By Terin Frodyma 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 #2: Stanford Cardinal
Key Losses: Torri Huske (60 NCAA Points), Lucy Bell (57 NCAA Points), Gigi Johnson (22 NCAA Points), Emilie Moore (10 NCAA Diving Points), Natalie Mannion (3 NCAA Points), Kayla Wilson (3 NCAA Events)
Key Additions: #13 Clare Watson (WA – fly), #15 Alyce Lehman (NJ – fly), #16 Taylor Klein (NC – fly), BOTR KC Braeger (KY – IM), Skye Carter (England – free), Tanni Stevanato (Italy – sprint free), Sylvia Roy (Transfer from Virginia – back)
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 Stanford women finished 2nd at the Women’s NCAA Championships last season, behind a TON of scoring from seniors Torri Huske and Lucy Bell, who combined for 117 points alone. In fact, four of last season’s top six scorers were seniors.
Stanford trailed only fellow ACC foe Virginia, but finished ahead of prominent national powerhouses like Texas, Cal, and Tennessee.
Huske closed out her stellar collegiate career with a trio of wins, touching first in the 100 fly, 50 free, and 100 free. Bell added wins in the 200 breast and 200 IM.
The Cardinal women also saw an individual national title on the platform, as then-freshman Ellie Cole secured her first national title with 399.8 points.
Also helping boost the score were Caroline Bricker (27 points), Gigi Johnson (22 points), and Emile Moore (10 diving points). Two of those three (Johnson and Moore) graduated shortly after the NCAA Championships.
Stanford has been consistently near the top of the national rankings for several years, and much of that recent success can be chalked up to the accomplishments of Huske and Bell. In 2026-27, much of that scoring power is now gone, and with plenty of teams around them only getting stronger, Stanford is hoping they can do enough to maintain their national title-contender status.
Sprint Freestyle: ★★½
We mentioned that Huske is now gone, which may be the biggest single hit to any sprint freestyle group in the country, having won a pair of NCAA sprint free titles last season. That is not to say that the roster can’t step up and still produce at a high level this season; it will just have to be someone different than we are used to seeing.
Annam Olasewere was the next-fastest 50 freestyler on the roster in 21.46, one of just three Cardinal women to swim under 22 seconds last season; the other two are gone in Huske and Gigi Johnson. The next-quickest returners in the event are Jaime Brennan and Emily Thompson in 22.56 and 22.70, a sizeable drop-off from the talent the group had last season.
Olasewere is also the fastest returning 100 freestyler, turning in a 47.15 as the leadoff leg of the 400 free relay at NCAAs, nearly two seconds slower than what Huske went to win the individual event. Caroline Bricker is a big returner, though this wasn’t necessarily her best event; she was the next-best returner a season ago, with 48.83.
Bricker was just off of Huske’s team, leading 1:42.26 last season with her 1:42.53 800 free NCAA relay leadoff, making for a big keep this season. Annam Olasewere was ranked 4th on the roster in 1:43.23. Outside of those two, it’s a substantial drop-off to find the next-fastest performer on the roster, who is back this season. Olasewere finished 12th in both the 50 and 100 free at NCAAs last season, and touched 20th in the 200 free; she is the best chance of scoring this season, though the odds are not too much in the Cardinal’s favor to have someone else pick up the points that are undoubtedly going to be left behind.
Stanford brings in both Skye Carter from England and Tanni Stevanato from Italy, whose best meters times convert to 21.9/47.9 and 22.3/48.1, respectively, making both potential options for relay spots, but likely on the outside looking in for individual event points.
Distance Freestyle: ★
Natalie Mannion was the team’s fastest performer in the 500 free, though she finished outside of scoring range in 19th with her 4:39.77. She was the only swimmer on the roster to dip under 4:40, but has since graduated from the program.
The next three fastest performers return to the team: Bricker (4:40.88), Emily Thompson (4:41.97), and Bailey O’Regan (4:42.74). Bricker is almost a shoo-in to race this event at NCAAs, even though her time was just outside the scoring range at NCAAs (4:39.19).
The 1650 was paper-thin last season, with O’Regan leading the squad at 16:12.31, followed by Sophie Duncan, who is no longer on the roster.
It took a 16:08.76 to score at NCAAs, which is possible for O’Regan, but on paper, this is not an event group that Stanford would consider and ace up their sleeve.
Backstroke: ★½
In a happy turn of events, Alana Berlin and Levenia Sim both return to the program, bringing their team-leading 51.40 and 51.46 100 backstroke times with them.
Both times were set at the Cal Last Chance meet; both would have been just outside scoring range at NCAAs (51.36).
The 200 back is not as fortunate, as Natalie Mannion, who finished 14th in the event last season at NCAAs, is gone, and so is the only sub-1:53 performer on the roster last season in 1:51.81. The next-best option returning for Stanford is Sim with her 1:53.63.
Berlin and Sim could both make the jump into scoring range this season, but the 200 back still leaves a lot to be desired, considering the closest swimmer to what it took to break into that scoring range would need to shave more than a second and a half off her time from last season to score a single point.
Breaststroke: ★★★½
No more Lucy Bell means a new name, or multiple, stepping up to fill some pretty big shoes. Bell won the 200 breast national title last season, and led the Stanford team in the 100 breast in 57.60. Both of which are now in the past.
In the 100 breast, the Cardinal will go Lucy for Lucy, with Lucy Thomas taking over as a top swimmer for the program and returning as the top returner to the team in 58.49, a time that earned her an 11th-place finish at NCAAs last season. Addie Robillard also returns, posting a 58.84 at ACCs, a time that would have placed her 15th at NCAAs.
The return of those two is very promising, but losing Bell in the 200 breast is a hard pill to swallow.
Nobody else on the roster last season was quicker than 2:07.23. The next-best option is Caroline Bricker, who finished 18th at NCAAs in 2:09.09, though she was faster at ACCs, touching in 2:07.23, which would have translated to an 8th-place finish at NCAAs.
Robillard was also in that 2:07 range, clocking 2:07.36 at ACCs, which also would have been an ‘A’ final-worthy time. She ultimately finished 14th at NCAAs in 2:07.94 as a freshman.
This is one of Stanford’s stronger strokes, even without Bell. And the crop of talent within their program should be able to bring in some solid scoring on the national level.
Butterfly: ★★★½
Huske is out, Johnson is out, and that leaves Ella Jablonski as the best 100 fly back on the roster for 2026-2027, after clocking a 51.06 at the Cal Last Chance Meet, though that time still leaves much to be desired after graduating the 35 points Huske and Johnson had last season.
Levenia Sim (52.80) and Alana Berlin (52.91) are the next-quickest returners, though the odds that they can get down to the 51.33 it took to score at NCAAs may be a bit of a long shot.
The 200 fly is a significantly stronger event for Stanford, bringing back two top-ten finishers from NCAAs in Bricker (1:52.10) and Charlotte Hook (1:53.29). Having both back this season stops the bleeding, especially if both can make the ‘A’ final and jump a few rankings to contend.
Butterfly was a clear area of recruiting that Stanford put a focal point on; adding Clare Watson (51.7/1:54,2), Alyce Lehman (1:53.84 200 fly), and Taylor Klein (52.3/1:54.7), all three of which are serious threats to make NCAAs, and put multiple swimmers into scoring positions across the board for the Cardinal.
The 200 fly could be arguably the strongest event for Stanford this season. Still, the gap between the 200 fly and 100 fly from a scoring standpoint is noticeable, and they will need one of the newcomers to make an early splash and get into scoring position if they want to replicate last season’s scoring output.
IM: ★★★½
Bricker will be back in action as the team’s top returner in the 200 and 400 IMs, posting 1:55.31 and 3:59.70. She raced one at NCAAs, finishing 6th in the 400 IM in 4:02.23, though she would have moved up a spot to 5th had she gone that season’s best at NCAAs.
Her 200 IM would have scored 11th for six points. Emily Thompson returns, having finished 14th in this event last season in 1:55.91; meanwhile, the team also gets Charlotte Hook back, the 3rd-fastest returner in the event, in 1:56.33.
The 400 IM was a very strong event for the Cardinal women last season; along with Bricker, Stanford had Emily Thompson finish 11th in 4:04.74, though she was even quicker at the Texas Hall of Fame Invite in 4:04.39. Hook also raced this event last season at NCAAs, finishing 17th in 4:06.10.
Newcomer KC Braeger brings 1:50.0/4:13/0 speed to the team, which may not translate right away to NCAA points, but could become a key piece of this IM contingent.
The IM group at Stanford has been solid for several years, and with big returners like Bricker and Thompson, it’s poised to bring in another solid load of points this season.
Diving: ★★★
Stanford had a national champion diver on the roster last season in Ellie Cole, who, as a freshman, won the platform event with a score of 399.8 points. They also had Emile Moore, who was a two-time scorer on both 3-meter and platform, though she was a senior. Outside of those two, there is not much firepower on the boards.
Cole is a platform superstar, the best in the country, though the scoring across the board is not in a great place.
Relays: ★★½
Note that the grading system doesn’t align perfectly for relays, which are 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 is in a tough spot in relays this season… losing several key relay pieces and potentially a lot of points as a result.
The Cardinal women finished runner up in the 200 free relay with Olaswere, Huske, Johnson, and Thomas, the leadoff leg and anchors return, with two massive gaps still to fill. The 400 free relay was also a runner-up team with Olasewere, Huske, Johnson, and Bell; the last three are all gone this season.
In the 800 free relay, Stanford’s team of Bricker, Huske, Bell, and Wilson finished 6th; once again, the final three legs will need replacing.
Moving on to the medleys, Huske, Thomas, Johnson, and Olasewere finished 2nd, with now very prominent holes in both the back and fly legs.
The 400 medley was Stanford’s lowest-placing relay, and it loses out on Johnson and Bell.
We already established that the sprint free group is not a strong suit. So they will likely toy around with some potential lineups this season to find some systems that work; fortunately, they have two of their legs back this season. In-season competition will decide who fills those legs. Still, with this many new members in national contending relays, it’s not certain they’ll get back to the national championship-threatening power they once had.
Total Stars: 21/40
2026-27 Outlook
This is a tough position to be in, going from a sure-fire national powerhouse to now having to scratch and claw your way back inside the top five. Though if there was ever a team to do it, it would probably be Stanford.
Huske and Bell are near irreplaceable, though the returns of Caroline Bricker, Ellie Cole, and Annam Olasewere stop the bleeding just a touch.
The relays will undoubtedly struggle, and the points may not reflect a team that was fighting for a national title last season. But a solid recruiting class and some great experience still on the roster is hard to overlook. They will be battle-tested within the ACC and in the CSL, as well as against several solid in-season opponents.
Putting Stanford in the same conversation as Virginia, Texas, Cal, and Tennessee seems a bit far-fetched, but that doesn’t mean they can’t pull some magic out of a hat.
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 ★★½ ★ ★½ ★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★½ 21/40 3 Texas Longhorns ★★★★½ ★★★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ 33.5/40 4 California Golden Bears ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★½ ★★★ ★★★ ★★★ ★★ ★★★★ 27.5/40 5 Tennessee Volunteers ★★★★ ★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★½ ★★★½ ★★★★ 31/40 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: #2 Stanford Women Look to Overcome Losses with Another Top 5 NCAA Finish
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