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 which team should be #1 in our pre-conference championships Power Ranks:
RESULTS
Question: Who should be ranked #1 right now in the women’s NCAA?
- Stanford – 70.2%
- Michigan – 11.6%
- Texas – 10.8%
- Cal – 7.4%
70.2% of voters agreed that Stanford should be the #1 team in the nation in our final pre-conference championships NCAA Power Rankings.
The votes lined up pretty well with our actual Power Rankings, which came out this morning. Stanford was our unanimous #1, getting the top votes from all five rankers. Michigan was our #2, and the Wolverines also finished second in this poll, garnering 11.6% of the votes. Interestingly, fans were higher on Texas than we were, with the Longhorns finishing just five votes behind Michigan in our poll. That could suggest fans are more bullish about Texas’s postseason chances, but also could reflect a belief that Michigan is more likely to finish higher (hence the #2 in our rankings), but that Texas has more upside to finish 1st overall. The Longhorn relays have a chance to be special this year, and that’s certainly a key piece in powering a national title run.
We had Cal third in our rankings, with the Golden Bears getting two second-place ranks and three third-place picks. But only 7.4% of voters picked Cal as the current #1 team. Cal did just add key freshman Isabel Ivey to the roster at midseason, but star Amy Bilquist hasn’t swum her best yet this year.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters who should sit #1 in our men’s Power Ranks, coming next week:
Loading ...
ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Does Stanford not have 2 of the 3 best swimmers in the NCAA this year? Ruck and Eastin? (I would put King in that top 3, no particular order). I know they can’t contribute to all the relays like a Brown can or Manuel and Worrel/Dahlia used to, but still. I just dont see any way that Stanford can lose it unless they have so much top end talent that they are all focusing on other meets…which I cant fathom if they agreed to swim in college.
I’ll be that guy.
Duh.
Of course Stanford is #1 on the women’s side. Anyone who thinks otherwise, I would love to make a bet with you. I will even give you 200:1 odds, and give you the field. Any takers???
At 200:1 odds, I’d absolutely take the field.
If Texas swims and dives to their full potential this year, and Stanford stumbles at all, Texas could absolutely win NCAAs. Michigan has a puncher’s chance too.
Texas should have 3, and could have 4, divers score this year. That would be huge.
Of course, I’d still take Stanford. Even at 5:1 I’d take Stanford. But at 200:1? That’s a drastic hyperbole of what the field looks like this year, in my opinion.
200:1 I’m in. Think relay dq’s, team illness, academic scandal (that’s a joke ), but anything can happen.
Barney brings up a great point with DQs. Afterall, Stanford has DQ’ed away 1 out of the last 3 national titles (2016). I don’t know if that’s happened before (most NCAA meets aren’t that close), but even if that’s the only one, it’s going to be a few centuries before that catches up to 200:1.
Give up. This is un-hypable.