Division 3 Swimming Mid-Season Check In

It's Almost Championship Season Time!

Well hello, it has been a little while for me (training and traveling to New Zealand for Ironman 70.3 World Championships does take some time), but we are so back! It is somehow already 2025 and championship season for swimming is right around the corner, so without further ado, let’s dive in to our Division III mid-season check in.

As a reminder, last year the Division III Swimming and Diving National Champions were the Emory men and the Kenyon women. However, as of the December 24 CSCAA rankings, the NYU men and Emory women rank first in the country. So let’s take a look at the top teams from 2024 and how everyone is stacking up.

Where Are the 2024 NCAA Champions Now?

As mentioned, the Emory men were the 2024 National Champions. Of their roster of 18 men they brought to NCAAs last year, they lost three seniors, who were also their three highest point scorers. Although that is a big loss, they are ranked second right now in Division III so it looks like they have reloaded well.

The Kenyon women had five seniors on their roster of 17. However, neither were the highest point scorers on the team. Reflecting the strength of this team this year, they have been ranked first in the country for most of this season thus far, though Emory did leapfrog them in the most recent rankings in December. The ladies return huge point scorers in Jennah Fadely – who won the 100 breast, took second in the 200 breast, and third in the 200 IM at NCAAs in 2024 – and Bengisu Caymaz – who won the 500 free and the mile, and was fourth in the 200 free. Additionally, Jennah shows no sign of slowing down this year. In a tri meet last week, Fadely broke the D3 NCAA record (which had stood for 5 years) in the 100 breast with a time of 59.62.

Who are the 2025 Contenders?

The tables below show the 2024 NCAA Top Five Teams in each gender side-by-side with current rankings. One note is that rankings are based on voting and dual meet results, which often differ from how teams perform in invitationals like NCAAs so take the direct comparisons with a grain of salt!

As we can see in the tables, both the Emory men and the Kenyon women still remain close to the top as both teams look to defend their titles. Let’s take a look at the other top teams, starting on the men’s side.

NYU, ranked first right now, has moved up from their fourth place finish in 2024. At the 2024 NCAA Championship Meet, the Violet men’s team was propelled to fourth by fifth year and Division 1 transfer Derek Maas who won three individual events and had key roles on four relays. That finish clearly got the ball rolling for the Violets, who are now ranked first without Maas’ points to help them. Keep an eye on these guys as we move into championship season!

Tied for second currently are Emory and Denison. We have already discussed Emory so let’s look at Denison. The Denison men had a rough 2024 showing at NCAAs, finishing sixth. However, of their 15-man roster, only three guys were seniors or fifth years so it looks like they are coming back stronger this year so far. Notably, they beat Kenyon in their annual dual meet. Those two teams will face off again at their conference championship meet in February which will help provide a sneak peek into how both teams are looking as we roll into championship season.

Next we have Chicago. The Chicago men finished third at NCAAs in 2024, which was an awesome finish to the year for these men. They had five seniors on their 14-person roster, which is a considerable number and included their two highest point scorers. However, their ranking this year suggests they have returned considerable talent as they look to get on the podium again!

Rounding out the top five is the Tufts men’s team. They finished ninth at NCAAs in 2024 so if they can hold their current ranking, it will be a huge jump up for the Jumbos. Their 2024 roster only had 12 men and only two were seniors or fifth years, so it seems like they are ready for a strong finish to this year.

Although the Kenyon men are currently ranked just out of the top five in sixth (in a tie with MIT), they get a little mention just because of their history (and maybe my slight bias…). The Kenyon men finished second at NCAAs this past year, just behind Emory. Their NCAA roster was heavily senior-loaded as they lost six out of their 11 men including two of their three highest point-scorers. However, they picked up a key transfer in junior Kirill Sidorko. A Division II NCAA Finalist, he has already swam the third-fastest time in the country so far this year in the 400 IM so he will look to bolster the Kenyon men’s program.

Time for the Girlies

Now let’s turn to the women! I went over the Kenyon women, so let’s take a look at Emory. Although the Emory women did not place in the top five at NCAAs in 2024, this was a rare miss for them and they are ranked first in the country again now. On their 19-person NCAA roster in 2024, they had five seniors including their two highest individual point scorers. However, as Emory so often does, they have clearly reloaded. They most recently took first place at the Denison Invitational, beating out Denison, the University of Indianapolis, Eastern Michigan, and WashU. They are always a force to be reckoned with, and this year looks no different.

Ranked third right now is MIT. The MIT women are poised to fight for that title this year. Their 17-person roster only had three seniors or fifth years, and their highest point scorers were a freshman and a junior so they are returning a lot of points. Additionally, they picked up a huge transfer this year in fifth-year Alex Turvey. Alex scored 51 points for Pomona Pitzer at NCAAs in 2024, including second place finishes in the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free, and led her relay teams to national titles in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays. This addition plus the strength of their roster from last year bodes well for the Engineers.

Next we have NYU. They were third at NCAAs in 2024, which was a huge performance for them. They lost two seniors from their 16-woman roster, but none of their highest point scorers. All eyes will be on junior Kaley McIntyre who won three individual events at NCAAs in 2024 and already holds the top times in those same three events (50, 100, and 200 free) so far this year. If she can perform like that again this year, the NYU women could make a real run for the national title.

Last up is Denison. The 2024 NCAA runner-ups return 16 of their 18 women from their NCAA roster, though they lost their highest point scorer. The Kenyon women beat them in their annual dual meet, but like the men, the conference meet next month will provide a better insight into how these two teams will stack up at NCAAs. Returning that many women bodes well for the Big Red.

Almost Championship Season Time

Clearly there are a lot of teams in contention this year, which is so exciting. Conference championship meets will begin just next month and I cannot wait to dive in!! Championship season is truly my favorite time of year so I am very excited to follow along and keep you all updated on everything D3 swimming!