By Charlotte Wells on SwimSwam
It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2025 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine.
#2 STANFORD CARDINAL
Key Losses: Aurora Roghair (40 NCAA points), Lillie Nordmann (20 NCAA points), Amy Tang (1 NCAA relay)
Key Additions: #14 Alana Berlin (WI – back/fly/IM), Ellie Cole (AUS – diving), Charlotte Hook (redshirt junior – fly/IM), #13 Addie Robillard (OH – breast/IM), #19 Annam Olasewere (CT – sprint free), BOTR Ella Detter (CA – free/fly), HM Ella Jablonski (WA – free/fly/back), Molly Gray (diving)
GRADING CRITERIA
Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-Covid. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.
Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.
5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event 1 star (★) – an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do itWe’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.
Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication, but we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.
2024-25 Lookback
With the return of Olympic champion Torri Huske and the addition of several new top performers, Stanford bounced back to top form to take the runner-up spot at both the 2025 ACC Championships and the Women’s NCAA Championship.
The 2024-2025 season marked the Cardinal’s first year as part of the ACC, and it certainly held up well against its new powerhouse competitors like UVA, Cal Berkley and NC State.
After redshirting the previous season to focus on the Paris Olympics, Huske was back in action for 2024-2025 and was a significant contributor to Stanford over the course of the season. She won three events at ACCs and one at NCAAs, becoming the team’s highest-scoring competitor at both meets.
Caroline Bricker continued to shine and was the only member of Stanford’s team to bring home two golds from NCAAs, winning the 400 IM and contributing to a victory in the 800 free relay, while Aurora Roghair won the 1650 free at the ACCs before taking 2nd at NCAAs. Lucy Bell was another top performer last season, picking up an NCAA win in the 200 breast.
Lillie Nordmann, Anna Lemkin and Kayla Wilson were all double-digit NCAA scorers last season, with Lemkin being the Cardinal’s only scoring diver at the meet.
Overall, Stanford managed to rack up a considerable number of medals and points across the disciplines to snag the #2 spot at the championships, a step-up from their 5th-place finish at NCAAs in 2024.
Sprint Free: ★★★★
Stanford has historically featured a powerful sprint freestyle group, and the Cardinal looks like it has put together another strong team to continue that success this season.
With Torri Huske still on the roster, Stanford boasts strong scoring prospects in all three events. Huske was the runner-up in the 100 free at the 2025 NCAA Championship, but with champion Gretchen Walsh out of the picture after graduating last spring, Huske could have a clearer shot at bringing home the gold in this event.
Huske opted out of the 50 free at NCAAs last season, but she would have placed 2nd behind Walsh once again. Similarly, while the 200 free is not normally a huge focus for Huske, her best time of 1:41.90 from January would have placed 5th at NCAAs.
Picking up some extra points in the 100 free could be Gigi Johnson. Johnson turned in a season-best time of 47.99 at the ACC Championships in February, taking 10th overall, but added time a few weeks later to finish 29th at NCAAs. While her time from ACCs would have landed her just outside the top 16 at 19th, Johnson’s lifetime best 47.75 would have been good enough for 14th. If she can turn a race similar to that this season, then she could play a significant part in helping to boost Stanford’s performance in the sprint free events.
In the absence of Aurora Roghair, Kayla Wilson is poised to lead the charge in the 200 free this season. Wilson took 6th at NCAAs in 1:43.29 after setting a season-best time of 1:43.09 during prelims. She was Stanford’s highest placing competitor in the 200 free at the championship last season, as Roghair added time and landed in the ‘B’ final. Wilson also raced the 100 free at NCAAs last season but fell down the rankings after adding time; with a lifetime best of 48.21, she could make a play for the finals this season.
Addison Sauickie also has the potential to make a move in the 200 free. While she did not race at NCAAs last season, Sauickie clocked a lifetime best 1:44.82 back in November, which would have placed 25th at the NCAA Championship. Meanwhile, Natalie Mannion boasts a lifetime best of 1:43.67 in the 200 free, which would have placed 12th at NCAAs; however, her season-best last year was only a 1:45.20.
A key addition to the Cardinal this season is Annam Olasewere, whose top times in the 50 and 100 free would have ranked her among Stanford’s top four in both events. Olasewere would not have been far outside of the top 16 at NCAAs; with best times of 21.99 in the 50 free and 48.36 in the 100 free, she would have finished 23rd and 30th, respectively.
Another name worth noting in the sprint free conversation is Caroline Bricker. While she tends to focus more on the butterfly and IM events at the end-of-season championship meets, Bricker clocked the fastest time on the team in the 200 free last season after throwing down a time of 1:41.73 as the lead-off on Stanford’s 800 free relay at NCAAs. Even if she chooses not to prioritize the event individually, Bricker will be a key player for the relays again this season.
Distance Free: ★★
Losing Roghair is sure to provide a blow to Stanford’s distance freestyle group. Without her consistent podium finishes in the 500 free and 1650 free, the Cardinal look poised to score only a handful of NCAA points in the 500 this season.
Mannion was 15th in the 500 free at NCAAs last season after setting a new personal best time of 4:38.32 during prelims, and right now she looks to be the only Stanford swimmer with a time that would score at the championship.
Not far behind Mannion is Kayla Wilson, whose best time of 4:38.82 would have been just outside the scoring cutoff at 17th. Wilson did race this event last season, but she added time during prelims and finished 27th.
Caroline Bricker is the only other team member with a time under 4:40, having swam a 4:39.74 against FSU last season, which could put her in the running to make the ‘B’ final at NCAAs. Charlotte Hook, who redshirted last season, also has the potential to add some depth in the 500. She holds a best time of 4:41.83 in the 500, so she would likely need to drop a little time to land in the top 16.
Roghair was Stanford’s only competitor in the 1650 at NCAAs, leaving the team in a bit of a distance deficit. The next fastest is Bailey O’Regan, who posted a best time of 16:20.24 at the ACCs in February. While that time placed 10th at the conference championship, it would have ranked 37th at NCAAs.
None of the incoming freshmen specialize in distance free, meaning the current roster will need to put in some work to help fill the gaps left behind by Roghair.
Backstroke: ★
Stanford suffered in the backstroke events last season, and it is currently shaping up to be much the same this season.
The Cardinal did not score any points in either backstroke event at NCAAs; Mannion was 24th in the 200 back with a season-best time of 1:53.15, and Annika Parkhe ended up not swimming the 100 back.
Mannion boasts best times of 52.32/1:52.42 in the backstroke events, which would have been her right on the cusp of breaking into the ‘B’ final in the 200. Even with the new additions to the team, Mannion looks to remain Stanford’s top contender in the 200 back this season.
The 100 back presents some interesting possibilities. To earn a second swim at NCAAs in the event last season, it took a time of 51.20 or better.
Newcomer Alana Berlin, who trained with Schroeder YMCA, joins Stanford with a lifetime best of 51.33, putting her just outside the scoring cutoff. She would have tied for 19th last season, so if Berlin can drop just one or two tenths this season, then she has a good shot at landing in the ‘B’ final.
Levenia Sim showed big potential when she first joined the Cardinal last season, but did not manage to get back to her top time in the 100 back. Sim’s season-best was 52.30, but she boasts a lifetime best of 51.03 from 2021. If Sim can get back to that top form this season, she could sneak her way into the ‘B’ final.
Breaststroke: ★★★★
Breaststroke is shaping up to be one of Stanford’s top disciplines this season. All of the team’s top breaststrokers are returning this year, and the addition of Addie Robillard will bring some extra depth.
The Cardinal racked up a number of points at NCAAs last season thanks to Lucy Bell and Lucy Thomas.
Thomas finished 11th in the 100 breast at NCAAs, throwing down a best time of 58.48. Meanwhile, Bell did not race the 100, but her best time (58.30) from a dual meet back in February would have landed her in the ‘A’ final, giving her at least 11 points.
Bell was a key contributor on the distance side of breaststroke, winning the 200 breast at NCAAs last season. Thomas would have been close to the ‘B’ final with her best time of 2:08.96, but she added a couple of seconds and finished 45th at NCAAs.
Robillard will bring added depth to the team in the breaststroke events and is already poised to score some points at NCAAs. With lifetime best times of 59.33/2:07.75, she would have placed 12th in the 200 at NCAAs last season and would have been .4 outside of the top 16 in the 100.
Another name to consider for the 200 breast is Caroline Bricker. While she did not race breaststroke at NCAAs last season, Bricker was on fire during the regular season and clocked a best time of 2:06.25 against Cal in February. That time would have placed 7th overall at NCAAs.
With Bell, Thomas, Robillard and Bricker all on the roster for this season, Stanford is looking to be in top shape for breaststroke and could see multiple swimmers crack the top 16 or even the top eight in both events.
Butterfly: ★★★★½
The butterfly events look like they are going to be the Cardinal’s strongest discipline this year, with a number of swimmers projected to score high at NCAAs.
Last season’s championship saw Huske claim silver in the 100 fly behind Gretchen Walsh; with Walsh gone this season, Huske could place even higher and bring home a gold medal for Stanford in this event. Losing Lillie Nordmann will likely bring the Cardinal’s total points down slightly, since she was 12th last year, but Johnson, who placed 14th, should be able to score at least a few points for Stanford again this season.
Newcomer Berlin could also see an opportunity to make a splash in her debut season, as she boasts a best time of 51.46 in the 100 fly, which would have been just outside the finals cutoff at 18th. Fellow freshman Ella Jablonski comes in with a top time of 52.05 in the 100 fly, which would have tied for 28th at NCAAs and put her solidly in the ‘B’ final at ACCs.
Bricker was a force to be reckoned with at the 2025 NCAAs, placing 3rd in the 200 fly in another lifetime best performance of 1:51.55 and becoming Stanford’s highest-scoring swimmer in the event. She should be a strong contender for the top spot once again this season. Not far behind should be Hook, who currently holds a best time of 1:52.48, which would have been fast enough for 8th-place at NCAAs. With a top time of 51.89 in the 100 fly, Hook could also make a play for the ‘B’ final in the shorter event as well; her time would have ranked 26th at the championship last season.
IM: ★★★★★
Stanford has a stacked roster for the IM events and is incredibly deep in both distances, meaning the team should be able to bring home a heap of points at NCAAs in this discipline.
The Cardinal saw four of their swimmers place in the top 16 in the 200 IM alone at NCAAs last season, with three of them landing in the ‘A’ final. Huske brought home the gold in a lifetime time of 1:49.67, the only competitor under 1:50, while Bricker and Bell took 5th (1:52.01) and 6th (1:52.47) respectively, both setting personal best times. Meanwhile, Emily Thompson picked up some extra points by placing 13th in a best time of 1:54.89.
Bricker, Bell and Thompson were all key scorers in the 400 IM as well, with Bricker claiming the championship title by over a second and a half in 3:57.36. Bell claimed bronze in the event, posting a best time of 4:00.24, and Thompson took 14th in a best time of 4:06.01.
With all four women back in action this season, Stanford should be in top shape to dominate the IM events once again. Boosting the team’s depth even further will be Hook. With best times of 1:54.79/4:06.43 in the 200/400 IM, Hook should be fast enough to land in the ‘B’ final in both events at NCAAs.
Diving: ★★★
Diving has historically been one of Stanford’s weaker disciplines, but the team should still be able to score a few events across the board.
Anna Lemkin was a huge contributor for the Cardinal last season, picking up a 5th-place finish in the 10-meter diving event at NCAAs to close out her freshman season in style. Prior to coming to Stanford, Lemkin was a Junior Worlds gold medalist in the 3-meter dive, so there is a chance that she could look to score some extra points by improving her 3-meter performances.
Two new divers join the ranks this season: Ellie Cole and Molly Gray.
Cole was an Australian Olympic finalist, finishing 7th on the women’s 10-meter at the 2024 Paris Games. She has won numerous Australian titles and international accolades over the years, including at the Australian Elite Junior Championships, Australian Open Championships, American Cup and World Cup. Cole should be a significant contributor for Stanford in the diving events this season, especially on the platform.
Meanwhile, Gray trained with the Stanford Diving Club for three years and was the 2022 World Juniors silver medalist on the 1-meter. She is also a five-time Junior National silver medalist and two-time Junior National bronze medalist; Gray excels on the 1-meter, becoming the 2024 California state champion, but is also adept at the 3-meter, having made it to the finals at the 2023 Diving National Championships.
Relays: ★★★★½
Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays as double points.
Relay grading system:
5 star (★★★★★) – 31+ points per relay event 4 star (★★★★) – 22-30 relay points per event 3 star (★★★) – 12-21 relay points per event 2 star (★★) – 5-11 relay points per event 1 star (★) – 0-4 relay points per eventStanford was incredibly strong in the relay events last season, placing in the top five at NCAAs in all but one (the 400 medley) and bringing home a gold, silver and bronze medal across three relays. Having only lost three NCAA relay swimmers, the team should be able to put together strong relay squads again this season.
The Cardinal’s 200 medley relay team took the runner-up spot behind UVA last season, thanks to the team of Annika Parkhe, Thomas, Johnson and Huske. All four swimmers are set to return this year, putting the team in good shape to turn in another podium finish.
The loss of Nordmann will deliver a blow to Stanford’s relays, as she raced on the 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays at NCAAs. While Nordmann was the only senior on two of those relays, it will be tough to fill her shoes, given that she was one of Stanford’s top competitors. Nordmann split 47.29 as the second leg on the 400 free relay and anchored the 400 medley in 47.23. It looks like Parkhe and Olasewere are the most likely candidates to replace her on both relays, although their times in the 100 free are over a second slower. Parkhe boasts a lifetime best time of 48.47 from 2023 and has been as fast as 48.37 while anchoring the 400 free relay at the 2024 Texas Hall of Fame Invitational, while Olasewere’s best time of 48.36 could give her a slight edge.
Stanford won the 800 free relay by over four seconds at NCAAs last year, but that race is likely to take the biggest hit this season, as both Nordmann and Roghair are now gone. The other two members of the squad were Bricker and Wilson, who will both be back, but the team will be hard-pressed to fill the two empty spots with times that match Nordmann and Roghair’s.
The obvious choice would be Huske, but given that she was on the other four relays last year, she may not have room in her lineup for the 800 free relay. That leaves Mannion and Addison Sauickie as the next two fastest swimmers in the 200 free. If Mannion can turn in a performance around her best time of 1:43.67, she could help significantly lessen the blow of losing Nordmann and Roghair. As it is, Mannion and Sauickie’s top times last season were both in the 1:45 range, which would put them each almost two seconds behind Roghair’s and Nordmann’s flat start times and four seconds behind their relay splits.
Stanford will also need to fill the anchor spot on its 200 free relay, with Amy Tang having graduated. Tang was one of the Cardinal’s fastest 50 freestylers, with a best time of 21.75 in the individual event. She split 21.86 on the relay at NCAAs, closing the race strong behind Huske, Thomas and Johnson. Without Tang, that last spot on the relay could be between Jamie Brennan and Parkhe. Brennan had the faster time last season, turning in a 22.58 to narrowly beat Parkhe’s 22.62 at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational, but Parkhe holds the faster lifetime best with a time of 22.46 from November 2023. Whichever way it goes, they will want to post a sub-22 split to help make sure Stanford does not fall down the NCAA rankings in the event.
Total Stars: 28/40
2025-26 Outlook
Stanford built up an undeniably strong team over the last few seasons and will carry much of that momentum over into this season after turning in a stunning performance during last year, as they joined the ACC for the first time.
The team is looking incredibly deep across many of the disciplines, especially IM, breaststroke and butterfly, which will be a huge asset to them when it comes to making up lost ground in the wake of the 2025 graduates.
The Cardinal could suffer a bit in the national rankings this year due to the loss of scoring powerhouses Roghair and Nordmann, but the majority of Stanford’s top NCAA competitors are back on the roster for another season. Huske and Bricker each scored 50+ points at the 2025 championship, while Bell was just shy of 50 at 49 points.
Stanford also welcomes a fairly strong class of freshmen this season, with Robillard and Berlin already showing some potential to pick up a few points at NCAAs. While none of the newcomers are quite NCAA ‘A’ final material just yet, they will still add to the team’s depth across the board and could develop into stronger competitors over the next few years.
Hook’s return to competition will also help bolster Stanford’s strength in the fly and IM events, giving the team even more opportunities to score at NCAAs.
All in all, while the team could drop one or two spots down the ranking, Stanford does not look like it will be too badly affected by their losses and still sits in a favorable position to take 2nd again this year.
WOMEN’S 2025-26 COLLEGE PREVIEW INDEX
RANK (2024) TEAM SPRINT FREE DISTANCE FREE BACK BREAST FLY IM DIVING RELAY TOTAL 1 Virginia Cavaliers 2 Stanford Cardinal ★★★★ ★★ ★ ★★★★ ★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★½ 28/40 3 Texas Longhorns ★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★ ★★½ ★★½ ★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★★ 27/40 4 Indiana Hoosiers ★★★½ ★ ★★★★ ★★ ★★★★½ ★★½ ★★★ ★★★★★ 25.5/40 5 Tennessee Volunteers ★★★½ ★★★ ★★ ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★ ★★★ 23.5/40 6 Florida Gators ★ ★★★ ★★ ★★★ ★★ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★ 20.5/40 7 Louisville Cardinals ★★★★ ★★ ★★½ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★ ★★★★ 22.5/40 8 Cal Golden Bears ★★★½ ★★★★ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★½ ★ ★★★★ 25.5/40 9 Michigan Wolverines ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★½ ★ ★★★★★ 26.5/40 10 NC State Wolfpack ★★★ ★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★ ★★★★ 23/40 11 USC Trojans ★★★★ ★★★ ★ ★½ ★ ★★★½ ★★ ★★★ 19/40 12 Wisconsin Badgers ★★ ★ ★★½ ★★ ★ ★ ★ ★★ 12.5/40Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026 College Swimming Previews: Strong Fly & IM Groups Carry Momentum for #2 Stanford Women
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