By Michael Hamann on SwimSwam
The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) have released their preseason poll, with very few surprises at the top, with Texas and Cal taking the top two spots. Texas received all 15 first place votes, while the Golden Bears received all 15 second place votes. Florida, NC State and Indiana round out the top five.
While some teams have begun competition, as the ‘preseason’ poll, pollsters were instructed to not penalize teams that have not yet competed.
Note: the CSCAA polls are designed to reflect dual meet strength, not necessarily a projection of NCAA Championship meet finish.
The Texas-Cal rivalry looks primed for yet another showdown at the end of March. At last year’s NCAA Championships, Texas edged out Cal 595 to 568, with both teams being over 200 points clear of third-place Florida.
The two team hegemony has been the dominant storyline of the men’s NCAA Championships in recent years, as Texas and Cal have been the top two teams every year since 2014. In that time, Texas has claimed five national championships, while Cal has won two. Since 2010, Michigan’s title in 2013 is the only time a team other than Cal and Texas has finished in the top two.
The biggest shakeup from last year’s NCAA results is the return of two programs to the poll that did not compete last season. The Arizona State Sun Devils, who redshirted their entire roster last year check in at 13th, while the Harvard Crimson, who return to competition after the Ivy League cancelled the 2020-21 swim season, rank 22nd.
One top 10 matchup highlights the men’s college dual meet schedule this weekend, as #2 Cal welcomes #9 Virginia to Berkeley.
Rk
Prv
Team
Points
1
Texas
375
2
California
360
3
Florida
343
4
NC State
325
5
Indiana
295
6
Michigan
289
7
Louisville
286
8
Georgia
285
9
Virginia
259
10
Stanford
236
11
Ohio State
226
12
Virginia Tech
224
13
Arizona State
187
14
Missouri
178
15
Florida State
150
16
Texas A&M
140
17
Tennessee
117
18
Wisconsin
112
19
Georgia Tech
95
20
Alabama
91
21
North Carolina
61
22
Harvard
60
23
Southern California
49
24
Northwestern
36
25
Penn State
31
Also receiving votes:
Arizona (19), LSU (13), Purdue (13), Notre Dame (10), Pittsburgh (5), Kentucky (3), Navy (2)
Men’s poll committee:
Steve Barnes, Penn State; Jason Calanog, Texas A&M; Jerry Champer, Georgia; Matt Crispino, Princeton; Daniel Dozier, West Virginia; John Hargis, Pittsburgh; Jessica Livsey, Old Dominion; Craig Nisgor, Seattle; Bill Roberts (Chair), Navy; Dan Schemmel, Stanford; Rachel Stratton-Mills, Arizona State; Neal Studd, Florida State; Trevor Maida, Wisconsin; Braden Keith, SwimSwam; David Rieder, Swimming World.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Defending Champion Texas Longhorns Lead Men’s CSCAA Preseason Poll
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