By Madeline Folsom 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 2026 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine.
Women’s #6: Michigan Wolverines
Key Losses: Letitia Sim (27 NCAA points, 2 NCAA relays), Brady Kendall (12 NCAA points, 4 NCAA relays), Kiarra Milligan (11 NCAA points)
Key Additions: BOTR Mckinley Scobie (CA – sprint free), BOTR Gioia Balzano (FL – free/fly), Haley McDonald (Texas transfer – back/IM), Julia Strojnowska (Auburn transfer – distance free), Kamryn Meskill (UNC transfer – back), Mia Henninger (Mizzou transfer – diving), Nina Schwab (Carleton College transfer – diver)
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. Still, 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.
The final note is that we are not including athletes who graduated last spring after exhausting their college eligibility despite ongoing lawsuits against the NCAA regarding the new “Five-for-Five” rule.
2025-26 Lookback
The Michigan women had a very strong season in 2026, earning their highest NCAA finish since 2021 at 6th overall and their first Big Ten title since 2018, finishing about 200 points ahead of Indiana.
The team received a huge boost from transfer Bella Sims, who came into the program as a junior after spending two seasons at the University of Florida. Sims scored 50.5 points at the 2026 NCAA Championships, winning the NCAA title in the 400 IM, finishing 2nd in the 100 back, and 5th in the 200 back.
Their next highest point scorer was junior Hannah Bellard, who scored 32 points after she took 3rd in the 200 fly, 7th in the 500 free, and 13th in the 400 IM. Senior Letitia Sim (27 points – breaststroke), junior Stephanie Balduccini (15 points – freestyle), senior Brady Kendall (12 points – freestyle), and senior Kiarra Milligan (11 points – diving) all brought in double digit individual points as well.
Their final individual point scorer at NCAAs was junior Lexi Greenhawt, who scored 4.5 points after she tied for 12th in the 100 back.
Michigan also did very well on their relays, scoring points in all five. They finished 4th in the 200 free relay, 6th in the 400 free relay, 4th in the 800 free relay, 6th in the 200 medley relay, and 3rd in the 400 medley relay.
Sprint Freestyle: ★★★
The Wolverines scored 12 points in the 50 free, 6 points in the 100 free, and 9 points in the 200 free at the 2026 NCAA Championships. For the 2027 meet, they will only be losing their 50 free points after 7th place finisher, Brady Kendall, graduated in the spring.
Stephanie Balduccini will be back for her senior year after she finished 11th in the 100 free (47.24) and 9th in the 200 free (1:42.44) last season. Balduccini had an off meet at the 2026 Championships, and has the potential to pick up more points in 2027. Her best time in the 200 free of 1:40.89, which she swam to finish 3rd at the 2025 NCAA Championships, would have been 4th in 2026, and her best 100 free time of 46.98, from November of 2025, would have tied for 9th in the prelims. If she can match those times this year, she could be a potential ‘A’ finalist in both events.
Lexi Greenhawt and Leila Fack also added time at the NCAA Championships, but are potential sprint freestyle scorers in their own rights. Greenhawt has bests of 21.53 and 47.40 which would have been 11th and 14th at NCAAs respectively and Fack has bests of 21.96 and 47.78 which would have been just outside scoring.
Michigan also has a 200 free wild card in senior Bella Sims. The 2024 NCAA Champion has moved away from freestyle collegiately, but swam a 1:40.93 leading off the Michigan 800 freestyle relay in 2026 and could move back to the event if Michigan needs.
Incoming freshmen Mckinley Scobie and Gioia Balzano are also potential NCAA qualifiers. Scobie is coming in two tenths off the invite time with her 48.79 100 freestyle and Balzano’s 200 free of 1:46.11 is about six tenths off the invite of 1:45.53.
Distance Freestyle: ★★ ½
Michigan is hard to nail down in the distance freestyle events because they have a very strong 500 freestyler in Hannah Bellard, but nobody who is projected to score points in the 1650 free.
Bellard is the reigning Big Ten Champion in the 500 free, after she swam a personal best 4:34.60. She ended up finishing 7th in the event at NCAAs for a total of 12 points, though her best would have been 5th overall.
There was two-second gap between 4th and 5th place at NCAAs last season, and with all four of the top 500 freestylers returning in 2027, it will take a significant improvement for Bellard to move up beyond 5th in the event.
After Bellard, Bella Sims was the only other swimmer under 4:40 in the event last season, coming in at 4:39.76. That would have been outside scoring position last season. Sims could end up back in the event this year, however, after the NCAA schedule changed again and put the 100 back and 400 IM on the same day again. She is the 2024 NCAA Champion, and one of just five women in history who have been under 4:30 in the event, but it seems more likely that if she doesn’t want to double up events, she will go for the 200 IM instead.
Michigan’s fastest miler last season was sophomore Rebecca Diaconescu. She had a down year last season, swimming a season best 16:09.03 at the Tennessee Invite, which would have been 18th at NCAAs, but she ended up finishing 25th with her 16:16.61. Her lifetime best is 15:56.12, from November of 2024. This would have been 10th at the 2026 NCAAs, but Diaconescu has not been back to that time since. If she can match that speed this season, she could work her way in the top 16.
They also picked up distance freestyler Julia Strojnowska as a transfer from Auburn. She is another distance freestyler, and while she did not qualify for the NCAA Championships in 2026, she finished 39th in the event in 2025.
Backstroke: ★★★★
Bella Sims is the backbone of a strong backstroke program at Michigan. Last season, she finished 2nd in the 100 back (49.62) and 5th in the 200 back (1:49.38). Her biggest challenge in 2027 will be the change of the NCAA schedule.
In 2026, the 100 backstroke and 400 IM, Sims’ two highest individual event finishes, were on different days. In 2027, the events will both be on the final day of the meet. There will be some time between the events with the 400 IM swimming 2nd and the 100 back swimming fifth, but there will be no ‘B’ final or diving breaks between and it could be a tight turnaround.
If Sims races both backstroke events, her best times of 48.97 and 1:47.11 will make her a lock for the ‘A’ final in both.
Lexi Greenhawt was Michigan’s other individual point scorer in the backstroke events, after she took 12th with her 51.22 at NCAAs. Her lifetime best stands at 50.81 from the 2026 Big Ten Championships, which would have been 9th overall.
Sophomore Milla Drakopoulos has best times of 51.93 and 1:52.92, which are currently outside of scoring position, and she will be looking to drop in both for her 2nd SCY season.
The backstroke group also gained Texas transfer Haley McDonald. She has a best 200 backstroke of 1:52.74, which is also outside of scoring position, but a new training group could see her drop time in the event for the first time since 2024.
Breaststroke: ★
Michigan lost their top breaststroker, Letitia Sim, after last season, and they don’t seem to have anybody lined up to replace her. Sim swam breaststroke on both medley relays and scored 27 NCAA points after she finished 10th in the 100 breast, 5th in the 200 breast, and 11th in the 200 IM.
Their next fastest breaststroker, Devon Kitchel, also graduated. This makes sophomore Cecilia Howard the fastest returning 100 breaststroker at 1:00.06 and sophomore Sarah Pasquella the fastest returning 200 breaststroker at 2:09.95.
In 2026, it took 58.98 in the 100 and 2:08.35 to score points in the 200.
Butterfly: ★★★ ½
Hannah Bellard’s 200 fly swim at the Michigan vs Indiana dual meet was one of the top performances of the 2025-26 NCAA season. She stopped the clock in 1:50.72, becoming the 9th fastest performer all-time in the event after she came into the season at 1:51.89 from the 2025 NCAA Championships. At the 2026 Big Ten Championships, she dropped even lower, swimming 1:50.34 to win the event. At NCAAs, she stopped the clock in 1:51.17 to finish 3rd behind Campbell Stoll and Alex Shackell, but her best time would have been 2nd.
All three athletes will be back for the season, and the NCAA win could go to any of the three swimmers.
In the 100 fly, Michigan is not quite as strong. Brady Kendall was the top 100 butterfly last season after she swam 50.53 at the Big Ten Championships, but she graduated in the spring. Lexi Greenhawt will be the fastest returning 100 butterflyer with the 51.00 she swam at the Big Ten Championships. This time would have been 12th at NCAAs, which is a good sign for the Wolverines to potentially have another butterfly point scorer.
IM: ★★★★
Again, Bella Sims leads the Michigan women’s IM group that is much stronger in the 400 IM than they are in the 200 IM.
Sims did not swim the 200 IM at the 2026 NCAA Championships, but her season best time of 1:52.81 from the Big Ten Championships would have been 3rd at NCAAs. If she chooses to swim it this season in place of the 100 backstroke, she will be a solid ‘A’ finalist and potential title threat in the event.
Sims is the only projected finalist in the 200 IM, but they could have three swimmers in the 400 IM final. Sims is the reigning NCAA Champion in the event with the 3:48.08 she swam coming in about seven tenths ahead of now graduated Lucy Bell from Stanford. If she races the event in 2027, she will be the favorite to win again.
She will be joined in the event by 2026 13th place finisher Hannah Bellard, who swam 4:05.36 at NCAAs. Her lifetime best is 4:03.32 from the Big Ten Championships, and matching that performance at NCAAs would make her a potential ‘A’ finalist.
Transfer Haley McDonald is another potential scorer in the 400 IM. She set a lifetime best 4:07.55 at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite, which would have been 19th at NCAAs. It took 4:06.02 to score in 2026, meaning McDonald will need to find about a second-and-a-half to drop if she wants to become the 3rd Michigan scorer.
Diving: ★★
It is hard to project how Michigan’s divers will perform at the NCAA Championships, but it feels safe to predict they will score at least a few points.
The Wolverines graduated their only scoring diver Kiarra Milligan after she scored 11 points in 2026 with an 11th place finish in the 1-meter and 12th place in the 3-meter.
The diving program picked up a few transfers, though with Mizzou’s Mia Henninger, who finished 18th on the platform in 2026, and Carleton College transfer Nina Schwab. Schwab was the DIII NCAA Champion on the 1-meter event in 2026 and the runner-up on the 3-meter.
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 event Relay 2026 NCAA Result (Time) Lineup Losing Potential Adds Season-Best Time 200 FR 4th (1:25.92) Lexi Greenhawt, Brady Kendall, Stephanie Balduccini, Leila Fack Brady Kendall Kamryn Meskill, Mckinley Scobie, Gilaine Ma 1:25.44 400 FR 6th (3:08.03) Stephanie Balduccini, Brady Kendall, Lexi Greenhawt, Bella Sims Brady Kendall Kamryn Meskill, Mckinley Scobie, Gilaine Ma, Gioia Balzano 3:07.90 800 FR 4th (6:48.04) Bella Sims, Hannah Bellard, Stephanie Balduccini, Christey Liang Christey Liang Gioia Balzano, Rebecca Diaconescu, Mckinley Scobie 6:48.02 200 MR 6th (1:33.18) Bella Sims, Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall, Lexi Greenhawt Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall Sarah Pasquella, Cecilia Howard, Kamryn Meskill, Mckinley Scobie 1:33.18 400 MR 3rd (3:24.44) Bella Sims, Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall, Stephanie Balduccini Letitia Sim, Brady Kendall Lexi Greenhawt, Cecilia Howard, Sarah Pasquella 3:24.08Michigan’s relays were a huge part of their 6th place finish in 2026, and they will need to achieve a similar performance if they want to repeat or improve in 2027.
Their biggest hurdle will be replacing Letitia Sim on the breaststroke legs of the medley relays. They did not have any swimmers under 1:00 in the event last season, and they do not have anyone coming in that appears to be able to take over that role.
Brady Kendall is also difficult to replace after she swam on four of Michigan’s five relays. Michigan picked up a few sprint freestyle recruits, but it will be hard to replicate Kendall’s 20.7 on the 200 freestyle relay and 22.32 on the fly leg of the 200 medley relay.
UNC transfer Kamryn Meskill swam on multiple relays for North Carolina at the 2026 NCAA Championships, and slight drops in her events would make her a serious threat on the Michigan relays this season.
Total Stars: 23.5/40
2026-27 Outlook
The Michigan women’s team returns a lot of their star power from the 2026 season, but as a team that got so many points from their relays, losing Letitia Sim and Brady Kendall with nobody geared to replace them will be a blow to their point total.
The Michigan team has done a great job developing swimmers over the last few years, and if they can hone some of their talent, they can move up the rankings.
Bella Sims will be the team’s top point scorer in 2027, and as long as she is near her best times, she will ‘A’ final in all three of her events, no matter what she chooses to race.
Hannah Bellard had a breakout season last year, and will be looking to expand on that this year, potentially upping her relay contributions as well depending on where Michigan needs her this season.
The incoming freshmen and transfers could also be very strong for the program. Michigan is in a weird spot where they could move up the rankings or they could just as easily move down even if the athletes improve due to the strength of the teams around them.
Women’s 2026-27 College Preview Index
RANK (2026) TEAM SPRINT FREE DISTANCE FREE BACK BREAST FLY IM DIVING RELAY TOTAL 1 Virginia Cavaliers 2 Stanford Cardinal 3 Texas Longhorns 4 California Golden Bears 5 Tennessee Volunteers 6 Michigan Wolverines ★★★ ★★½ ★★★★ ★ ★★★½ ★★★★ ★★ ★★★½ 23.5/40 7 Indiana Hoosiers ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ½ ★★ ★★★ ★★★★ 26.5/40 8 Louisville Cardinals ★★★½ ★★★★ ★ ★★★★ ★ ★★★ ★ ★★★ 20.5/40 9 NC State Wolfpack ★★½ ★ ★★★★★ ★★★★½ ★★★½ ★★ ★ ★★★★ 23.5/40 10 Florida Gators ★ ★★½ ★★★ ★★½ ★ ★★ ★★★ ★½ 16.5/40 11 Alabama Crimson Tide ★★★ ★ ★★½ ★ ★★ ★ ★ ★★★ ½ 15/40 12 Ohio State Buckeyes ★★ ★★★ ½ ★ ★★★ ★ ½ ★ ★★ ½ ★★ 16.5/40Read the full story on SwimSwam: 2026-27 College Swimming Previews: #6 Michigan Women Leaning on Sims and Bellard
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