2022 Men’s NCAA Day 4 Ups/Downs: Cal Swinging for the Fences

2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships

• March 23-26, 2022
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
• Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Live Results
• Championship Central
• Event Page
• Official Psych Sheets

For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims, swimmers qualify for one of two finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final and places 9 through 16, the B final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time of any heat in the final.

With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers in the A final, and “Down” to swimmers in the B final.

The Cal Golden Bears took over the lead from Texas on Friday night and are now in first place in the standings by 7.5 points. Florida and NC State sit pretty much alone in third and fourth places, but there is an exciting battle brewing among Indiana, Arizona State, and Stanford for the fifth step of the rung. Georgia is unlikely to catch Stanford tonight, but Ohio State, Virginia, Louisville, and Virginia Tech are all in contention for eighth place.

Team Standings Through Day 3

1. California – 320.5
2. Texas – 313
3. Florida – 272
4. NC State – 214
5. Indiana – 183
6. Arizona St – 167
7. Stanford – 159
8. Georgia – 150
9. (tie) Louisville / Ohio St – 108
10. –
11. Virginia Tech – 89.5
12. Alabama – 80
13. Virginia – 77.5
14. Harvard – 76
15. LSU – 65
16. Arizona – 61
17. (tie) Purdue / Texas A&M – 42
18. –
19. Tennessee 40.5
20. Michigan 34
21. Columbia 30
22. Minnesota 27
23. (tie) UNC / Southern California – 24
24. –
25. Auburn 22
26. Missouri 7
27. Princeton 7
28. (tie) Northwestern / Penn – 6.5
29. –
30. Notre Dame 5
31. (tie) SMU / Georgia Tech / Towson / Wisconsin – 4
32. –
33. –
34. –
35. Utah 2

Cal had a big morning on Day 4, effectively shutting down Texas’ chances of repeating their 2021 NCAA title, with 7 A-finalists and 5 B-finalists through the four events contested in prelims this morning. Diving is still an unknown, where Texas has two entrants and Cal none, but the Golden Bears are projected to win by 45 points so diving shouldn’t make too much of a difference in that contest.

Texas put six swimmers in scoring position, including four in A finals. Virginia and Stanford both earned three A-final spots, and the Cavs also put a swimmer in a B final. Arizona State and Georgia Tech scored two A-final slots each and ASU also added a B-finalist.

Day 4 Ups/Downs

Credit to Andrew Mering for running the numbers. Updated to include diving.

Projected Scoring Breakdown

Day 3 Scored Prelims

(does not include distance free or the 400 free relay)

1. Cal: 137.0
2. Texas: 80.0
3. Indiana: 54.0
4. Stanford: 39.0
5. Virginia: 37.0
6. Arizona State: 35.0
7. Purdue: 35.0
8. Florida: 34.0
9. Tennessee: 34.0
10. Miami (FL): 32.0
11. Ohio State: 29.0
12. Virginia Tech: 29.0
13. Georgia Tech: 27.0
14. NC State: 23.0
15. Louisville: 20.0
16. Penn: 20.0
17. Missouri: 19.0
18. Georgia: 17.0
19. Minnesota: 17.0
20. LSU: 16.0
21. Kentucky: 12.0
22. Princeton: 11.0
23. Harvard: 5.0
24. Texas A&M: 4.0
25. Alabama: 3.0
26. Arizona: 2.0
27. Michigan: 2.0
28. USC: 2.0

Day 3 Scored Prelims + Actual Scores

1. Cal: 457.5
2. Texas: 393.0
3. Florida: 306.0
4. Indiana: 237.0
5. NC State: 237.0
6. Arizona State: 202.0
7. Stanford: 198.0
8. Georgia: 167.0
9. Ohio State: 137.0
10. Louisville: 128.0
11. Virginia Tech: 118.5
12. Virginia: 114.5
13. Alabama: 83.0
14. Harvard: 81.0
15. LSU: 81.0
16. Purdue: 77.0
17. Tennessee: 74.5
18. Arizona: 63.0
19. Texas A&M: 46.0
20. Minnesota: 44.0
21. Michigan: 36.0
22. Miami (FL): 32.0
23. Georgia Tech: 31.0
24. Columbia: 30.0
25. Penn: 26.5
26. Missouri: 26.0
27. USC: 26.0
28. North Carolina: 24.0
29. Auburn: 22.0
30. Princeton: 18.0
31. Kentucky: 12.0
32. Northwestern: 6.5
33. Notre Dame: 5.0
34. SMU: 4.0
35. Wisconsin: 4.0
36. Towson: 4.0
37. Utah: 2.0