Swimulator Projections: Top Ranked D1 NCAA Swimmers – Women’s Edition

By Nicole Miller on SwimSwam

Now that the 2021-2022 NCAA swimming season is underway across all three divisions, it’s time to take a look at who the top National title contenders are thus far utilizing the Swimulator. 

Swimulator power points are calculated by comparing a swimmer’s time in an event against historical times in that same event, division, and gender. The percentile rank of the time is then multiplied by 1000 to give the power score. 500 points is average and 1000 points should be around the fastest time ever in that event.

Currently, the top-ranked female swimmer according to the Swimulator is Virginia’s Gretchen Walsh. The freshman had a standout performance at the team’s meet against Cal, posting the fastest time in the country in the 100 freestyle (48.02). Walsh also holds the 2nd fastest times in the country this season in both the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Given her versatility, Walsh could be in line to challenge for 3 individual National titles this season. 

Coming off of an Olympic gold medal last summer in Tokyo, Michigan’s Maggie MacNeil has been riding her momentum as the Swimulator’s 2nd-ranked swimmer. MacNeil currently holds the NCAA’s fastest times in the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke, and holds the 3rd fastest time in the 100 freestyle. On a more surprising note, her best event-the 100 butterfly- is not even included in her top swims thus far. MacNeil is the fastest performer in history in the 100 butterfly, holding the US Open record with her mark of 48.89. 

Another Michigan swimmer, freshman Letitia Sim, is also ranked within the top 5. Covering the remaining two disciplines, Sim is currently ranked as one of the fastest breaststrokers in the country, holding the top time in the 200 and the 3rd fastest time in the 100. Sim is also ranked 3rd in the country in the 200 IM, giving her another strong event. 

Southern California also holds two swimmers ranked within the top 5 via Calypso Sheridan and Kaitlyn Dobler, who soared to the top of the national rankings during the Trojan Invite. Dobler currently holds the fastest 100 breaststroke time in the country with her NCAA A cut of 57.95. At the same meet, she posted times of 22.45 in the 50 freestyle and 2:11.63 in the 200 breaststroke, both of which rank 8th in the country currently. Sheridan currently leads the NCAA by almost 2 seconds in the 200 IM with her time of 1:55.76. In addition, she ranks inside the top 3 in the country in both the 100 backstroke and 400 IM, giving her a strong slate of events to swim at the national level. 

Top Ranked Women’s Swimmers – Division 1

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