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 to pick the preseason favorite in the men’s ACC:
RESULTS
Question: Who should be the preseason favorite to win the 2021 Men’s ACC Swim/Dive title?
- NC State – 55.7%
- Virginia Tech – 24.5%
- Virginia – 11.0%
- Louisville – 6.4%
- Someone else – 2.3%
55.7% say NC State is the favorite to win what would be their 7th consecutive ACC men’s title in swimming & diving.
NC State beat Virginia by 161 points last year, winning their sixth straight.
Returning points actually favor Louisville, which got just 6.4% of votes in our poll. Louisville returns 706 points compared to 642 for NC State and 634 for Virginia Tech. But NC State clearly has the best group of newcomers to the roster for next year. Their freshman class was ranked among the top in the nation, and NC State also gets Florida transfer Kacper Stokowski back from a redshirt along with sprinter Giovanni Izzo.
Voters were bullish on Virginia Tech, which got 24.5% of votes in our poll. VT has a small but strong recruiting class coming in, and returns a whopping 98% of their individual points from last year.
Virginia edged Louisville in the poll, despite Louisville returning nearly 130 more individual points. Virginia’s recruiting class looks much better than Louisville’s, though.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters the same question about the women’s Big Ten:
ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Very poor choice of photo these days
Proof that many of you who vote in these polls are blinded by your prejudices. As a huge Virginia fan, I voted for NC State. They are the FAVORITES, not my favorite. On paper, they will win by 300 points (including newcomers and returnees).
Agreed
1. How many VT fans had to vote get them up to 24.5%?
2. Who would think VT should be considered the favorite?
Some people must have a lot of faith in Sergio.
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but he coached Joseph schooling. That alone is worth a few hundred points of improvement in a year!
44.3 % of people are smoking something. Meet will be a landslide and this year they are “rebuilding”