2022-2023 NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: February Edition

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings are somewhere between the CSCAA-style dual meet rankings and a pure prediction of NCAA finish order.  SwimSwam’s rankings take into account how a team looks at the moment, while focusing on each team’s NCAA scoring potential (see the CSCAA poll for dual meet rankings). These rankings are by nature subjective, and a jumping-off point for discussion.  If you disagree with any team’s ranking, feel free to make your case in our comments section.

Braden Keith, Spencer Penland, Robert Gibbs, Yanyan Li, Sophie Kaufman and Anya Pelshaw contributed to this report.

We’re now approaching the apex of the collegiate swimming season, with major conference championships set to get underway next week before the NCAA Championships go off in March.

Compared to the women, the men’s rankings haven’t seen nearly as much turnover over the last month, though one team, Arizona State, has cracked the top three for the first time after a phenomenal couple of meets led by superstar Leon Marchand.

The other notable moves came from Virginia, dropping two spots to ninth, and VA Tech jumping up three spots into the top 10.

Previous Ranks:

• Pre-season Edition
• October Edition
• New Year’s Edition

Honorable Mentions: Harvard Crimson, Purdue Boilermakers, Pennsylvania Quakers, Utah Utes

#25: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH – (PREVIOUS RANK: T-25)

Jack Hoagland, Tommy Janton, and Christopher Guiliano all performed really well at the Tim Welsh classic. -YL

Jack Hoagland continues to round into form, and with swimmers like Tommy Janton and Chris Guiliano stepping up I’m interested to see if Notre Dame puts together a 200 medley relay that scores at NCAAs (they were 18th last year). -SK

#24: PRINCETON TIGERS ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: T-25)

They lost to Harvard at HYP but have a strong shot at winning Ivies and I still think they’re a top-25 team at NCAAs. -SK

#23: MIAMI (FL) HURRICANES ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 22)

#22: COLUMBIA LIONS ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 21)

#21: GEORGIA TECH YELLOWJACKETS ↑2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 23)

The Turkish trio of Mert Kilavuz, Berke Saka and Batur Unlu all have individual scoring potential, and Ruben Lechuga could make an impact on the boards. -JS

#20: MISSOURI TIGERS — (PREVIOUS RANK: 20)

#19: LSU TIGERS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 19)

There’s no reason to worry about Brooks Curry, the centerpiece of LSU’s team. However, from a team standings perspective, LSU is in a tough place. They’ve lost Juan Hernandez’s 32 points, the sprints are more crowded than ever, and with it looking likely that Minnesota qualifies a relay, LSU likely needs to respond with a relay qualification of their own if they want to keep step with the rest of the teams hovering in this section of the standings. -SK

#18: MINNESOTA GOLDEN GOPHERS ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 17)

Bar Soloveychik breaking another school record? While he and Kaiser Neverman don’t do a ton for the Gopher relays at the NCAA level, the ‘fighting Max McHughs’ are looking deeper than they have in years, and seem to get a little better every week. -BK

Max McHugh will rake in the majority of Minnesota’s points, but between their 800 free relay and Bar Soloveychik & Kaiser Neverman stepping up, there’s a lot for this team to gain heading into the postseason. -SK

#17: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 18)

#16: MICHIGAN WOLVERINES – (PREVIOUS RANK: 16)

After a rough meet against Indiana early in January, Michigan has looked great in its last few dual meets. They may not have quite as much depth as some of the teams above them, but they absolutely do have their bright spots. I also think their relays, particularly the free relays, will surprise some people at Big Tens. -SP

#15: ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 14)

#14: AUBURN TIGERS ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 15)

#13 GEORGIA BULLDOGS ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 12)

Although Georgia may finish lower than some of the SEC teams I ranked lower here at the conference level, because this is based on NCAA scoring, I have them higher than some of their SEC rivals. -AP

#12: TEXAS A&M AGGIES ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 11)

#11: OHIO STATE BUCKEYES ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 10)

Ohio State beating Texas and Alabama was huge. But only two top-10-ranked swims nationally leaves me scratching my head a bit about where to rank the Buckeyes. -BK

It was just a dual meet, but Ohio State beating Texas and Alabama and sweeping all the relays gives me a feeling that they could be a team that we are sleeping on. -YL

#10: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES ↑3 (PREVIOUS RANK: 13)

Ramadan’s recent swims make him the favorite for the 100 fly title at NCAAs. -YL

#9: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS ↓2 (PREVIOUS RANK: 7)

There’s been a carousel of swimmers absent from Virginia’s roster over the month for a variety of reasons. Not too much to worry about in the long term (hopefully), but I’m swapping them and Tennessee for the time being. -SK

With Jack Aikins and Tim Connery ready at the helm, Matt King and Connor Boyle being gone doesn’t hurt UVA relays that much. But their individual contributions will be missed. -YL

#8: STANFORD CARDINAL ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 9)

Minakov being back is a big boost for this team. -YL

Minakov just popped off a 1:32 200 free in a time trial. That signals to us that he’ll be ready for Pac-12s. This Stanford team flies under the radar a little bit, but they have virtually ever box checked in terms of NCAA scoring ability. -SP

Minakov racing in a Cardinal cap again is a huge deal for Stanford. He’s only gotten near his best in the 200 free (a relatively off event for him) but has been improving through the January duals in his primary events. His return is especially important for Stanford because we’re still waiting to see the big returns from their freshmen class. As we head into champs season, one thing to keep in mind is that they return 19 of their 20 relay legs from last season. -SK

#7: TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 8)

This isn’t exactly a profound analysis, but I’m really looking forward to seeing what this Tennessee squad looks like tapered and suited. -SP

#6: INDIANA HOOSIERS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 6)

It will be easier to get a feel for Indiana after Big Tens, but we can’t forget they have the huge advantage of an excellent diving squad. -SP

#5: NC STATE WOLFPACK – (PREVIOUS RANK: 5)

Yes, I know about Indiana’s diving. But I really like what I’ve seen from the Wolfpack this month. They had a great weekend against Texas from individual swims like Miller’s 200 free and Stokowski’s 100 back to some blazing relays. -SK

#4: FLORIDA GATORS ↓1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 3)

Florida didn’t do anything wrong to get moved down a spot on my ballot, it was just that Arizona State has been so fast this past month. The Gators still have a n incredible roster, with a ton of relay potential. It will be fun to see a fully rested Josh Liendo in the NCAA setting. -SP

Bumping ASU above Florida is more a reflection of how great ASU has been rather than Florida doing anything “wrong”. They’re a very deep team, which is sure to be on display as they go for the 11th SEC title in a row. -SK

#3: ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS ↑1 (PREVIOUS RANK: 4)

We can argue forever about how much of a boost being suited gave ASU over the Cal men, but it doesn’t change the fact that ASU looks like a really complete team. Leon Marchand is Leon Marchand, Grant House has the fastest 200 free in the NCAA, their midseason additions have been stellar, and their relays look great. It’s hard not to be excited about this team right now. -SK

ASU has the “hype” factor, and I’ve seen a lot of people calling them the #1 team. Bob Bowman’s statement about the team going all-in at NCAAs instead of Pac-12s makes me more confident that they won’t peak at conferences like they did last year, but every single swimmer on this team needs to have the meet of their life at NCAAs if they want any shot at catching up to Texas and Cal. In other words, this meet has to be perfect for ASU in order for them to truly be #1—no matter how good Leon Marchand is, it is depth that wins titles. -YL

This team is fast, really fast. They may not have quite as much depth as some other teams in the NCAA, but they have truly incredible top-end speed. Leon Marchand is a machine, and we can almost pencil him in for three NCAA titles next month. ASU has also shown that they might actually be the team with the best overall relays this year as well. -SP

I’ve (finally) moved ASU up and the mid-season additions have really shown that they can make a difference filling some gaps. -AP

#2: TEXAS LONGHORNS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 2)

Of course, Texas will win the Big 12 Championships. The real questions are: will this be the first time in quite a while that Texas doesn’t qualify enough swimmers for NCAAs to force roster cuts, and, will everyone they do bring be able to score? -RG

As funny as it sounds, because the Longhorns are still a force to be reckoned with, this Texas roster is a little bit thinner than in years past. In particular, I’m finding myself asking whether they have enough sprinters to win it all. -SP

Texas is getting better and better as the season goes on, but as I’ve said before, their relays will make them vulnerable no matter what. -YL

#1: CAL GOLDEN BEARS – (PREVIOUS RANK: 1)

After a bumpy first meet back, Hugo Gonzalez is starting to look more like the superstar we’ve come to know. The Golden Bears got another boost from Belgium’s Lucas Henveaux. Henveaux is a terrific mid-distance freestyler. Notably, he’s a 1:48.3 LCM 200 freestyler, which could provide a huge boost to Cal. -SP

Hugo Gonzalez had a solid 200 back recently so his return is becoming even more important. -AP

WRITER BALLOTS

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