Women’s Recruiting Class Rankings Revisited: Top 16 Schools For 2020-2024

Every summer, we rank down the top recruiting classes snagged by each team. But what do those rankings look like four years later, when each swimmer has had an opportunity to complete a full NCAA career of competing and scoring?

We’ve already looked back at our top 20 individual athletes in the high school graduating class of 2020, re-ranked when they were high school seniors in the summer of 2020. Now it’s time to look back at our team-by-team recruiting class rankings to see which teams got most from their recruiting hauls.

• Revisiting Recruiting Ranks: Top 20 Athletes From High School Class of 2020

Back in May 2020, we ranked out the top 16 recruiting classes nationwide. You can look back on our ranks here:

• #16-13
• #9-12
• #5-8
• #1-4

We’ve re-published each of the 16 classes below, verbatim from how they were listed in our 2020 post. Then we tracked down some stats on each class, plus a short analysis of each class along with any extra swimmers who wound up being part of the class.

Bear in mind that international swimmers throw a wrinkle into this sort of analysis, given the difficulty in projecting ahead of time when an international recruit will join an NCAA program and officially start their eligibility.

Note: The ‘number of NCAA Scorers’ section refers only to individual scorers, and only among athletes included in our original recruiting class rankings. Late additions to the classes are noted when we can find them.

#16: TEXAS A&M AGGIES

• Top-tier additions: HM Chloe Stepanek (NY – free), Alaya Smith (TX – breast), Desirae Mangaoang (NC -breast), Emme Nelson (NC – breast), Monica Gumina (Arizona transfer – free), Olivia Theall (TX – fly)
• The rest: Abigail Ahrens (TX – back), Aviv Barzelay (Israel – back), Bobbi Kennett (TX – free/breast), Charlotte Longbottom (TX – breast/IM), Evelyn Bruner (TX – free), Jade Hallum (TX – free), JoJo Daspit (TX – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 14th, 39th, 25th, 14th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Chloe Stepanek, Olivia Theall)

Texas A&M’s class was ranked based on depth, and the lone swimmer who showed up in our recruit rankings in 2020, Honorable Mention Chloe Stepanek, ended up being the only big contributor.

Stepanek was an ‘A’ finalist in two events as a freshman, scoring a career-high 26 points, and closed out her upperclass seasons with consecutive 16-point campaigns. As a sophomore, she scored Texas A&M’s lone point at NCAAs.

Olivia Theall qualified for NCAAs for the first time as a sophomore, was 18th in the 200 fly as a junior, and then came through with back-to-back best times in the event at NCAAs as a senior, placing 14th to score three points.

Aviv Barzelay didn’t end up joining the Aggies until 2021-22, so she just completed her junior year—the Israeli backstroker has been a solid contributor at SECs but has yet to break through and score at NCAAs.

#15: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE

• Top-tier additions: Avery Wiseman (Canada – breast/IM), Gracie Felner (WA – free/breast), Reese Hazan (NV – fly/IM), Diana Petkova (Bulgaria – free)
• The rest: Isabella Matesa (OH – free), Maddie Mechling (TX – back), Selina Reil (KY – distance free), Jada Surrell (CO – free), Courtney Russo (FL – diving)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 5th, 4th, 14th, 23rd

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 1 (Avery Wiseman)

Canadian breaststroker Avery Wiseman deferred enrollment for the 2020-21 season, so she was classified as a junior this past season.

Wiseman has scored in all three of her NCAA appearances, including 22 as a freshman in 2022, and has been key for the medley relays.

Bulgarian Diana Petkova never quite cracked individual points but swam on multiple NCAA-scoring relays, including the 400 free relay in 2022 that finished 3rd.

#14: GEORGIA BULLDOGS

• Top-tier additions: #20 Maxine Parker (CT – free)
• The rest: Julianna Stephens (GA – free), Meghan Wenzel (PA – diving), Sloane Reinstein (CA – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 8th, 15th, 16th, 13th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Maxine Parker, Meghan Wenzel)

Georgia’s big get in this class, Maxine Parker, transferred to Virginia after her sophomore season, but still scored 10 points for the Dawgs in her freshman year. She also played a pivotal role on relays that year, helping Georgia finish 8th at NCAAs.

Diver Meghan Wenzel joined the scoring ranks as a senior, chipping in two points in 2024.

#13: VIRGINIA TECH H2OKIES

• Top-tier additions: #16 Chase Travis (DE – distance free), HM Emma Atkinson (PA – back), Nadia Gonzalez (Spain – free)
• The rest: Kierstin Godfrey (VA – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 21st, 23rd, 20th, 26th,

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 3 (Chase Travis, Emma Atkinson, Caroline Bentz)

We only listed four incoming freshman at the time, but Virginia Tech ended up getting three scorers from this class, with Caroline Bentz missing from the 2020 article.

Bentz qualified for NCAAs all four years and scored 15 points, all coming in the back half of her career and 12 from making the 2024 ‘A’ final of the 200 back.

The Hokies’ big scorer from this class was Emma Atkinson, who put up 47 points, 40 of which came in her first two seasons. She made school history with her 4th-place finish in the 200 back as a freshman, but is coming off a senior year plagued by illness, opting to use her fifth season of eligibility in 2024-25.

Chase Travis qualified for NCAAs every year and scored as a sophomore in the mile.

#12: NORTHWESTERN WILDCATS

• Top-tier additions: Selen Ozbilen (Turkey – free), Lola Mull (MI – distance free), Annika Wagner (IL – IM/breast)
• The rest: Erika Chen (MD – distance free), Isabella Wallace (OR – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 16th, 18th, 28th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 1 (Lola Mull)

Lola Mull only swam three years with the Wildcats, but scored 30 points in her first two seasons, finishing in the top eight of the 1650 both times.

Selen Ozbilen was projected to be an elite sprinter in college coming over from Turkey, and though she qualified for NCAAs as a freshman and was solid, she didn’t finish her sophomore year (athletically).

#11: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES

• Top-tier additions: #19 Katherine Zenick (TX – sprint free/fly), Emily Crane (England – free), Catherine Russo (MT – sprint free/fly), Janessa Mathews (OH – breast), Liberty Gilbert (CA – mid-distance free)
• The rest: Kyra Sommerstad (NY – back), Maya Geringer (OH – mid-distance free), Mia Lachey (OH – mid-distance free), Tristan Harrison (VA – fly/free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 7th, 9th, 6th, 9th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 3 (Katherine Zenick, Maya Geringer, Ciara McGing)

Katherine Zenick had a phenomenal four-year career that warranted her top-20 ranking coming out of high school, highlighted by her 24 points as a junior with ‘A’ final appearances in the 100 free and 100 fly. She scored 39 points in four years and was relied upon heavily on relays.

As an unranked recruit, Maya Geringer impressively scored in the 1650 free all four years, finishing as high as 9th in 2022.

Irish diver Ciara McGing was missing from our 2020 article but scored for the first time as a senior, placing 12th on platform. She earned NCAA invites every year, and missed scoring by one spot as a freshman.

#10: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

• Top-tier additions: #17 Kathryn Ackerman (MI – IM), Sophia Tuinman (MI – back), Claire Donan (KY – breast/IM), Claire Tuttle (MI – breast/free), Noelle Kaufmann (NY – mid-distance free), Sophie Housey (MI – free), Natalie Kan (Hong Kong – fly/free)
• The rest: Casey Chung (MI – back), Claire Newman (MI – sprint free), Kalli Fama (AZ – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 6th, 7th, 23rd, 12th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Kathryn Ackerman, Sophie Housey)

Michigan’s 6th-place finish in 2021 was largely due to Maggie MacNeil, but the #17 recruit in this class, Kathryn Ackerman also contributed with 12 points after making the ‘A’ final of the 400 IM.

A 400 IM specialist, Ackerman returned to the scoring ranks as a senior, placing 15th in 2024 after setting a lifetime best of 4:06.88 in the prelims.

Sophie Housey scored as a freshman and swam on a few NCAA relays, and after transferring to Texas A&M in the summer of 2022, retired a few months later after injuries and illness impacted her ability to train.

Among the other recruits, Claire Newman swam at NCAAs all four years (relay-only as a freshman) and Casey Chung qualified for the first time as a senior. Looking at those in the ‘top tier’ section, only Claire Donan (2021) and Noelle Kaufmann (relay-only in 2023) ever swam at NCAAs.

#9: NC STATE WOLFPACK

• Top-tier additions: #8 Abby Arens (NC – breast/IM), Andrea Podmanikova (SMU transfer – breast/IM), Abby Pilkenton (GA – free), Abby Doss (PA – distance free), Yara Hierath (Germany/NY – distance free), Megan Pulley (VA – fly)
• The rest: Ashley Cusano (VA – fly/back), Katey Lewicki (CO – back/fly), Mary O’Neill (OH – diving), Morgan Jones (NC – back), McKaley Goldblum (NC – free)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 2nd, 5th, 5th, 9th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 3 (Abby Arens, Yara Hierath, Andrea Podmanikova)

Abby Arens contributed to some key scoring relays in her sophomore year and then tallied 17 points individually as a junior, helping NC State earn back-to-back 5th-place finishes.

Incredibly versatile, Arens was a finalist in the 100 fly, 200 fly and 200 IM in 2023, and then as a senior, was the runner-up at ACCs in the 100 breast. Relative to previous seasons, the Wolfpack struggled at the 2024 NCAAs, but Arens still chipped in with a few points and solid relay swims.

German native Yara Hierath scored as a freshman in the mile, while Slovakian Andrea Podmaníková came over as a transfer from SMU and put points on the board in three straight seasons, including 27 in 2021 by making ‘A’ finals in both breaststroke events.

#8: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS

• Top-tier additions: Mona McSharry (Ireland – breast/free), Jasmine Rumley (IA – sprint free), Kristen Stege (East Carolina transfer- distance free), Elle Caldow (VA – free/back), Olivia Harper (ME – back), Berit Quass (IA – fly)
• The rest: Aly Breslin (PA – free), Annie Rimmer (TN – fly/free), Jordan Aurnou-Rhees (OH – free/fly), Lauren Barakey (VA – breast), Margaret Marando (OH – fly), Nicola Lane (OH – free/back), Peyton Spearry (OH – back)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 10th, 10th, 8th, 4th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 3 (Mona McSharry, Aly Breslin, Kristen Stege)

Prior to this past season, Tennessee was labeled as a team that peaked for SECs rather than NCAAs, but that didn’t have much of an effect on Mona McSharry.

The Irish breaststroke star is one of nine swimmers from this class who has scored more than 100 points over four years, hitting 30-plus in three of them. She’s finished 2nd three times in an individual event, including both breaststrokes in 2024. She was the second-highest point scorer and swam on four top-six relays in her senior year as the Lady Vols had a breakthrough 4th-place NCAA finish.

Aly Breslin had a breakout 6th-place finish in the 1650 free in her junior year, and also scored this past season for 19 total points.

Kristen Stege came over as a transfer from ECU and had three straight top-eight finishes in the mile to go along with consecutive SEC titles in the event (2021/2022) and having a memorable runner-up finish to younger sister Rachel (Georgia) in the 500 free at the conference championships in 2023.

Among the other recruits, Jasmine Rumley has been a relay contributor and both Elle Caldow and Olivia Harper qualified for NCAAs twice.

#7: WISCONSIN BADGERS

• Top-tier additions: #3 Phoebe Bacon (MD – back/fly), Kaylyn Schoof (WI – back),
• The rest: Callahan Dunn (IL – IM), Elle Braun (PA – distance free), Emily Ecker (ME – distance free), Emma Lasecki (WI – IM), Mallory Jackson (IN – back), Alex Anagnostopoulos (WI – breast)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 19th, 17th, 15th, 15th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 3 (Phoebe Bacon, Callahan Dunn, Elle Braun)

Phoebe Bacon backed up her pre-college ranking by scoring 179 points in her four-year career, 2nd to only Alex Walsh. Bacon won NCAA titles in the 200 back in her freshman and senior seasons and had high finishes in between, but Wisconsin hasn’t finished higher than 15th during her four seasons due to a lack of depth.

That shows itself in this class, as only Callahan Dunn (3) and Elle Braun (1) managed to score, both doing so in 2024. Kaylyn Schoof was highly touted as a backstroker coming out of high school but didn’t drop enough (only marginally in the 100 back) to earn an NCAA invite.

#6: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

• Top-tier additions: #13 Tristen Ulett (GA – fly/IM), #14 Gabi Albiero (KY – fly/free), Paige Hetrick (PA – back), Liberty Williams (CA – distance free), Olivia Livingston (PA – free)
• The rest: Paige McCormick (OH – IM), Addie Farrington (GA – breast), Kayla Wilson (TX – diving)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 13th, 6th, 4th, 6th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 5 (Gabi Albiero, Else Praasterink, Paige Hetrick, Tristen Ulett, Liberty Williams)

This class has been a major reason why Louisville has finished in the top six at NCAAs for three straight seasons, with Gabi Albiero leading the charge.

Albiero followed up a five-point freshman season by averaging 37 over the next three years, hitting a high of 44.5 as a junior after she was 3rd in the 50 free, 4th in the 100 free and 5th in the 100 fly.

Honorable Mention recruit Paige Hetrick scored 31 total points, 18 coming last year when she was an ‘A’ finalist in the 200 free, and Tristen Ulett and Liberty Williams also contributed ijn the pool.

On the boards, Else Praasterink wasn’t included in the 2020 article but scored 44 points including 22 last season, when she was in the championship final of both the 3-meter and platform events.

#5: USC TROJANS

• Top-tier additions: #7 Kaitlyn Dobler (OR – breast/free), Jade Hannah (Canada – back/free), Anicka Delgado (CA – sprint free), Andrea Santander (FL – sprint free), Caroline Famous (PA – back/free)
• The rest: Adair Sand (FL – free), Caraline Baker (CO – breast), Johanna Jorgenson (MI – free), Katelyn Yule (CA – free/back)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 22nd, 16th, 12th, 8th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Kaitlyn Dobler, Caroline Famous)

Similar to McSharry at Tennessee, Kaitlyn Dobler had an illustrious career at USC as a breaststroker that included 89 individual points over four years, highlighted by her title in the 100 breast as a sophomore. She was an ‘A’ finalist in the event all four years.

The Trojans progressively did better at NCAAs over the four seasons this class was in action, and that aligns with the evolution of Caroline Famous, though she redshirted her freshman year when the team was 22nd. Famous didn’t earn an invite in 2022, was relay-only in 2023, and then qualified individually for the first time in 2024, making a pair of consolation finals in the 50 free and 100 back.

Jade Hannah deferred her freshman year but joined USC with some pedigree as a World Junior champion in the backstroke events, and was predicted to potentially form a deadly 1-2 punch with Dobler on medley relays. Hannah didn’t qualify for NCAAs in her freshman year and then transferred to LSU—she hasn’t competed since October 2022.

Anicka Delgado has qualified for NCAAs in the last three seasons and contributed on relays, and despite no individual points, is a two-time Pac-12 champion in the 50 free.

#4: CAL GOLDEN BEARS

• Top-tier additions: #5 Isabelle Stadden (MN – back), Emily Gantriis (Denmark – free), HM Nicole Oliva (CA – free), Tea Laughlin (CA – back)
• The rest: Mara Allen (CA – free), Francesca Colby (CA – diving), Kayla Haigh (CA – diving)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 4th, 8th, 11th, 11th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Isabelle Stadden, Emily Gantriis)

Cal’s place in the team standings has slid over the past four years, but that comes at no fault of their top recruit from this class, Isabelle Stadden.

Stadden was ranked 5th coming out of high school and finished four years ranked 5th in scoring among swimmers—passing Regan Smith and getting overtaken by Emma Sticklen—with consistent output, scoring between 27 and 32 points each season. Stadden made eight straight ‘A’ finals in the backstroke events, hitting a career-high runner-up finish in the 100 back as a senior.

Danish recruit Emily Gantriis had her best season as a freshman, scoring in the 50 and 100 free. She was a relay-only swimmer in 2023 and missed qualifying her sophomore and senior years.

Tea Laughlin was an NCAA qualifier as a freshman but swam her last meet in February 2022, while Nicole Oliva only swam a handful of meets in college.

#3: TEXAS LONGHORNS

• Top-tier additions: #4 Olivia Bray (VA – fly/back), #9 Emma Sticklen (TX – fly/back), Anna Elendt (Germany – breast), Grace Cooper (IL – free), Sydney Silver (CO – back), Bridget O’Neil (TX – diving)
• The rest: Ava Longi (TX – free), Ellie McLeod (TX – free/breast)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 5 (Olivia Bray, Emma Sticklen, Anna Elendt, Bridget O’Neil, Grace Cooper)

Look no further than this class as a primary reason why Texas has finished in the top three at four straight NCAAs, earning a runner-up finish to the modern dynasty that is Virginia in the last three.

Olivia Bray and Emma Sticklen were the #3 and #4 scorers in this class among swimmers, with Bray piling up 142 after never scoring fewer than 30 in a season, and Sticklen scoring 89.5 over the last two seasons for 134.5 total. Both set career-highs as juniors, with Bray making three ‘A’ finals for 42, and Sticklen putting up 46.5 after winning the 200 fly—a title she defended this past season.

Anna Elendt was highly touted coming in but has turned out better than Texas could’ve hoped, eclipsing 100 points in her career and posting 93 over the last three years. The German native has finished in the top five of both breaststroke events in three straight seasons, including two runner-up showings in the 200 breast.

Bridget O’Neil broke out with 28 points in her senior year, placing 5th on both springboards, and Grace Cooper scored for the first time in 2024 by winning the consolation final of the 50 free—she tied for 7th in the prelims and lost a three-way swim-0ff.

Ava Longi also steadily progressed throughout her career, qualifying for NCAAs for the first time as a junior and then finishing 17th by .01 in the 50 free as a senior.

#2: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

• Top-tier additions: #2 Alex Walsh (TN – breast/IM/everything), #10 Anna Keating (VA – breast), #11 Emma Weyant (FL – IM/distance free), #13 Abby Harter (VA – fly/IM), Quinn Schaedler (TX – free)
• The rest: Sophia Wilson (England – IM/breast)

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years:  1st, 1st, 1st, 1st

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 4* (Alex Walsh, Anna Keating, Emma Weyant, Abby Harter)

*Emma Weyant transferred to Florida, but UVA also had Maxine Parker join this HS class and score, and Reilly Tiltmann graduated high school early and scored.

Counting the number of NCAA scorers Virginia has from this class is tricky due to transfers, but the takeaway is straightforward: This class was dominant for the Cavaliers and helped them win four straight titles.

Running away as the class’ most valuable swimmer is Alex Walsh, who ranked #2 out of high school behind Regan Smith. That wouldn’t change if we went back in time—we weren’t going to prognosticate Smith deferring, swimming one season and then going pro—but Walsh’s NCAA career has been better than we could’ve predicted.

She’s won eight individual titles in four seasons, including sweeps in 2022 and 2024, not to mention her contributions to too many record-setting relays to count. Walsh has scored a staggering 221 points for the Cavaliers, with NCAA titles to her name in the 200 breast, 200 fly, 200 IM (3x) and 400 IM (3x).

Emma Weyant scored 32 points as a sophomore before transferring to Florida, while Abby Harter hit double-digit points all four years for the Cavaliers and Anna Keating did so in the last three.

Maxine Parker came over as a transfer from Georgia and put up 36 points over the last two seasons at UVA, and Reilly Tiltmann wasn’t part of this HS class but swam the same four NCAA meets as this group after graduating high school early. She ranks 10th among swimmers with 90 points in four seasons, including 37 in 2022 when she finished 5th in the backstrokes and was 9th in the 200 free.

Quinn Schaedler changed her commitment from Michigan to UVA, and the sprint freestyler didn’t lower her best times in a brief stint with the Cavaliers before she stopped competing in the summer of 2022.

#1: STANFORD CARDINAL

• Top-tier additions: #1 Regan Smith (MN – back/everything), #6 Lillie Nordmann (TX – fly/free), #15 Janelle Rudolph (WA – free/back), #18 Samantha Pearson (CA – free), HM Isabel Gormley (NY – IM/free)
• The rest: none

NCAA Finishes Over 4 Years: 9th, 3rd, 3rd, 5th

Number of NCAA Scorers In Class: 2 (Regan Smith, Lillie Nordmann)

Given the hype coming in, the point totals for Stanford from this class has to be a disappointment despite them finishing 3rd twice and 5th this past season at NCAAs.

Regan Smith was the clear-cut #1 recruit but only ended up swimming one season on The Farm, deferring her freshman year (along with #6 Lillie Nordmann) and then turning pro in the summer of 2022.

In her lone season, Smith wasn’t firing on all cylinders at NCAAs but still won the 200 back and scored 52.5 points, and given what she’s done in the long course pool since—though that comes after a change in training—it stands to reason she could’ve easily swept her events at NCAAs in future seasons if she was racing.

Lillie Nordmann scored in three straight seasons after deferring enrollment, making ‘A’ fianls in the 200 free (2022) and 200 fly (2024).

Janelle Rudolph only qualified for NCAAs in her freshman year, and was ranked 15th primarily for her versatility. She never quite managed to take the next step to challenge for NCAA scoring in any one specific event, save perhaps the 100 back where she broke 52 in 2021.

Samantha Pearson made NCAAs in her first season in 2022 (also deferring 2021), but a medical condition got in the way of her progression. She raced through the 2024 Pac-12s and had second swims in both backstroke events.

Isabel Gormley was an NCAA qualifier in 2021 but didn’t compete after the 2022 Pac-12s.

RE-RANKING THE CLASSES

Certainly, individual points don’t encapsulate everything a recruiting class brings to a program over four years. But they are the easiest way to rank the classes against each other four years later. Here’s a look at all the classes represented, ranked by individual points from all swimmers in this graduating class:

One note to factor in: In the case of swimmers who transferred, points are attributed to the team they scored for (from this high school class). Kristen Stege was part of the recruiting ranking class article as a transfer in 2020, but was apart of the HS class of 2019 and thus had her points count for that class one year ago. Other swimmers like Emma Weyant and Maxine Parker who are members of this class and scored for two different teams will have their points attributed to whichever they scored for.

And our new top 16, purely in terms of individual NCAA points:

The far left column tracks each swimmer’s final rank within the class. The next column tracks their individual ranking in our top 20 recruits post. HM means “honorable mention.” NR means “unranked” and INTL means “international”, as we don’t rank international swimmers in our top 20 post. “DIVE” refers to divers, also not ranked in our top 20 lists.

#1 VIRGINIA (↑1)

#2 TEXAS (↑1)

#3 LOUISVILLE (↑3)

#4 WISCONSIN (↑3)

#5 UNC (+)

#6 INDIANA (+)

#7 TENNESSEE (↑1)

#8 CAL (↓4)

#9 USC (↓4)

#10 STANFORD (↓9)

#11 FLORIDA (+)

#12 LSU (+)

#13 VIRGINIA TECH (–)

#14 OHIO STATE (↓3)

#15 TEXAS A&M (↑1)

#16 DUKE (+)

ARCHIVES: REVISITING RECRUIT RANKS