Cal Women, Texas Men Head into 2020 as Number One
The season's halfway mark has passed and the December CSCAA / TYR Top 25 Division I Swimming & Diving Polls are out. In addition to dual meet results, the committee also reviewed mid-season invitationals before casting their ballots. The University of Texas men maintain their number-one ranking while the University of California women regain their position at the top.
With thirty-seven teams receiving votes (the most ever), the committee unanimously agreed Texas is number one. The Longhorns lead second-ranked California by 17 points, who maintain the second spot from the last poll. Michigan men move up two spots from the November poll to take the number three ranking. Texas A&M jumps five spots to fourth and Indiana slides one position to fifth, for the men.
California women finish 2019 in the top spot, earning 12 of the 13 number one votes. After a strong showing and winning the Tennessee Invitational, the Lady Vols remain second this month. Virginia moved up one spot to third, Stanford takes a two spot leap to fourth and Michigan climbs 13 spots (the biggest movement in the polls) to round out the top five on the women’s side.
Alabama (17), Arizona State (21) and Arizona (22) make their way into the women’s top 25 after not being ranked in November. Utah (21) and North Carolina (22) also make their way into the top 25 this go-around for the men’s poll.
You can find a complete list of the rankings at: www.cscaa.org/top25
The rankings are voted on by CSCAA-member coaches and select media. Each committee includes members from the Power Five leagues, five at-large programs and two media members. The women and men committee chairs are Naya Higashijima (SMU) and Bill Roberts (Navy). The next poll is scheduled for release on February 5th.
Women's Poll Committee
Dan Colella, Duke; Niko Fantakis, Brown; Chris Hansen, CSU Bakersfield; Naya Higashijima, Southern Methodist; Nathan Lavery, Texas Christian; Matthew Leach, Washington State; Sergio Lopez, Virginia Tech; Christine Mabile, Boise State; Jonathan Maccoll, Rutgers; Jesse Moore, Minnesota; Jeff Poppell, Florida; Jos Smith, Utah; Braden Keith, SwimSwam; John Lohn, Swimming World.
Men's Poll Committee
Steve Barnes, Penn State; Molly Belk, Purdue; Chase Bloch, Southern California; Jason Calanog, Texas A&M; Chad Cradock UMBC; Daniel Dozier, West Virginia; John Hargis, Pittsburgh; Jamie Holder, Dartmouth; Lars Jorgensen, Kentucky; Craig Nisgor, Seattle; Bill Roberts Navy; Rachel Stratton Mills, Arizona State; Neal Studd, Florida State; Braden Keith, SwimSwam; John Lohn, Swimming World.