The Georgia women started off the spring semester of 2016 with a roaring road-trip through Texas where in back-to-back meets they topped the new #6 Texas A&M Aggies and the new #4 Texas Longhorns to earn the top spot in the latest CSCAA Dual Meet Poll.
This poll, which is designed to reflect the current predicted dual meet results rather than end-of-season championship results, saw an idle Virginia women’s team slide to #3 not having raced only one meet since the last edition of the poll: a 243-105 thumping of unranked Notre Dame. The Cavaliers were also jumped, somewhat inexplicably, by Greg Meehan’s Stanford women, who also haven’t raced since the last edition of the poll was voted on.
Texas ranked #4, moving ahead of the former #5 Texas A&M women despite a loss to a common opponent, and the loss also moved them ahead of USC, who beat #17 Wisconsin handily last weekend.
The only new entrant to the top 25 is Ohio State, who replace Kentucky.
The full poll, courtesy of the CSCAA, is below. SwimSwam is not a voting participant in this poll.
After leading the College Swimming Coaches Association of America / TYR Top 25 Swimming & Diving Poll for much of the year, the University of Virginia was replaced at the top by the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs captured nine of ten #1 votes to regain the lead for the first time since the start of the year.
“The No. 1 ranking is a compliment to our ladies and how they go about their business.” explained Georgia Head Coach Jack Bauerle. “We are proud of what this team is doing, and it means a great deal that others are recognizing our accomplishments.”
The longtime Bulldog coach recognized where the achievement stands in a season with big goals, “What’s important for us right now, however, is to zero in on our last couple of dual meets and continue to trend upward as the SEC and NCAAs approach. Our preparation and competitive spirit have to be at an all-time high over the next several weeks.”
Stanford University also moved past the Cavaliers into second in the poll, dropping UVA to third. Texas made the biggest move in the top ten, moving up two spots to fourth. The next poll will be released January 27th.
The CSCAA Poll Committee produces in-season rankings of the 25 best performing NCAA 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. Ranking are based on performances that have taken place since the previous poll and include invites as well as dual meets.
Division I – Women
| Pos | Previous | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Georgia | 249 |
| 2 | 3 | Stanford | 235 |
| 3 | 1 | Virginia | 225 |
| 4 | 6 | Texas | 221 |
| 5 | 4 | Southern California | 213 |
| 6 | 5 | Texas A&M | 206 |
| 7 | 8 | California | 187 |
| 8 | 9 | Michigan | 176 |
| 9 | 10 | Auburn | 170 |
| 10 | 11 | Louisville | 142 |
| 11 | 7 | Arizona | 141 |
| 12 | 13 | Tennessee | 138 |
| 13 | 17 | NC State | 132 |
| 14 | 12 | North Carolina | 122 |
| 15 | 14 | Florida | 120 |
| 16 | 15 | Indiana | 115 |
| 17 | 16 | Wisconsin | 98 |
| 18 | 18 | UCLA | 73 |
| 19 | 19 | Missouri | 71 |
| 20 | 20 | Penn State | 56 |
| 21 | 22 | Purdue | 42 |
| 22 | 21 | Alabama | 39 |
| 23 | 24 | Louisiana State | 38 |
| 24 | 25 | Arkansas | 15 |
| 25 | 28 | Ohio State | 10 |
Also Receiving Votes: Minnesota 5, Virginia Tech 5, Kentucky 3, Duke 2, Iowa 1