By Sean Griffin on SwimSwam
As in previous years, SwimSwam’s Power Rankings account for a team looks at the moment, while keeping the end of the season in mind through things like a team’s previous trajectory and NCAA scoring potential. 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.
James Sutherland, Braden Keith, Madeline Folsom, Robert Gibbs, Sophie Kaufman, Anya Pelshaw, and Terin Frodyma contributed to this report.
It’s been a long, exciting summer but the excitement never stops in the swimming world, because fall means it’s time for the NCAA season. Just like the women’s September power rankings, the main intrigue isn’t about who the frontrunner is to win the title, but rather how the rest of the top ten will shape up and in what order. Just how open is the race for the 2026 NCAA title, you might ask? SwimSwam’s writers currently project it to be a clear-cut Texas win.
Other lingering questions are how fast the California Golden Bears will rebuild and how well the Virginia Cavaliers can course-correct with their high-powered recruiting class now on campus.
25. SMU +10 (2025 NCAA Rank: 35)
Sophomore diver Luke Sitz returns having scored 12 points at last year’s NCAA Championships, where he finished 7th in the 1-meter final. If he’s able to make another leap forward this season, he alone could vault the Mustangs into the top 25. SMU also brings in freshmen Grant Cates, who placed 3rd in both platform synchro events at the 2025 National Championships, and RJ Snyder, who earned ACC Diver of the Week honors two weeks ago. – S.G.
24. Georgia Tech +1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 25)
The return of Max Fowler on the boards (18 NCAA points in 2025) is a big win for the Yellow Jackets. Unfortunately, all four members of GT’s 200 medley relay are now gone, the only event outside of the boards that scored any points at last season’s NCAAs. The team will have to begin the rebuild from the ground up, while leaning on a multitude of different faces such as distance specialist Lukas Vetkoetter, and Ricky Balduccini in the sprint free events. – T.F.
23. Wisconsin -1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 22)
The Badgers return their only individual NCAA scorer from a season ago in Dominik Mark Torok. The 5th place performer in the 400 IM (3:37.50) will be the driving force that all other scoring will go through in Madison. The Badgers will have a path back to the top 25, but it will not be without some competition both within the Big 10 and beoyond. – T.F.
22. Yale -2 (2025 NCAA Rank: 20)
After taking third at the 2025 Men’s Ivy League Championships, Yale earned the most points of any mid-major program at the NCAA Championships, scoring 30 points to take 20th. Then-junior Noah Millard scored the bulk of those points in his return to the NCAA after an Olympic redshirt season, finishing in the top 16 twice. His best swim came on the final day of the meet as he dropped 5.04 seconds from the 1650 freestyle lifetime best he swam at midseason with a blazing 14:28.43 for fourth. If he can replicate the form he showed last year, which also included a 4:07.68 500 free that ranks him 10th all-time, Yale should be back in the top 25. – S.G.
21. Virginia Tech -11 (2025 NCAA Rank: 10)
Virginia Tech is in a difficult spot after graduating a lot of their major players after last season. They have some strong swimmers coming in, but this season will be an uphill climb for the team. – M.F.
20. Kentucky — (2025 NCAA Rank: 20)
Carson Hick has been an X-factor for this Wildcats team in his first two seasons with the program. Already a two time NCAA qualifier, with two quality NCAA performances last season, where he finished 6th in the 1650 (14:30.35) and 11th in the 500 (4:11.62). Kentucky also returns Levi Sandidge, the only other scorer from last season’s NCAAs for Kentucky, having also finished top 8 in the 1650, clocking 14:31.08 for 8th. – T.F.
19. North Carolina +4 (2025 NCAA Rank: 23)
Ben Delmar had a huge summer that included winning gold in the 200 breaststroke at the World University Games, and with bests of 51.44 and 1:50.51 in the short course breasts, he’ll be an A-final threat in both events. – M.F.
18. Florida State — (2025 NCAA Rank: 18)
Michel Arkhangelskiy will return for Florida State this year after an electric ACC Championships. They also had some strong dual meet performances last year, including defeating Florida, and they are bringing in a strong recruiting class to the team that lost none of their individual NCAA points – M.F.
17. Texas A&M -5 (2025 NCAA Rank: 12)
The Aggies face a rebuilding phase, but keeping a majority of the relay legs from last season is a big positive. The team will lean heavily on Connor Foote, Ben Scholl, and Jaxon Bowshire to carry the load with their NCAA experience while developing a young, sprint freestyle-heavy recruiting class. The loss of All-American Baylor Nelson in the IM and several veteran backstrokers leaves some notable holes, but A&M’s sprint depth and diving strength should keep them competitive at the national level. – S.G.
16. USC -1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 15)
Krzysztof and Michal Chmielewski will once again be key factors for the Trojans. Krzysztof had a phenomenal summer in the long course pool, securing his second silver medal in the 200 fly at Worlds, following up his 2023 performance after falling to fourth at the Paris Olympics. It will be interesting to see if he goes for the 1650 free/200 fly double again or forgoes it like he did last year. – S.G.
15. Purdue +2 (2025 NCAA Rank: 17)
The Boilermakers qualified five divers for the 2025 NCAAs, and while Jordan Rzepka (36 points) graduated, they return sophomore Kaden Springfield (16 points) and junior Maxwell Miller (8 points) and bring in Junior National Champion Nathaniel Grannis. Purdue has six divers on their roster this year, so look for them to match or even outscore their 2025 total. – S.G.
14. Louisville — (2025 NCAA Rank: 14)
Jacob Eccleston oozed with potential in his freshman season, touching 7th at NCAAs in the 200 breast, he will likely see an expanded role within the team with the departure of Denis Petrashov, who made up 32 of the Cardinal’s 46 points. The ever electic Tommy Breid will also be looking to expand on his 15th place finish in the 400 IM from a season ago for his final go-around in a Louisville cap. – T.F.
13. Ohio State +3 (2025 NCAA Rank: 16)
The Buckeyes will look to make a splash in the final year with Tristan Jankovics. Coming off of the best season yet in Columbus, Jankovics will be one of the favorites to finish high on the podium in the 400 IM come NCAAs. – T.F.
12. LSU +7 (2025 NCAA Rank: 19)
LSU did not graduate any of their NCAA scoring roster last season, and they brought in some strong recruits including Texas transfer Luke Stribrich, who will come in as an SEC scorer – M.F.
11. Stanford -3 (2025 NCAA Rank: 8)
The loss of several of their top swimmers is sure to hit Stanford hard in the relays; Andrei Minakov raced on all five NCAA relays last season, Ron Polonsky raced on three, Aaron Sequeira raced on two, and Avery Voss raced on one. The Stanford men racked up 88 points from the relays alone last season, but they will be hard-pressed to score as high this year with those gaps to fill. – S.G.
10. Michigan +1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 11)
Austria’s Luka Mladenovic and Canada’s Antoine Sauve will be key additions for the Wolverines this season. Mladenovic enjoyed a breakthrough summer, posting new career bests in the LCM 50 breast (26.72), 100 breast (59.97), and 200 breast (2:10.08). His LCM 50 breast stands as the fastest time among anyone competing in the NCAA this season, while his LCM 100 breast ranks fourth among 2025-26 NCAA swimmers. Sauve also had an impressive summer, setting a Canadian Record in the LCM 200 free with a 1:46.39 while also posting a breakthrough 48.42 in the LCM 100 free. – S.G.
9. Virginia +23 (2025 NCAA Rank: 32)
The last few seasons have been rough for the Cavalier men, but they were on a strong trajectory through the 2021-2022 season, and given the recruiting class they’ve brought it, they should make it back to the top ten. How deep into the top ten they go will likely depend on how well they can develop beyond the top five or six guys. – R.G.
8. Tennessee -3 (2025 NCAA Rank: 5)
There’s no replacing Jordan Crooks, and with four other notable losses on the roster as well—Harrison Lierz, Bjoern Kammann, Lamar Taylor, and Kevin Houseman—it will be a bit of a transition year for the Tennessee men this season. Gui Caribe is a national title threat in the 50 and 100 free after what he showed last season, and he’ll also be a scorer in the 100 fly and be relied upon heavily to drive the relays. The only other returning NCAA scorers are Martin Espernberger, who should be back in the 200 fly ‘A’ final and fighting for a top finish, and diver Bennett Greene, who should put up more than the eight points he did last year as a freshman now that he’s got some experience. Freshman breaststroker Gabe Nunziata, the #11-ranked recruit in the boys’ high school class of 2025 and the reigning World Junior bronze medalist in the 200 breaststroke, could make an immediate impact with SCY best times of 52.47 and 1:53.73. – S.G.
7. Georgia — (2025 NCAA Rank: 7)
I’m bullish on the Bulldogs, as they return the 4th-most individual points from last year’s NCAA and bring in a solid recruiting class led by Sean Green and transfer Cale Martter. – R.G.
6. NC State +3 (2025 NCAA Rank: 9)
The Wolfpack gets a big boost with the return of Aiden Hayes and Arsenio Bustos, and the relays should be solid as always. To have a chance of moving up in the rankings, they still need a couple more guys to develop to the point where they can make multiple A-finals at NCAAs. – R.G.
5. California -3 (2025 NCAA Rank: 2)
Cal faces a challenge this year with most of their swimmers graduating after last season. Losing the bulk of their relay swimmers and individual point scorers would be hard for any team, but the pressure to perform is high for the Bears, who have finished in the top two at NCAAs every year since 2010. They will heavily rely on performances from returners like Yamato Okadome and Keaton Jones, and newcomers like Ryan Erisman if they want to stay in the top two for the 16th straight season. – S.G.
4. Arizona State +2 (2025 NCAA Rank: 6)
The Sun Devils’ relays are almost certainly going to be the most dangerous we’ve ever seen them. The 200 and 400 free relays are their best chances at NCAA titles given their depth of 18/41 splits options. Kharun’s going sub-19 on fly and Chaney’s already on the border of the 20-second barrier in the 50 back, and they’re both already within half a second of their 100 fly and 100 back PBs. Pair that with Andy Dobrzanski back with reliable 23-low/50-high breast splits and Jonny Kulow who has split 17 and 39 on free, and you’ve got a lineup that can take down medley relays too. – S.G.
ASU has a lot of weapons, particularly in the sprint events, that make them an incredibly strong team this season. They didn’t lose an exceptional number of athletes, and a large transfer class gives them a huge boost – M.F.
3. Florida +1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 4)
Despite the loss of Julian Smith, Oskar Lindholm, and Olympian Jake Mitchell, the University of Florida men are primed for another top-five finish at NCAAs and may even be able to improve upon their 4th-place finish in 2025, thanks to the addition of World Champion Ahmed Jaouadi as he assumes the mantle of the Gators’ distance star. The Gators will lean on key returners Josh Liendo and Jonny Marshall to anchor the squad alongside Jaouadi. – S.G.
2. Indiana +1 (2025 NCAA Rank: 3)
It’s incredible to look at the changes to Indiana’s roster from last year. So many senior scorers gone, plus Matt King, but the recruiting class is strong, and bolstered by Olympian transfers Luke Whitlock and Aaron Shackell. Josh Hedberg could be the platform diving champion as a freshman. -J.S.
1. Texas — (2025 NCAA Rank: 1)
The Longhorns return most of last year’s roster, and while losing Guiliano and Luke Hobson hurts, the influx of talent—plus more extreme losses from other teams—should be more than enough for Texas to begin a new winning streak. There is a high chance that Hubert Kos and Rex Maurer will combine for five individual wins again, and between Nate Germonprez and Campbell McKean, it feels like the Longhorns should add at least one breaststroke title. – S.G.
Rank Anya Robert Madeline Braden James Sean Terin 1 Texas Texas Texas Texas Texas Texas Texas 2 Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana Indiana 3 Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida Florida 4 Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State Arizona State 5 Cal Georgia Cal Cal Cal Cal Cal 6 Georgia Cal NC State NC State NC State NC State Tennessee 7 NC State Tennessee Tennessee Georgia Georgia Georgia NC State 8 Virginia NC State Virginia Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Georgia 9 Tennessee Stanford Georgia Michigan Michigan Virginia Virginia 10 Stanford Virginia Michigan Virginia Virginia Michigan Michigan 11 Michigan LSU Stanford Stanford Stanford Stanford Stanford 12 Ohio State Michigan Ohio State LSU Ohio State LSU LSU 13 LSU Ohio State LSU Ohio State LSU Ohio State Ohio State 14 Texas A&M LSU Louisville Louisville Purdue Louisville Louisville 15 Florida State Lousville Florida State USC USC USC Texas A&M 16 Purdue Texas A&M Purdue Purdue Louisville Louisville USC 17 Louisville USC USC UNC Florida State Florida State Florida State 18 USC Purdue UNC Texas A&M UNC UNC UNC 19 Kentucky UNC Texas A&M Florida State Kentucky Kentucky Kentucky 20 Wisconsin Florida State Wisconsin Yale Texas A&M Texas A&M Wisconsin 21 UNC Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Kentucky Yale Yale Virginia Tech 22 Virginia Tech Kentucky Kentucky Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Yale 23 Yale Yale Yale SMU Georgia Tech Georgia Tech SMU 24 Georgia Tech Wisconsin Georgia Tech Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Georgia Tech 25 Army Princeton Princeton Georgia Tech Army Army ArmyRead the full story on SwimSwam: 2025-26 NCAA Men’s Power Rankings: October Edition
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