Ranking The 2024 Women’s Recruiting Classes: #5-8

With many schools going back to campus in a few weeks, it is time for NCAA preview season. Here are the #5-8 class rankings of the women’s incoming recruiting classes for the 2024-25 campaign.

See also:

• Women’s #9-12
• Women’s #13-16
• Individual Recruit Rankings- Girls Class of 2024

A few important notes on our rankings:

• The rankings listed are based on our Class of 2024 Re-Rank. “HM” refers to our honorable mentions and “BOTR” refers to our Best of the Rest section for top-tier recruits.
• Like most of our rankings, these placements are subjective. We base our team ranks on a number of factors: prospects’ incoming times are by far the main factor, but we also consider potential upside in the class, class size, relay impact and team needs being filled. Greater weight is placed on known success in short course yards, so foreign swimmers are slightly devalued based on the difficulty in converting long course times to short course production.
• Transfers are included, though weighed less than recruits who came in with four seasons of eligibility.
• For the full list of all verbally committed athletes, click here. A big thank you to SwimSwam’s own Anne Lepesant for compiling that index – without it, rankings like these would be far less comprehensive.
• Some teams had not released a finalized 2024-25 team roster at the time these articles were published, meaning it’s possible we missed some names. Let us know in the comments below.

BEST NCAA SWIMMING & DIVING RECRUITING CLASSES: WOMEN’S CLASS OF 2024

Previously Ranked:

• #16 Georgia
• #15 Virginia Tech
• #14 Auburn
• #13 Northwestern
• #12 Indiana
• #11 Florida
• #10 Michigan
• #9 Ohio State

#8 Wisconsin

• Top Tier Additions: #8 Maggie Wanezek (back/IM), BOTR Bridget McGann (breast), BOTR Stella Chapman (IM/breast)
• The “Rest”: Molly Simmons (back), Avery Hawker (fly), Catherine Hughes (breast)

It’s a small class for the Badgers, but one that brings an instant NCAA scorer with Maggie Wanezek.  Wanezek is the star of this class and was a huge in-state pickup. She was the top backstroker in the class as a sophomore and junior and holds best times of a 50.97 and 1:50.93, both of which are NCAA ‘A’ final times. With NCAA Champion and US Olympian Phoebe Bacon returning for her 5th year, Wanezek has someone to train next to for a year before she has the spotlight. Like Bacon, Wanezek’s 3rd event also is the 200 IM where she has a best time of a 1:58.43.

McGann enters as a 1:00.9 and 2:10.7 breaststroker. Her 200 is slightly stronger than her 100 but the team could use another sub-1:00 breastroker, especially for their medley relays. This looks within range of what McGann can develop into.

Chapman also shows this potential with a 1:01.8 and 2:13.1 in the breaststroke events but is slightly stronger in the IM events, especially with a 1:59.3 in the 200. Hughes also has been as low as a 1:01.2 in the 100 and a 2:12.30 in the 200, giving the class depth in breaststroke.

#7 Cal

• Top Tier Additions: Mary-Ambre Moluh (France, back/free), Mia West (Canada, free/fly/IM), Lilou Ressencourt (grad student France- fly/free), BOTR Finley Anderson (back), BOTR Adriana Smith (back), BOTR Arielle Brotman (breast), Maya Geringer (Ohio State 5th year transfer-distance free), Margaux McDonald (Princeton 5th year- IM/back/breast)
• The “Rest”: Jordan Ash (fly), Maggie Petty (sprint free), Charlotte Burnham  (breast), Mia Nappi (breast), Rebecca Ciancaglini (diving)

With the 2025 girls class loaded with the top domestic talent, Cal hit home runs at the international level for fall 2024. Mary-Ambre Moluh is one of the highlights of the class and has strong long course best times with a 54.08 in the 100 free, 2:01.76 in the 200 free, and 59.29 in the 100 back. She also represented France in Paris, posting solid relay splits with her 53.37 as her fastest 100 free.

Those convert to 47.27 in the 100, 1:46.81 in the 200, and 52.33 in the 100 back. She also has a SCM best time in the 100 back of a 57.36 that converts to a 51.67. That 100 freestyle is towards the top of the class, but as always with conversions there is a margin of error. Even with some error, it took a 47.75 to make the ‘B’ final at 2024 NCAAs and a 47.33 to ‘A’ final so she brings in instant points there in addition to huge relay value as Cal had no sub-48 100 freestylers this past season. Her 100 back is also big, especially once Isabelle Stadden finishes up her 5th year at the end of this year. It took a 51.55 to get a 2nd swim in the 100 back.

Fellow French Olympian Lilou Ressencourt has two years of eligibility but will make an impact during her time. She has LCM best times of 58.48 in the 100 fly and 2:09.30 in the 200 fly, which convert to a 51.42 in the 100 and 1:53.96 in the 200. That 100 conversion is on the border of finaling at NCAAs while her 200 is in B final range and on the border of making the A final.

Canada’s Mia West enters with best times of a 55.58 in the LCM 100 free, 2:00.48 in the 200 free, and 59.89 in the 100 fly. She has some SCY experience which is helpful as far as race planning but it is outdated for this analysis. Her 100 free and 100 fly are the biggest potential impacts, with conversions of 48.63 in the 100 free and 52.69 in the 100 fly. With the combination of Moluh, Rssencourt, and West, they have relay options.

Finley Anderson (53.3 and 1:53.6) and Adriana Smith (52.8/1:56.1) bring in backstroke depth that will be key, especially after Stadden’s departure. It also grows the group that was Stadden on her own at the top.

Fifth years Maya Geringer and Margaux McDonald boost the team for the upcoming season. Both swam at 2024 NCAAs and Geringer scored in the 1650 free in all four years at NCAAs as well.

#6 Louisville

• Top Tier Additions: #16 Caroline Larsen (sprint free/fly), #20 Camden Doane (IM/fly), Merve Tuncel (Turkey- Distance Free), Daria Golovaty (Israel – sprint free)
• The “Rest”: BOTR Avery Karl (Sprint free), BOTR Amelia Bodenstab (Distance free), BOTR Camille Murray (back)

Larsen arrives at a time that Louisville needs it. Although Gabi Albiero has not yet announced her intentions for the upcoming year, Larsen can fill her shoes to the best of her ability either this year or next. She has a bes time of a 21.93 in the 50 free, a time that is on the border of the B final. Her 100 fly is a 52.15 which is not in scoring range yet but the school has a history of improvement in the event. Even if Albiero stays, the team’s 200 free relay that was 2nd this past season at NCAAs loses Christiana Regenauer as she finished her 5th year and Larsen would slide into that spot well.

Doane enters with best times of a 1:57.40 in the 200 IM and 4:10.16 in the 400 IM. The team did not have any finalists in the 400 IM at NCAAs but Doane already enters with a time that would have earned an invite. She also brings 200 fly potential, which is just off of the invite line as her best time is a 1:55.90.

Merve Tuncel switched her commitment from USC and has best times that convert to a 1:44.95 in the 200 free, 4:35.91 in the 500 free, and 15:36.50 in the 1650 free. Her 1650 free time is the biggest stand out as that would have won the individual NCAA title this past March. It also fills a gap within the roster as they had no swimmers in the 1650 free at NCAAs. Bodenstab also brings in solid mid-distance free times, with a 1:45.9 in the 200 and a 4:44.7 in the 500.

If Albiero also departs, Avery Karl enters with a 22.1 in the 50 free, a time that can bring her into 21-point range on a relay. Although that is not as fast as Albiero was, the team has seen development of sprinters like Ella Welch and Julia Dennis. Daria Golovaty comes in as another swimmer to reload relays. Part of the Israeli national/international team system (she swam at Euros). She enters with best of 25.44 in the 50 free, 55.12 in the 100 free, and 1:58.62 in the 200 free in long course meters. That 200 free time will definitely make an immediate impact on the Cardinals’ 800 free relay which was their lowest in 13th place at NCAAs last year with two seniors on the roster.

Murray arrives with a best time of a 52.1 in the 100 back, a time that could develop into the medley relay spot once Paige Hetrick  (51.85) graduates as Hetrick returns for her 5th year.

#5 Stanford

• Top Tier Additions: #7 Levenia Sim (back/fly), #10 Emily Thompson (IM/fly), #15 Addison Sauickie (freestyle), #17 Annika Parkhe (fly/free),
• The “Rest”: BOTR Lila Heffernan (sprint free), Bailey O’Regan (IM/free), Anna Lemkin (diving)

A smaller class, Levenia Sim highlights the class and poses as a backstroke and butterfly specialist. She might end up doing a 100 back/100 fly or the “dirty double” 200 fly/200 back. She has a best time of a 51.03 in the 100 back and a 51.69 in the 100 fly which seems like the clearer double here with a best time of a 1:53.53 in the 200 back compared to a 1:56.56 in the 200 fly. With whatever she chooses, she will be a boost and will pair well with Torri Huske as Huske returns from her Olympic redshirt.

Thompson swam numerous personal best times this year with a two second drop in the 200 fly, now with a best time of a 1:54.63, a time just off NCAA scoring range. She also has a 4:08.28 in the 400 IM, another best time right on the border of NCAA scoring. She also has a best time of a 1:55.01 in the 200 back, another impressive event.

Addison Sauickie arrives with the 200 free as her primary event and a best time of a 1:45.35, a time that is just off of an NCAA invite, especially with the improvement in the event at the NCAA level this past season.

Butterfly and freestyler Annika Parkhe also has a best time in the 200 free in the 1:45 range with a 1:45.21. Her 100 fly also stands out with a 51.58. Torri Huske returns so the medley relay spot is something she might develop into. She also has a flat start best of a 48.47 in the 100 free, giving her 47-point flying start potential. Heffernan also brings sprint free potential with 23.0, 49.4, and 1:46.3 as her best times.