Michigan Remains Atop Volatile CSCAA NCAA Men’s Division I Rankings

PHOENIX, Arizona, November 20. THE College Swim Coaches Association of America has released its third NCAA Men's Division I rankings, with the Michigan Wolverines earning a disputed spot atop the rankings. This week, Michigan had some company from the likes of Stanford and California. Additionally, the top 25 witnessed a seismic shift with teams shuffling in the past two weeks.

The goal of the CSCAA rankings committee this year will be to produce an in-season poll of the 25 best performing teams in rank order at the time of each poll. The poll is not designed to predict the results of the NCAA Championship, but rather which teams would win head-to-head against other teams in the country.

Specifically, the poll committee does not differentiate between the types of meets, or the status of a specific team in terms of rested vs. unrested, when considering votes. Further, rankings are only based on performances that have taken place up to that point in the season, with an emphasis on action from the previous poll.

Notably, Swimming World has been invited as a media member as part of the polling process, and now has a vote in each poll. Jason Marsteller is serving as Swimming World's representative on these calls.


1. MICHIGAN (4-0, Big Ten 3-0)
Last Poll: #1

Results
W, #25 Wisconsin, 172.5-115.5
W, #13 Minnesota, 170-124
W, @ #5 Texas, 194-106
W, #8 Indiana, 223-77
Since last poll
6th, Purdue Invitational, split squad

Michigan has been mostly idle since the last poll, sending a small split squad to the Purdue Invitational and placing sixth with just that team. However, the team's body of work on the season, including a 4-0 record with wins against four ranked opponents, kept Mike Bottom's Wolverines at the top of the heap.


2. STANFORD (1-0, Pac 12 0-0)
Last Poll: #3

Results
2nd, Pacific Invitational
W, #25 Wisconsin, 184-104
Since last poll
Exhibition, #5 California
1st, Arena Invitational

Stanford dominated the Arena Invitational, throwing down huge times across the board to move up a spot. In sum, more than 30 top-10 nationally-ranked times were posted by the Cardinal at the meet. Seniors Andrew Saeta (50 free: 19.91, 100 free: 43.92), Aaron Wayne (50 free: 19.91, 100 free: 42.96, 200 free: 1:35.31, 100 fly: 46.85), Matthew Swanston (100 back: 47.66, 200 back: 1:42.54), Matt Thompson (200 back: 1:42.70, 200 IM: 1:45.89) and Mack Montgomery (200 fly: 1:46.70) provided some serious leadership with their times.

Juniors Mitchell Stoehr (200 free: 1:36.13), Bryan Offutt (500 free: 4:20.81, 1650 free: 15:18.22), Will Gunderson (100 back: 48.16, 200 back: 1:44.78, 200 IM: 1:47.62) and Mason Shaw (200 breast: 1:59.26) also got into the action at the Arena Invite.

Meanwhile, the freshmen and sophomores also did some major damage. Sophomores Drew Cosgarea (500 free: 4:19.62, 1650 free: 15:07.62), Robert Hommel (500 free: 4:23.27), David Nolan (200 IM: 1:46.62) and freshmen Tom Kremer (200 free: 1:36.87, 100 fly: 47.78, 200 fly: 1:46.08, 200 IM: 1:46.62), Danny Thomson (500 free: 4:19.54, 1000 free: 9:07.19, 1650 free: 15:02.18) and Gray Umbach (200 fly: 1:45.69, 200 IM: 1:47.10) had some strong times as well.


3. CALIFORNIA (2-0, Pac 12 0-0)
Last Poll: #5

Results
W, Pacific, 141-107
W, #25 Wisconsin, 158-125
Since last poll
Exhibition, #3 Stanford

California participated in a double-distance exhibition against Stanford, but was otherwise idle. The Golden Bears, however, managed to move up a couple of spots with Florida nearly falling out of the top five.


4. TEXAS (1-1, Big 12 0-0)
Last Poll: #4

Results
1st, Southwest Collegiate Plunge
W, #8 Indiana, 185-115
L, #2 Michigan, 194-106
Since last poll
Diving, Phill Hansel Invite

Other than sending its divers to Houston for the Phill Hansel Invite, the Longhorns were idle.


5. FLORIDA (4-0, SEC 3-0)
Last Poll: #2

Results
1st, All Florida Invitational
W, @ #9 Georgia, 192-104
W, @ #12 South Carolina, 166-128
W, #21 Texas A&M, 197-98
Since last poll
W, #19 Florida State, 166-134

Since the last poll, the Florida Gators picked up a close 166-134 victory against in-state foe Florida State, then ranked No. 19. Florida, however, dropped a bit in the polls primarily due to the close nature of that victory. Gregg Troy's team did manage to put up some strong times against FSU, with junior Bradley Deborde (50 free: 20.20) and freshman Pawel Werner (100 free: 44.21) both turning in nationally-ranked sprint times.


6. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (3-0, Pac 12 2-0)
Last Poll: #6

Results
W, #14 NC State, 173-119
Since last poll
W, #17 Arizona, 181.5-109.5
W, Arizona State, 144-82

The Trojans put on a show with a sweep of the Arizona schools from the Pacific 12. USC downed then No. 17 Arizona, and thumped Arizona State. Dave Salo's group managed to turn in a plethora of nationally-ranked swims. Junior Jack Wagner (50 free: 20.21), sophomore Chad Bobrosky (200 free: 1:37.05, 500 free: 4:26.14), freshman Ted Singley (1000 free: 9:07.50), sophomore Luca Spinazzola (100 back: 48.36), senior Alex Lendrum (100 back: 48.53, 200 back: 1:44.61), senior Nick Karpov (100 back: 48.56), junior Chase Bloch (100 fly: 47.64) and freshman Morten Klarskov (100 breast: 54.77, 200 breast: 1:58.54) all had strong times against the Arizona schools.


7. INDIANA (4-2, Big Ten 1-1)
Last Poll: #7

Results
W, @ Kentucky, 196-104
W, #25 Tennessee, 183-117
L, #2 Michigan, 223-77
L, #5 Texas, 185-115
Since last poll
W, #24 Penn State, 182.5-170.5
W, #8 Virginia, 177-176

After suffering a pair of tough losses to top five squads, the Hoosiers bounced back with a pair of ranked victories with wins against then No. 8 Virginia and then No. 24 Penn State. Those conquests kept IU among the top 10 in the nation, all while under some severe training as no nationally-ranked Hoosier improved upon their times since the last poll.


8. MINNESOTA (2-1, Big Ten 2-1)
Last Poll: #9

Results
L, @ #2 Michigan, 170-124
W, #25 Wisconsin, 191-100
W, #19 Iowa, 165.5-132.5
Since last poll
NTS, Minnesota Grand Prix

Hosting the Minnesota Grand Prix helped the Golden Gophers put up enough sterling times to move up a spot in the rankings. Senior Jared Anderson (100 breast: 54.21), junior Kyler Van Swol (100 fly: 47.66) and sophomore CJ Smith (1650 free: 15:24.71) all posted top-10 ranked times during the Grand Prix stop.


9. VIRGINIA (4-1, ACC 0-0)
Last Poll: #8

Results
W, Navy, 162-124
W, @ Pittsburgh, 159-130
W, #12 South Carolina, 160-126
Since last poll
W, #24 Penn State, 198-155
L, #7 Indiana, 177-176

Virginia's first loss of the season, an exciting battle with No. 7 Indiana, dropped the Cavaliers a spot in the rankings. However, UVA did clinch its second ranked victory of the season with a 198-155 triumph over then No. 24 Penn State since the last poll.


10. OHIO STATE (4-0, Big Ten 0-0)
Last Poll: #22

Results
W, Cleveland State, 178-104
W, Kenyon, 171-110
W, Denison, 193-98
Since last poll
W, @ #13 Tennessee, 176.5-123.5

The pollsters definitely liked what they saw from the Ohio State Buckeyes in an upset victory of then No. 13 Tennessee in Knoxville, as the panel shot OSU up 12 spots in the poll. The swim against Tennessee was the squad's first competition against a top-flight opponent this season. Senior Jason Schnur (50 free: 20.26) and junior Alex Miller (1000 free: 9:15.38) were some of the leaders against the Volunteers, shooting into the national ranks in their respective events.


11. GEORGIA (3-1, SEC 1-1)
Last Poll: #10

Results
W, @ Georgia Tech, 161-133
L, #1 Florida, 192-104
Since last poll
W, Missouri, 151-147
W, Emory, 114-83

Georgia claimed its first Southeastern Conference victory of the season with a 151-147 triumph over Missouri before squashing Emory, 114-83. Those performances only cost the Bulldogs a spot in the rankings with the Buckeyes jumping ahead. Since the last poll, Georgia has demonstrated some strength in the middle to distance freestyle events with freshman Matias Koski (1000 free: 8:59.81), senior Martin Grodzki (500 free: 4:25.57) and junior Will Freeman (500 free: 4:25.89, 1000 free: 9:07.91) all charting nationally-ranked times.


12. VIRGINIA TECH (6-1, ACC 3-1)
Last Poll: #15

Results
W, VMI, 281-33
W, Gardner-Webb, 269.5-45.5
L, @ #9 North Carolina, 173.5-126.5
W, @ Duke, 208-92
W, @ #15 Florida State, 162-136
W, @ UNC Wilmington, 232-68
W, @ Georgia Tech, 178-122
Since last poll
1st, H2Okie Fall Invite

First place in its own fall invitational pushed Virginia Tech up three spots as the Hokies started to show their cards. Senior Zach McGinnis (100 free: 43.87, 100 back: 47.05, 200 back: 1:44.07) definitely shined with a trio of top 10 efforts.


13. ARIZONA (3-1, Pac 12 0-1)
Last Poll: #17

Results
W, Hawaii, No Score Reported
W, UNLV, 180.5-114.5
W, Denver, 187-113
Since last poll
L, #6 Southern California, 181.5-109.5

The Arizona Wildcats showed enough during its 181.5 to 109.5 loss to then No. 6 Southern California to jump up the rankings four spots. Senior Nimrod Shapira Bar-Or (100 free: 43.85, 200 free: 1:36.87), junior Mitchell Friedemann (100 back: 47.95), senior Carl Mickelson (100 breast: 54.77, 200 breast: 1:58.07) and freshman Andrew Sovero (200 breast: 1:59.39) each moved into the top 10 nationally in their respective events.


14. LSU (2-1, SEC 1-1)
Last Poll: #20

Results
W, @ Centenary, 64-38
L, @ #8 Auburn, 213-87
W, #20 Alabama, 196-104
Since last poll
1st, Phill Hansel Invite

Another big mover, LSU picked up six spot after topping the Phill Hansel Invitational in Houston. Senior Craig Hamilton (500 free: 4:22.77, 1650 free: 15:14.67), senior Andrei Tuomola (100 breast: 54.37), junior Ricardo Alvarado Jiminez (100 breast: 54.82, 200 breast: 1:59.20) and sophomore Frank Greeff (200 fly: 1:46.2) picked up top-10 spots in the national rankings in Houston.


15. LOUISVILLE (1-2, Big East 0-1)
Last Poll: #23

Results
W, Xavier, 182-75
L, @ #25 Tennessee, 168.5-131.5
Since last poll
L, #18 Notre Dame, 155.5-144.5
1st, Purdue Invite

Even though the Louisville Cardinals suffered a loss to then No. 18 Notre Dame, the Cardinals did enough by winning the Purdue Invitational to vault eight spots in the rankings. Sophomore Caryle Blondell (50 free: 19.90, 100 free: 43.16), junior Joao De Lucca (50 free: 19.81, 100 free: 42.52, 200 free: 1:36.73) junior Kameron Chastain (100 breast: 53.70) and freshman Addison Bray (100 breast: 53.72, 200 breast: 1;55.82) each turned in top-10 times while in West Lafayette.


16. AUBURN (3-0, SEC 3-0)
Last Poll: #12

Results
W, #20 Alabama, 175-68
W, #22 LSU, 213-87
W, @ Kentucky, 205.5-94.5
Since last poll
Idle

Being idle since the last poll cost Auburn four spots as several other teams were upwardly mobile after showing their cards during mid-season invites.


17. NORTH CAROLINA (3-0, ACC 1-0)
Last Poll: #11

Results
W, #12 South Carolina, 168-132
W, #21 Texas A&M, 178.5-121.5
W, Virginia Tech, 173.5-126.5
Since last poll
2nd, Nike Cup

North Carolina took a bit of a tumble, down six spots, with several other teams putting on some outstanding performance since the last poll. The Tar Heels took second at the Nike Cup, but did not show enough to stay in the top 15.


18. NC STATE (2-1, ACC 1-0)
Last Poll: #16

Results
L, @ #4 Southern California, 173-119
W, East Carolina, 169-67
W, @ Duke, 178-117
Since last poll
1st, Nike Cup

NC State sustained a two-spot drop even though the squad took home the Nike Cup title.


19. NOTRE DAME (5-0, Big East 2-0)
Last Poll: #18

Results
1st, Dennis Stark Relays
W, @ Oakland, 191-107
W, @ Michigan State, 178-120
W, #18 Purdue, 156-144
Since last poll
W, Pittsburgh, 176-124
W, #23 Louisville, 155.5-145.5

In one of the quirks of the balloting process, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish remained undefeated this season with two Big East victories including a triumph over then No. 23 Louisville, but dropped a spot. While Notre Dame's final meet to show something before this poll was its Louisville win, the Cardinals had the Purdue Invitational to overcome the loss and move up the rankings.


20. TENNESSEE (3-2, SEC 1-0)
Last Poll: #13

Results
W, @ UNC-Wilmington, 175-118
W, @ Kentucky, 194-106
L, #8 Indiana, 183-117
W, #16 Louisville, 168.5-131.5
Since last poll
L, #22 Ohio State, 176.5-123.5
1st, Tennessee Invite

A loss to then No. 22 Ohio State produced one of the farther drops in the rankings this week as the Tennessee Volunteers dropped to No. 20. UT, in its first season under head coach Matt Kredich as a merged program, is still likely fine with being ranked near the halfway point of the season considering all the external issues the Vols have battled in the past year.


21. IOWA (1-1, Big Ten 1-1)
Last Poll: #14

Results
W, @ Michigan State, 185-108
L, @ #13 Minnesota, 165.5-132.5
Since last poll
Idle

The biggest drop due to being idle came with a seven-spot fall by Iowa.


22. SOUTH CAROLINA (2-3, SEC 1-1)
Last Poll: #21

Results
L, #9 North Carolina, 168-132
W, #21 Texas A&M, 160-140
L, #1 Florida, 166-128
L, @ Virginia, 160-126
Since last poll
W, @ College of Charleston, 178-115
2nd, H2Okie Fall Invite

South Carolina slipped a spot in the rankings, even though the Gamecocks downed Charleston and took second in the H2Okie Fall Invitational. Junior Michael Flach (200 free: 1:35.86, 500 free: 4:18.38, 200 fly: 1:45.51) definitely shined with a trio of top-five times at Virginia Tech.


23. PENN STATE (2-2, Big Ten 0-1)
Last Poll: #24

Results
W, @ West Virginia, 174-69
Since last poll
W, Villanova, 211-81
L, @ #7 Indiana, 182.5-170.5
L, #8 Virginia, 198-155

One thing that has been proven this year is that the panel appreciates strong performances against strong opponents, and that's why Penn State moved up a spot with a pair of losses to then No. 7 Indiana and then No. 8 Virginia in a tri-meet.


24. PURDUE (2-1, Big Ten 1-0)
Last Poll: #25

Results
1st, Indiana Intercollegiates
W, @ Miami (Ohio), 192-103
L, @ Notre Dame, 156-144
W, @ Northwestern, 172-126
Since last poll
2nd, Purdue Invite

A strong outing at home, taking second to ascendant Louisville in the Purdue Invitational, pushed the Boilermakers up a spot.


25. FLORIDA STATE (5-2, ACC 1-1)
Last Poll: #19

Results
2nd, All Florida Invitational
W, Florida Atlantic, 208-80
W, Duke, 186-112
W, UNC-Wilmington, 234-64
L, Virginia Tech, 162-136
W, Emory, 222-70
W, Florida Southern, 186-106
Since last poll
L, #2 Florida, 167-133
Florida State took just its second loss of the season against then No. 2 Florida, but seemed to not have impressed the pollsters enough to remain in the top 20. The Seminoles did, however, keep a spot in the top 25 even after a six-spot drop.

Also receiving votes: Missouri, UNLV, Wyoming, Utah, Denver
Dropped out: None

CSCAA Men's Division 1 Team Ranking Committee
Chair: Bill Roberts, United States Naval Academy; Steve Fletcher, Rider University; James Holder, Georgetown University; Braden Holloway, North Carolina State University; Jason Marsteller, Swimming World Magazine; McGee Moody, University of South Carolina; Vic Riggs, West Virginia University; Dan Ross, Purdue University; Brian Schrader, Denver University; Dorsey Tierney-Walker, Arizona State University

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x