Emory Women, Denison Men Stand Atop CSCAA NCAA Division III Rankings

PHOENIX, Arizona, November 13. THE Emory University Women and Denison University Men lead the way in the first NCAA Division III rankings produced by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America after a strong opening to their season.

The CSCAA DIII Poll Committee will produce in-season rankings of the 20 best performing NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving 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 versus 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.

Swimming World has been invited as a media member to participate in the polling process. Jason Marsteller serves as Swimming World’s representative on these conference calls.

There are plenty of strong competitions featuring ranked teams this weekend. NYU and TCNJ will do battle, while the DePauw men will compete against Wabash. Additionally, Gustavus Adolphus will swim against St. Olaf, while Carnegie Mellon is set up to tangle with Washington and Lee. This weekend should feature some separation in terms of the rankings.

Not all of the likely top teams in the division are represented in this first poll. NESCAC schools such as Williams, Amherst, Tufts, Connecticut College and Hamilton are all top 20 contenders, but just began practicing on Nov. 1. They are in a similar boat as the Ivy League is in Division I as NESCAC teams typically start making poll appearances in the second edition.

DIII WOMEN

THE TOP FIVE
1. Emory (2-1)
Results
L, UNC-Wilmington, 152-146
W, Birmingham-Southern, 150-93
W, Savannah A&D, 120-79

Emory, who is headed to Athens, Georgia this weekend for another NCAA Division I test, stands atop the women’s rankings. Emory is coming off back-to-back wins against SCAD and Birmingham-Southern. Emory is led by the likes of Annelise Kowalsky, who is coming off a University Athletic Association Swimmer of the Week nod. Kowalsky won a pair of events against SCAD with an NCAA B cut time in the 100 breast (1:04.66).

2. Denison (3-3)
Results
L, Toledo, 264-150
1st, Kenyon Relays
W, Malone, 171-70
W, Cleveland State, 188-112
L, Ohio State, 251.5-48.5
L, Virginia Tech, 239-61
W, Kenyon, 164-126

In what is always one of the most high-profile dual meets of the year, Denison topped Kenyon for the fifth straight time with a 164-136 victory at the beginning of the month in Gambier, Ohio Overall, the Big Red won nine events with Carolyn Kane taking home four victories and Molly Willingham snaring three titles. Both swimmers were part of Denison’s relay sweep in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. Kane then won the 50 free (23.95) and 100 free (52.53), while Willingham topped the 200 free (1:56.19).

3. Kenyon (0-2)
Results
2nd, Kenyon Relays
L, Ohio State, 191-99
L, Denison, 164-136

Although Kenyon hasn’t won a meet yet this year, that’s largely because of the level of competition it has faced. The Ladies fell to second-ranked Denison, and also had a rough visit to NCAA Division I Ohio State. The squad should get over the hump here soon with a bit easier of a schedule going forward. One place Kenyon shines is in diving, as Maria Zarka swept the events against Denison, which always puts the Ladies in a good position in a dual meet. Additionally, Katie Kaestner and Mariah Williamson both secured two wins against Denison. Kaestner won the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, while Williamson topped the 200 fly and 1000 free free.

4. Johns Hopkins (3-1)
Results
W, Franklin & Marshall, 161-96
L, Loyola, 207-156
W, Marywood, 270-87
W, Saint Francis (PA), 225-106)

Johns Hopkins has been busy this year already, amassing a 3-1 with plenty of time left in the season already. Taylor Kitayama has been the early leader for the team, having claimed Bluegrass Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Week accolades for her performance against Marywood and Division I St. Francis. She won a trio of events in the tri-meet, finishing with three NCAA B cuts. She won the 100 fly (56.23), 100 back (57.44) and 200 back (2:03.97), and also helped the 400 free relay to a win with a 52.87 split.

T5. Chicago (2-0)
Results
W, Wheaton, 130-118
W, Washington University, 157-139

Chicago put together a strong early-season resume with wins against Wheaton and Wash U. Most recently, Chicago edged Wash U 157-139 with freshman Maya Scheidl providing some serious leadership as a rookie with four event wins. Not only did she sweep the sprint frees with wins in the 50 (24.85) and 100 (53.42) freestyles, she also helped Chicago to a relay sweep with wins in the 200 free and 200 medley relays.

T5. NYU (3-1)
Results
W, SUNY-Cortland, 189-101
W, Brandeis, 311-30
W, Rochester, 219-151
L, Canisius, 189.5-176.5
1st, NYU Fall Invitational

NYU’s squad has been turning up the heat in regional match-ups with a 3-1 record in the early part of this season. The team is coming off a strong performance at the NYU Fall Invitational, that included Stevens Institute of Tech and SUNY New Paltz in a tri-meet hosted by the Violets. Freshman Sela Wang provided the most fireworks with a trio of wins. She topped the 100 back (1:00.62) and helped out the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays to victories. She also added a second-place 54.48 in the 100 free.

REST OF THE BEST
7. MIT (1-0)
T8 Stevens Institute of Technology (0-1)
T8. Carnegie Mellon University (4-0)
10. Washington University (MO) (2-1)
11. Wheaton College (IL) (1-2)
12. University of Rochester (3-3)
13. University of Mary Washington (3-1)
14. Springfield College (3-2)
15. Keene State College (2-1)
16. Gustavus Adolphus College (3-1)
17. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-1)
T18. Grove City College (2-0)
T18. Washington & Lee University (3-1)
20. Calvin College (4-3)

Also Received Votes: Carleton College, DePauw University, St. Olaf College, Ithaca College, Kalamazoo College

DIII MEN

THE TOP FIVE
1. Denison (4-2)
Results
W, Wabash, 198-156
2nd, Kenyon Relays
W, Malone, 166-97
L, Ohio State, 202-90
W, Cleveland State, 180-120
L, Virginia Tech, 251-49
W, Kenyon, 153.5-146.5

Denison definitely had a strong start to its 2013-13 season with a 4-2 record, including a head-to-head close victory over archrivals Kenyon. Denison actually trailed Kenyon heading into the 400 free relay, and had to pull off the win. Denison’s relay team of Carlos Maciel, Spencer Fronk, Sean Chabot, and Conrad Wuorinen posted a season-best time of 3:04.24 in the event, to secure the dual meet triumph. That’s the second straight win for Denison in the series. Chabot had a huge meet, not only helping the 400 free relay to victory, but also the 200 medley relay and an NCAA B cut of 51.40 in the 100 back. He also clocked a B cut in the 200 back with a 1:52.52 for second.

2. Kenyon (0-2)
Results
1st, Kenyon Relays
L, Ohio State, 186-101
L, Denison, 153.5-146.5

Typically the No. 2 team in the country isn’t 0-2 to start a season, but that’s just what the Lords have done based on early season strength of schedule. On top of hanging with NCAA Division I Ohio State, the Lords barely dropped a Clash of the Titans with Denison. With Kenyon trailing in the diving department 32-6, the Lords nearly made up the gap in the pool. Austin Caldwell led the way for Kenyon with wins in the 100 free (46.39) and 200 free (1:41.63), while Trevor Manz earned titles in the 200 breast (2:05.84) and 400 IM (4:02.61).

3. Emory (2-1)
Results
L, UNC Wilmington, 193-95
W, Birmingham-Southern, 135-106
W, SCAD, 99-77

Emory had a strong outing against the SCAD’s Bees en route to pushing its season tally to 2 wins against 1 NCAA Division I loss. Sophomore Andrew Wilson paced the Eagle men in the event to win University Athletic Association Swimmer of the Week honors. He won a pair of events, including an NCAA B cut time in the process. He topped the 100 breast in a 57.66 for his B cut, then posted a 26.33 breaststroke split to help the Eagles to a 1:34.48 to win the 200 medley relay. He also took third in the 100 fly with a 52.90.

4. Johns Hopkins (3-0)
Results
W, Franklin & Marshall, 180-77
W, Loyola, 241-123
W, Marywood, 270-93

The Blue Jays are undefeated this season, coming off a tri-meet win against Loyola and Marywood in Baltimore, Maryland. A trio of swimmers performed quite well for Johns Hopkins as senior Anthony Lordi and freshmen Muhammad Hudhud and Scott Sterrett each won a pair of individual races at the meet to beginning the month.

5. Carnegie Mellon (4-0)
Results
W, Case Western Reserve, 178-108
W, Clarion, 174-119
W, Grove City, 227-64
W, Rochester, 195-93

The Tartans have had a huge season so far, running their record to an unblemished 4-0, including a pair of wins over ranked opponents in convincing fashion with some dominant team efforts against Grove City and Rochester. The event included Eddie Sears picking up a sprint sweep with wins in the 50 (21.64) and 100 (48.46).

REST OF THE BEST
6. Keene State College (2-1)
7. Stevens Institute of Technology (1-0)
8. MIT (1-0)
T9. The College of New Jersey (3-0)
T9. NYU (3-1)
11. University of Chicago (2-0)
12. DePauw University (2-0)
13. Washington University (MO) (0-3)
T14. St. Olaf College (0-0)
T14. Calvin College (3-3)
16. University of Mary Washington (3-1)
T17. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (0-1)
T17. University of Redlands (0-1)
19. University of Rochester (2-4)
20. Carleton College (0-1)

Also Received Votes: Wheaton College, Gettysburg College, Washington & Lee University, Pomona College

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