | Miami | 31 | 24 | 7 | – |
| Else Praasterink | Louisville | 29 | 7 | 22 | |
| Samantha Vear | FSU | 7 | 7 | ||
| Bridget O’Neil | Texas | 6 | 6 | ||
| Melissa Mirafuentes | Nevada | 5 | 5 | ||
| Anna Bradescu | Georgia Tech | 2 | 2 | 0 |
SOPHOMORES (HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2021, COLLEGE CLASS OF 2025)
- Gretchen Walsh has flourished through two seasons at Virginia, eclipsing the 100-point barrier as a sophomore. Torri Huske had another strong year for Stanford with 50 points.
- Josephine Fuller, Brooklyn Douthwright, Rachel Stege and Abby Carlson are some of the names who really came into their own as sophomores this season.
- Ching Hwee Gan has emerged as a high-value scorer for Indiana, outscoring the top domestic distance recruits in this class this past season.
| Rank | Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
| 1 | Torri Huske | Stanford | 93 | 43 | 50 |
| 2 | Gretchen Walsh | Virginia | 111 | 54 | 57 |
| 3 | Grace Sheble | NC State | 15 | 1 | 14 |
| 4 | Letitia Sim | Michigan | 16 | 7 | 9 |
| 5 | Samantha Tadder | Stanford | 5 | no invite | 5 |
| 6 | Paige McKenna | Wisconsin | 49 | 33 | 16 |
| 7 | Mariah Denigan | Indiana | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| 8 | Ellie Waldrep | Auburn | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Josephine Fuller | Tennessee | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| 10 | Rachel Stege | Georgia | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| 11 | Annabel Crush | NC State | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12 | Lindsay Flynn | Michigan | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 13 | Brooke Zettel | Florida (VT) | 0 | transfer/did not compete | no invite |
| 14 | Ashley Strouse | Northwestern | 0 | no invite | 0 |
| 15 | Mia Kragh | Cal | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 16 | Mackenzie McConagha | Wisconsin | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Ella Bathurst | Virginia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 18 | Anna Shaw | Stanford | 0 | 0 | no invite |
| 19 | Caroline Pennington | Virginia (USC) | 6 | 6 | – |
| 20 | Amy Tang | Stanford | 0 | no invite | 0 |
| HM | Micayla Cronk | Florida | 0 | no invite | 0 |
| HM | Summer Smith | Tennessee | 0 | 0 | – |
| HM | Caroline Sheble | NC State | 0 | no invite | no invite |
| HM | Abby McCulloh | Georgia | 20 | 15 | 5 |
| HM | Madelyn Christman | Notre Dame | 0 | no invite | no invite |
| HM | Lexie Mulvihill | Auburn | 0 | 0 | relay-only |
| HM | Mia Abruzzo | Georgia | 0 | 0 | no invite |
| HM | Malia Rausch | Ohio State | 0 | no invite | – |
UNRANKED RECRUITS
| Rank | Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
| Anna Peplowski | Indiana | 29 | 7 | 22 | |
| Abby Carlson | Wisconsin | 20 | 0 | 20 | |
| BOTR | Teresa Ivan | Ohio State | 15 | relay-only | 15 |
| BOTR | Sara Stotler | Tennessee | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Eboni McCarty | Georgia | 5.5 | 0 | 5.5 | |
| BOTR | Kate McCarville | Tennessee | 5 | no invite | 5 |
| Skyler Smith | UNC | 5 | no invite | 5 | |
| Aris Runnels | Florida | 4 | no invite | 4 | |
| Aurora Roghair | Stanford | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| Paige MacEachern | UCLA | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| Early ’22 (#10) | Rye Ulett | Louisville | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| BOTR | Olivia Peoples | Florida | 1 | relay-only | 1 |
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITS
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points |
2023 NCAA Points
|
| Ching Hwee Gan | Indiana | 36 | 7 | 29 |
| Brooklyn Douthwright | Tennessee | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| Ellen Walshe | Tennessee | 23 | 23 | – |
| Dune Coetzee | Georgia | 19 | 8 | 11 |
| Julia Mrozinski | Tennessee | 18 | 9 | 9 |
| Leah Polonsky | Cal | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| Christie Chue | FIU | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Ekaterina Nikonova | Florida | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Edith Jernstedt | FSU | 4 | 0 | 4 |
DIVING RECRUITS
| Name | College Team | Total NCAA Points | 2022 NCAA Points | 2023 NCAA Points |
| Hailey Hernandez | Texas | 50 | 26 | 24 |
| Margo O’Meara | Duke | 14 | 14 | – |
| Chiara Pellacani | LSU | 14 | 14 | |
| Sophia McAfee | Purdue | 11 | 11 | |
| Holly Waxman | Utah | 2 | 2 |
FRESHMEN (HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2022, COLLEGE CLASS OF 2026)
| RANK | NAME | COLLEGE TEAM | TOTAL NCAA POINTS |
2023 NCAA POINTS
|
| 1 | Claire Curzan | Stanford | 51 | 51 |
| 2 | Charlotte Hook | Stanford | 13 | 13 |
| 3 | Lydia Jacoby | Texas | 26 | 26 |
| 4 | Kayla Wilson | Stanford | 15 | 15 |
| 5 | Justina Kozan | USC | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | Kennedy Noble | NC State | 23 | 23 |
| 7 | Blair Stoneburg | Wisconsin | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Carly Novelline | Virginia | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | Zoe Dixon | Florida | 6 | 6 |
| 10 | Lucy Bell | Stanford | 14 | 14 |
| 11 | Kristina Paegle | Indiana | 9 | 9 |
| 12 | Hayden Miller | Florida | 0 | 0 |
| 13 | Claire Tuggle | Virginia | 0 | scratch |
| 14 | Emma Weber | Virginia | 11 | 11 |
| 15 | Kaelyn Gridley | Duke | 20 | 20 |
| 16 | Ella Welch | Louisville | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | Katherine Helms | NC State | 0 | relay-only |
| 18 | Devon Kitchel | Michigan | 0 | 0 |
| 19 | Martina Peroni | Duke | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Katie Crom | Michigan | 0 | 0 |
| HM | Lucy Malys | Ohio State | 0 | no invite |
| HM | Aubree Brouwer | NC State | 0 | 0 |
| HM | Renee Gillilan | Notre Dame | 0 | no invite |
| HM | Zoe Skirboll | Virginia | 0 | no invite |
UNRANKED RECRUITS
| NAME | COLLEGE TEAM | TOTAL NCAA POINTS |
2023 NCAA POINTS
|
| Julia Dennis | Louisville | 5 | 5 |
| Natalie Mannion | Stanford | 1 | 1 |
INTERNATIONAL RECRUITS
| NAME | COLLEGE TEAM | TOTAL NCAA POINTS |
2023 NCAA POINTS
|
| Aimee Canny | Virginia | 19 | 19 |
| Deniz Ertan | Georgia Tech | 2 | 2 |
DIVING RECRUITS
| NAME | COLLEGE TEAM | TOTAL NCAA POINTS |
2023 NCAA POINTS
|
| Skyler Liu | Indiana | 18 | 18 |
| Viviana Del Angel | Minnesota | 17 | 17 |
| Lena Hentschel | Ohio State | 7 | 7 |
| Sarah Carruthers | Texas | 6 | 6 |
| Joslyn Oakley | Texas A&M | 5 | 5 |
| Eden Cheng | UCLA | 2 | 2 |
ARCHIVES: REVISITING RECRUIT RANKS
| ANALYSIS AS OF: | SPRING 2023 | SPRING 2022 | SPRING 2021 | SPRING 2020 | SPRING 2019 | SPRING 2018 | SPRING 2017 |
| Class of 2022 | After Freshman Year | ||||||
| Class of 2021 | After Sophomore Year | ||||||
| Class of 2020 | After Junior Year | After Sophomore Year | |||||
| Class of 2019 | After Senior Year | After Junior Year | After Sophomore Year | ||||
| Class of 2018 | After Senior Year | After Junior Year | After Sophomore Year | ||||
| Class of 2017 | After Senior Year | After Junior Year | After Sophomore Year | ||||
| Class of 2016 | After Senior Year | ||||||
| Class of 2015 | |||||||
| Class of 2014 | |||||||
| Class of 2013 |
Good comments and great data. I will be fascinated, given the difference in development for women and men, how the data compare for the “added value” discussed in the comments. I also think for the top-level athletes retaining their interest day-in and day-out has to be a bear. I’m fascinated by DeSorbo’s practice racing, use of stats, and different training regimes, etc. Hopefully SS can provide even more about what other programs are doing in this area–I remember Meehan at NCAAs talking about ripping up what he did in the past and renewing his approach periodically and perhaps using some of the great resources available (akin to UVA’s stat advisor) at Stanford to help (within the limits set).
you have to remember Todd does not coach all the ladies in Virginia, I think in some interviews he has said daily coaching is completely done by Blaire on some. Of course he is head coach but sometimes it irks me some …….
From the HS class of 2019 freshman year article- “Since 2015, only 4 freshmen have scored more than 50 individually: Simone Manuel (57 in 2015), Ella Eastin (57 in 2016) Katie Ledecky (58.5 in 2017), and Taylor Ruck (50 in 2019)”. Going back to the last 10 years, that also includes Missy Franklin (53 in 2014).
Since that was written, Phoebe Bacon (51 in 2021), Regan Smith (53 in 2022), Gretchen Walsh (54 in 2022), and Claire Curzan (51 in 2023) have added their names to that list, making it 9 total for the last 10 recruiting classes. Going by high school graduation year, that’s one swimmer in each of 2013, 2014, 2018, 2021, and 2022, with two in… Read more »
Some comments:
-That puts it at 6/9 of the swimmers representing Stanford, with 1 at UVA, 1 at Cal, and 1 at Wisconsin. Stanford obviously has had great recruiting classes but we all knew that already.
-Ella Eastin and Phoebe Bacon seem like the biggest “surprises” out of this list, coming into their freshman year (not that anyone on this list is truly a surprise. Bacon’s HS bests would’ve scored 35 points at 2019 NCAAs (the most recent one before her graduation) with A finals in the backstrokes and B final in the 200 IM, but she benefitted from a relatively weaker 200 IM field and a lack of Regan Smith in 2022. Eastin saw huge drops in… Read more »
HS class of ‘20 seems to be the most stable and overall successful. No huge misses. Wonder how if why Covid played into that.
Great stats for high school recruits to consider. What is it saying about a program that takes too recruits that are able to score in their freshman year but as they assimilate to the coaches training seem to be no longer successful.
Look at those programs that can take unranked recruits and make them scorers and can continue to grow talent. Another good indicator is if any potential scoring athletes have quit the program between a conference meet and championships.
Don’t listen to promises made by coaches that your team will be B1G champs – looks at stats.
Who/why quits between Conferences and NCAAs?
I think that we have to be realistic that there are two very different kinds of coaching to be done in the NCAA: one is taking unranked recruits and getting them to drop time, and the other is taking top-ranked recruits and trying to squeeze a little more out of them if you can.
These are not the same thing, especially for college swimmers.
By the time a Claire Curzan or a Katie Ledecky or a Regan Smith or Missy Franklin or one of these “World’s best” type of swimmers get to college, they’ve seen it all. They’ve done all the video, they’ve run all the high level sets, they’ve been to all of the camps and had all of… Read more »
Great explanation Braden. One other thing that might make a difference for a top recruit are training restrictions. Some swimmers come from club teams that operate at an elite, high level and the kids swim and train many more hours a week without having to deal with the NCAA’s limitations. That’s a huge adjustment (albeit in reverse compared to what one would generally think are the challenges in the college transition) and can affect the swimmer’s results.
Great point (though, there are some big loopholes to that – I’d love to conduct an anonymous survey to see how many hours/week college kids are really training).
Of course, some college programs are proving maybe don’t need that extra volume either. Or maybe not EVERYONE needs the volume. But yeah, the adjustment might be there regardless of the actual time – kids coming from big 25 hour/week programs might struggle to adapt.
And one more thing I’ll add to this – not every coach WANTS to keep climbing that ladder to bigger-and-bigger name programs where you’re recruiting Olympians – so we never find out how they’ll do with that. We’ve seen some coaches who are great with developing unranked swimmers into stars not really work out once they start recruiting stars.
While there’s way more money to be made at the moment in the programs where you recruit the stars, for some people it’s just not as much fun.
I never coached at anything near this level, but I always found it more satisfying to coach the swimmers who still had big drops left in them.
when you world´s best margins are also so tiny compared to some unknown, problems are also bigger with NIL´s, spot in international champ teams, requires completely different mindset and priorities from coach.
One other thought–I want through and looked at the results for some of the higher ranked women who didn’t score at NCAAs. Many of them have still gone best times in college and had successful careers. It just goes to show how hard it is to score at NCAAs and what an accomplishment it is.
Is there a difference between a zero, a dash, and nothing in the column? Also, Maxime Parker should be listed as Georgia/Virginia instead of just Georgia.
Thanks for this analysis! It’s one of my favorites every year!
From the link for the Revisiting the Seniors article:
Note: we’ve made an effort to put a dash (–) in a season in which an athlete didn’t compete (or was cut short due to injury) rather than “no invite”.
Thanks James.
A lot of work went into this.