SwimSwam Pulse: 37.3% Pick Stanford Women As 'Best of the Rest' Team Behind Top 3
09/06/2024 03:05 PM
By James Sutherland on SwimSwam
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.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers which women’s team behind the established top three they’re most optimistic about heading into 2024-25:
Question: Which women’s NCAA team are you more bullish on this season?
RESULTS
- Stanford – 37.3%
- Cal – 27.9%
- Tennessee – 13.2%
- NC State – 12.7%
- Indiana – 7.2%
- Louisville – 1.7%
There was a clear 1-2-3 at the 2024 Women’s NCAA Championships, and on paper, it looks as though Virginia, Texas and Florida will remain the best three teams in the nation as we enter the 2024-25 campaign.
However, which school has the next-best squad is foggy. Tennessee was 4th last year, while Stanford was 3rd in 2023, before the Gators emerged as a top-three threat.
In our latest poll asking SwimSwam readers which “best of the rest” team they’re most bullish on this season, Stanford was the clear #1 pick with more than 37% of votes.
The Cardinal have a burgeoning core that performed well last season, led by Lucy Bell, Aurora Roghair and Caroline Bricker, who combined for 99 points at the 2024 NCAAs and all return for the coming campaign.
Additionally, Stanford brings back superstar and six-time Olympic medalist Torri Huske, who is coming off winning five medals, including three gold, at the Paris Games. Huske took a redshirt season away from college swimming in 2023-24, but scored 50 points at NCAAs in 2023 (not to mention her relay value).
There’s an argument to be made that Stanford could possibly challenge Florida for that #3 spot, especially with the Gators losing Isabel Ivey.
Given the return of Huske, it’s no surprise to see the Cardinal at the top of the poll, but their in-state rivals from Cal, who like Stanford, will be joining the ACC this season, weren’t too far behind with their fair share of votes at 27.9%.
The rebuilding Bears were only 11th at NCAAs last season, but the additions of French Olympians Mary-Ambre Moluh and Lilou Ressencourt, along with Canadian Mia West, has clearly led to some optimism—along with the return of fith-year Isabelle Stadden.
Tennessee, which scored 277 points last season in their 4th-place finish (compared to Stanford’s 250 and Cal’s 153), only garnered 13.2% of votes in the poll, edging out NC State.
Despite the Volunteers sitting well behind Stanford and Cal in the poll, they do bring back their top scorers, namely Josephine Fuller, Mona McSharry and Emelie Fast, who, like the previously-mentioned Cardinal trio, combined for 99 individual points at the 2024 NCAAs.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: With so much change at Arizona State, who is the favorite to win men’s NCAAs?
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