NCAA 2026 Pre-Conference Review: Women’s Breakout Swimmers ...Middle East

By Sam Blacker on SwimSwam

With the conclusion of the dual meet season, schools across the country are gearing up for their conference championships and the subsequent NCAA championships at the end of March.

While for many swimmers their main tapered swims are still to come, there have been swimmers who have taken a leap already this year. There are always bolters in the NCAA, athletes who vault from relative obscurity to a key role for their team,or become a title threat after sitting a level or two below the very top.

Some of these names may be prominent in the postseason in a way that may come as a surprise. We have highlighted seven swimmers who may not be on your radar, but should make a splash over the next few weeks.

Note that this list will not include any freshmen – they will have their own list. Here we are highlighting swimmers who were already in college, but have stepped up to reach another level compared to seasons past.

There will be swimmers who have made a leap this year who are not included here – if you have any others, let us know in the comments.

Honorable Mentions

Rachel Bockrath (OSU), Gigi Johnson (STAN), Emily Jones (ALAB), Hannah Bellard (MICH)

Mia West (CAN) – Cal, Sophomore

West has had an absolutely phenomenal second season at Cal so far, with ACCs and NCAAs still to come. She has set best times in every single one of the events she has swum this season, and is currently ranked in the top-16 in seven events: the 100 free (47.51), 200 free (1:41.74), 100 back (50.78), 100 fly (51.12), 200 fly (1:53.32), 200 IM (1:54.77), and 400 IM (4:04.91).

That is elite versatility, but does not highlight just how much time she has dropped. She has taken multiple seconds off in multiple events, transitioning from a ‘B’ and ‘C’  final swimmer at ACCs last year to a nailed on ‘A’ finalist and NCAA threat. Add in that she has four 50 free splits of 21.57 or better this season and three 100 free splits of 47.15 or better, and she may well be Cal’s most important swimmer this year.

The improvements have come thick and fast. Her best times in the 100 free, 200 free, 500 free, and 100 back have all come in January, and she has swum at least two best times at all six of her meets so far this season.

It would be hard to overstate just how much of a breakout West has been – even if she did not set another best time this year, she is almost certainly already the breakout story of the year. The Cal women have had some elite internationals recently – Lea Polonsky, Mary-Ambre Moluh, and Alicia Wilson spring to mind – and West seems set to be the best of the bunch.

Lexi Greenhawt (USA) – Michigan, Junior

A lot of the spotlight in Michigan this year has been centered on transfer Bella Sims, but that seems to have allowed Greenhawt to become one of the top freestyle sprinters in the country. The Junior from Colorado qualified for NCAAs individually last year for the first time, and is a near-lock to do so again this year after going 21.53/47/40 in the sprint freestyles.

Both of those were huge best times. The 50 was a best by 0.75 seconds, and she has been under her previous best time of 22.28 on six occasions this year, including three 21-point swims. The 100 was even more of a shock – having never broken 50 seconds from either a flat or flying start, she dropped a 47.40 at the Tennessee invitational in November.

There have since been two more 47-point swims (47.55, 47.90), and best times in both the 50 back (23.77) and 100 back (51.39). It would not be a surprise to see her become an All-American for the first time in a few weeks.

Maria Ramos Najji (ESP) – Ohio State, Sophomore

An international swimmer taking a season to adjust before a big sophomore-season breakout happens often enough that it should not shock us. Najji is one who has followed that trajectory, dropping big chunks of time on breaststroke at mid-season to make her a threat for a conference title or two later this month.

Her freshman bests stood at 59.97 in the 100 breast and 2:13.95 in the 200 breast but there was a 26.73 50 breast split at Big Tens to indicate something bigger could be on the horizon. She blew past those predictions with swims of 58.00 in the 100 breast and 2:07.24 in the 200 breast at mid-season, which currently place her 8th and 11th respectively in the NCAA this year.

She also split 26.04, and was just off her new bests a couple of weeks ago in 58.39/2:08.43. She looks a good bet to score in the 100 breast this year at a minimum, and gives the Buckeyes a potentially massive conference scorer as they look to defend their surprise title from last year.

Anna Moesch (USA) – Virginia, Sophomore

Moesch was a double NCAA ‘A’ finalist in her freshman season, but has stepped up to become Virginia’s star swimmer after the graduation of the Walsh sisters. She will be the favorite at NCAAs in both the 100 free and 200 free after setting huge new bests in both events already this season.

She has been dropping time almost every time she has swum. Moesch kicked off the season with a PB in the 200 (1:41.42) of nearly a second against Florida, then set new bests in the 100 free (46.53) and 500 free (4:43.68) two weeks later. Her 50 free best, the final member of the quartet to go, lasted only four weeks longer before she sliced off a tenth to go 21.61 at the Tennessee Invite.

Her biggest swims of the season so far came just two days later at the CSCAA Dual against Michigan. Moesch blasted swims of 45.98 in the 100 free and 1:40.25 in the 200 free, the latter of which was the fastest November swim in history. She was 46.05 in the 100 the next day, and dropped her 50 free even further to 21.52. A stunning 20.85 50 free split cemented her status as a triple threat.

Another best in the 50 free (21.44) came in her final dual meet of the season against NC State, and she looks like a 50-point scorer at NCAAs in March. After Gretchen Walsh had a pair of sprint free events on lock in recent years, Moesch could now repeat the trick.

Maggie Wanezek (USA) – Wisconsin, Sophomore

Both Maggie and her older sister Abby have been tearing it up for Wisconsin so far this season, but it is the backstroke specialist who has been most exciting. She showed flashes early on in the season against Wisconsin, beating out her best time in the 50 back (23.50) and 100 back (50.30).

She had been 23.85/51.31 at NCAAs in those events last year and dropped even more time at the Texas Hall of Fame Invitational later in November, where she was scintillating. Wanezek set personal best times in all three backstroke distances, highlighted by a massive 1:48.39 in the 200 which would have placed her 4th at 2025 NCAAs. She then broke 50 seconds in the 100, going 49.95 to sit a full second under her 2024-25 best of 50.96.

She also tried her hand at the 200 free, hacking three seconds off her previous best to go 1:44.2 in both heats and finals. Relay splits of 21.33/47.63 in the sprint freestyles will make her a key piece of the Badgers’ free relays at both Big Tens and NCAAs, after she did not swim on them at either meet last year. Big points at NCAAs and an exciting Big Tens showdown with Bella Sims await.

Gaby van Brunt (USA) – Alabama, Junior

Alabama have been slowly rebuilding under Margo Geer, scoring 25 points at 2024 NCAAs then 65 last year as they placed 15th. Relays have long been their strength, but they are beginning to add individual scorers – Emily Jones, Cadence Vincent, and Avery Wiseman were their trio who did so last year. The stroke they missed scoring on last year was fly – an area in which Van Brunt is excelling this year.

She did not compete last year, but was a relay swimmer at NCAAs back in 2024. She will be one again at a minimum this year, but will likely be an individual qualifier as well. Van Brunt has sliced six tenths off in the 100 fly, going from 51.68 to 51.01, and more than two seconds in the 200 fly to go 1:54.70 at a dual meet with Auburn. The former would have scored at last year’s NCAAs, while the latter makes her a two event threat at both SECs and NCAAs.

She has dropped exactly two seconds in the 100 free as well, lowering her 2022 best of 49.93 to 47.93, a time on the edge of individual NCAA qualification as well. Some rapid fly splits make her even more of a key player for the Crimson Tide – she has been 22.32 in the 50 and 50.19 in the 100, 0.78 seconds and 1.61 seconds faster than they got from their legs at NCAAs last year and well under her previous fastest splits of 23.47 and 51.64. She will be one to watch at SECs later this month.

*Did not compete in 2024-25 

Claire Jansen (USA) – Pitt, Senior

Jansen was a finalist at last season’s NCAA Championships, setting a new best of 51.17 in the 100 back en route to a 16th-place finish to become an individual All-American for the first time ever.

She also set a best in the 200 back of 1:53.28, and would have hoped to build on that progress in her final year in college. She has done so in spades, slicing just over a tenth off her 100 back and nearly three seconds off her 200 back, as well as throwing down some rapid freestyle splits.

Her 200 back time of 1:50.47 ranks her 6th in the NCAA this season, albeit 4th in the ACC, and she will be a podium threat at ACCs with two of the swimmers ahead of her, Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley, versatile enough that they may forgo the event. She will be a key piece on relays there as well, having sliced nearly four tenths off her 50 back PB to go 23.87 last weekend and having split 21.71/47.65 on free at midseason.

Jansen was not Pitt’s only individual scorer at NCAAs last year as the now-graduated Sophie Yendell also scored, but she’ll have a heavier load to carry this year. The fact that she is in that position is testament to the jump she’s made.

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