Arizona State and Virginia top CSCAA January Poll
January 25, 2024 - Lewisburg, PA - The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) released the January edition of the Division I Top 25 dual meet poll. The Arizona State men and University of Virginia women continue their season-long stranglehold at the top of the polls.
The committee, consisting of Division I coaches, assesses and ranks the nation's top 25 dual meet teams. Their evaluation takes into account head-to-head dual meet outcomes, performances since the last rankings, season-long performances, dual meet records, roster changes (such as injuries), and data from the SwimCloud Simulator. It's important to note that the poll's objective is not to predict the top finishers in a championship meet format.
In the men's rankings, the Sun Devils (349) earned the top spot after strong performances in recent duals with Pac-12 rivals Cal and Stanford. Cal's performance against ASU helped them jump to the second spot with 337 points. NC State (309) and Florida (307) come in at third and fourth, respectively, while Stanford (293) makes its debut in the top 5. Stanford, jumping from nine to five, and Virginia Tech, from 21 to 13, made the biggest moves up the polls for the men. Princeton was the only new addition for the January edition. In all, 30 programs received votes.
On the women's side, the top-ranked Cavaliers (375) continued to set the standard after squaring off with ACC rivals Virginia Tech, NC State, and UNC in recent weeks. The Texas (360) and Florida (345) women continue to hold steady at second and third, while Stanford (324) and Cal (311) ascend into the top 5. The aforementioned Stanford and Cal were the biggest risers this month, with Stanford jumping from 10 to 4 and Cal from 9 to 5. Virginia Tech and LSU opened the New Year back in the top 25. A total of 27 teams received votes. The Women's committee specifically noted how tight the teams in the middle third of the poll seemed to be, with each capable of winning or losing to any other on any given day.
You can find a complete list of the rankings at: www.cscaa.org/top25
Each committee includes ten representatives from the Power Five leagues and five at-large programs. The women and men's committee chairs are Naya Higashijima (NMU) and Bill Roberts (Navy), respectively.
The 2023-2024 Division I polls are scheduled for release on Thursday, February 8, 2024, and Thursday, February 29, 2024.
Women's Poll Committee
Jerry Champer, Georgia; Ashley Dell, Illinois-Chicago; Ryan Evan, Kansas; Naya Higashijima, New Mexico (Chair); Jeana Kempe, Illinois; Nathan Lavery, Drexel; Brody Lewis, Utah; Alice McCall, TCU; Ellie Monobe, Pepperdine; Kristen Murslack, Florida; Maddy Olson, Minnesota; Pete Richardson, USC; Milana Socha, Dartmouth; Albert Subirats, Virginia Tech; Roman Willetts, Pittsburgh.
Men's Poll Committee
Jim Bolster, Columbia; Jason Calanog, Texas A&M; Dan Carrington, Penn State; Courtney Hart, Georgia Tech; Alicia Hicken-Franklin, Denver; Sam Iida, Arizona State; Mike Joyce, Minnesota; Jessica Livesy, Old Dominion; Laura McGlaughlin, Villanova; Trevor Maida, Louisville; Pete Richardson, USC; Bill Roberts, Navy (Chair); Neal Studd, Florida State; Dr. Rick West, West Virginia.