September 17, 2026 – The College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) has released its 2026-27 Division I Preseason Top 25 National Rankings, with Virginia earning the unanimous No. 1 ranking on the women’s side and Texas unanimously claiming the top spot in the men’s rankings.
The rankings are voted on by committees of Division I coaches representing a cross-section of programs and conferences throughout the country. Poll committee members evaluate teams based on head-to-head performances, nationally ranked performances, significant performances achieved since the previous poll, results from invitational and championship-style competition, and the quality and depth of performances across events.
Together, these criteria are intended to provide a comprehensive assessment of each program’s performance at the time of the poll, while recognizing the different competitive opportunities and formats that occur throughout the collegiate season.
Division I Women
Virginia opens the 2026-27 season as the unanimous No. 1 in the women’s rankings, earning all 10 first-place votes and 250 points. The Cavaliers enter the season following a historic 2025-26 campaign in which they became the first program in NCAA women’s swimming and diving history to win six consecutive national championships.
Stanford opens at No. 2 with 233 points, narrowly ahead of No. 3 Texas with 232. Tennessee earned 217 points to begin the season at No. 4, while Indiana rounds out the top five with 209.
Michigan checks in at No. 6 with 198 points, followed closely by California at No. 7 with 196. Louisville (182), NC State (171) and Florida (160) complete the preseason top 10.
A total of 32 women’s programs received votes in the preseason rankings.
Division I Men
Texas begins the 2026-27 season as the unanimous No. 1 in the men’s rankings, earning all 10 first-place votes and 250 points. The Longhorns enter the season after capturing their second consecutive and 17th overall NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championship in 2025-26.
Indiana opens at No. 2 with 235 points, followed closely by Florida at No. 3 with 231. California earned 217 points to open at No. 4, while Tennessee rounds out the top five with 209.
Arizona State begins the season at No. 6 with 206 points, followed by NC State at No. 7 with 190. Stanford and Michigan are tied for No. 8 with 171 points apiece, while Virginia rounds out the preseason top 10 with 170 points.
A total of 32 men’s programs received votes in the preseason rankings.
Division I Men
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 250 |
| 2 | Indiana | 235 |
| 3 | Florida | 231 |
| 4 | California | 217 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 209 |
| 6 | Arizona State | 206 |
| 7 | NC State | 190 |
| T-8 | Stanford | 171 |
| T-8 | Michigan | 171 |
| 10 | Virginia | 170 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 141 |
| 12 | Louisville | 124 |
| 13 | Ohio State | 119 |
| 14 | LSU | 118 |
| 15 | Georgia | 111 |
| 16 | Northwestern | 105 |
| 17 | Auburn | 88 |
| 18 | Alabama | 82 |
| 19 | North Carolina | 63 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 40 |
| 21 | Southern Methodist | 38 |
| 22 | Wisconsin | 33 |
| 23 | Florida State | 31 |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 28 |
| 25 | Southern California | 25 |
Also receiving votes: Arizona (15), Purdue (14), Notre Dame (13), Harvard (7), Minnesota (3), Princeton (1), Missouri (1)
Division I Women
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | 250 |
| 2 | Stanford | 233 |
| 3 | Texas | 232 |
| 4 | Tennessee | 217 |
| 5 | Indiana | 209 |
| 6 | Michigan | 198 |
| 7 | California | 196 |
| 8 | Louisville | 182 |
| 9 | NC State | 171 |
| 10 | Florida | 160 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 136 |
| 12 | Georgia | 133 |
| 13 | Southern California | 131 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 114 |
| 15 | Alabama | 106 |
| 16 | North Carolina | 80 |
| 17 | LSU | 77 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 74 |
| 19 | Auburn | 69 |
| 20 | South Carolina | 67 |
| 21 | Duke | 59 |
| 22 | Arizona | 35 |
| 23 | UCLA | 25 |
| 24 | Minnesota | 20 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 19 |
Also receiving votes: Miami (FL) (14), Princeton (13), Arkansas (12), Harvard (6), Purdue (5), Florida State (4), Penn (3)
Women’s Poll Committee
Canaan Campbell (Evansville), Ashley Dell (UIC), Brooks Fail (USC), Christian Hanselmann (BYU), Naya Higashijima (New Mexico), Dan Kesler (NC State), Nathan Lavery (Drexel), Brody Lewis (Cal), Tylor Mathieu (South Carolina) and Milana Socha (Dartmouth)
Men’s Poll Committee
Cauli Bedran (Kentucky), Jim Bolster (Columbia), James Bretscher (Purdue), Ethan Curl (Ohio University), Reed Fujan (Virginia), Mike Joyce (Georgia), Jack Little (Arizona State), Erik Posegay (Texas), Bill Roberts (Navy) and Neal Studd (Florida State)
About the CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation’s first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.
