2025 College Swimming Previews: Rinse & Repeat For #8 USC Women After Relays Rolled At NCAAs

By James Sutherland 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 2024 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

#8 USC TROJANS

Key Losses: Nike Agunbiade (20 NCAA points)

Key Additions: Ella Ristic (Indiana transfer – free), Kate Miller (Canada – diving), Gabby Filzen (PA – diving), Lily Dormans (CA – free), Cornelia Fox (NY – back/IM)

Returning Fifth Years: Caroline Famous (9 NCAA points, 3 NCAA relays), Anicka Delgado (4 NCAA relays)

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 it

We’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, but 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.

2023-2024 LOOKBACK

It was a breakthrough season for the USC women in 2023-24, as the Trojans recorded their highest NCAA finish since 2016, placing 8th with 200 points.

It’s been a slow rise back into the upper echelon of college swimming for USC, as the Trojans came out of the pandemic by placing 22nd at the 2021 NCAA Championships, a far cry from the 10th-place finish they recorded in 2019 when superstar Louise Hansson was still on the team.

USC was 16th in 2022, 12th in 2023, and then pulled off an 8th place finish last season thanks to standout relays and double-digit points from three athletes, veterans Kaitlyn Dobler and Nike Agunbiade, and first-year Minna Abraham.

Dobler, who returns to use her fifth year of eligibility this season, led the way with 29 points, placing 3rd in the 100 breast in a personal best time of 56.67, and securing a spot in the ‘A’ final of the 200 breast after winning a swim-off (placing 6th).

Agunbiade, the team’s only significant loss this season, was 3rd in the 1-meter diving event and 13th on platform for 20 points, while Abraham finished 3rd in the 200 free in her freshman year.

The driving force behind USC’s climb up the standings was what they did on relays.

The Trojans finished in the top seven in four of the five, and added an 11th-place finish in the 800 free relay.

They scored 120 points across the relays, 70 more than the season prior. If they had the same performances individually but had their 2023 relay results, USC would’ve finished 12th instead of 8th.

USC NCAA Relay Results, 2023 vs. 2024

The additions of Abraham and Russian Vasilissa Buinaia, along with improvements from Caroline Famous and Anicka Delgado, were the key forces in USC’s relays last season.

There was still plenty to be desired at NCAAs, however, as some of the team’s top swimmers weren’t able to match their season-best times, a lot of which were established at the midseason Texas Invitational.

At the Pac-12 Championships, USC placed 2nd to Cal after finishing in the same position the season prior behind Stanford. Managing to top the Cardinal at Pac-12s and hold their taper through NCAAs made last season a successful one for the Trojans.

Now, they descend on the Big Ten.

SPRINT FREESTYLE: ★★★½

After sweeping the 50, 100 and 200 free at Pac-12s, the Trojans scored 22 points across the three events at NCAAs last season. There’s certainly potential for more.

Minna Abraham established herself as an NCAA title contender early in the season in the 200 free, and after dropping a sizzling 1:41.38 swim at the Texas Invite, she placed 3rd at NCAAs in 1:41.96. The two swimmers who finished ahead of her, Bella Sims and Anna Peplowski, were both sub-1:41, so adding a bit at NCAAs didn’t cost Abraham the title.

Abraham was a semi-finalist in the 200 free at the Olympics after winning silver at the European Championships in a best time of 1:57.22. Given her performances on the major international stage, it stands to reason she’ll be quicker than she was last year for USC.

At Pac-12s, Abraham swept the 100 free (47.69) and 200 free (1:42.42) titles, and her 100 free time would’ve been good enough to sneak into the NCAA ‘B’ final, but she ended up back in 39th (48.46).

Like Abraham, Vasilissa Buinaia was on fire early in the season at the Texas Invitational, including breaking 48 four times in the 100 free, with her quickest clocking coming in at 47.40. She ended up placing 21st at NCAAs in 47.92, while her best time would’ve been good for 10th in the prelims and seven one-hundredths shy of the ‘A’ final.

Abraham in the 200 free is a lock, and Abraham and Buinaia both have what it takes to score in the 100.

In the 50 free, Caroline Famous returns after making the consolation final last season and placing 11th, having been as fast as 21.71 during the season. Anicka Delgado (21.95) and Buinaia (21.95) also broke 22 seconds in 2023-24, just off the NCAA scoring cut-off of 21.93. Kaitlyn Dobler (22.27) pulled out of the race at NCAAs but is a strong fourth leg for the 200 free relay.

In addition to Abraham, Buinaia (1:44.18) and Claire Tuggle (1:44.54) are within a reasonable range of what it took to score last year in the 200 free (1:43.78), though neither raced it individually at NCAAs. Tuggle split 1:43.05 on the 800 free relay, so perhaps she’ll change her mind this year and swim the 200 free instead of the 400 IM.

Delgado (48.20), Tuggle (48.27) and Hannah Kuechler (48.75) provide additional depth in the 100 free, and the 200 free has Macky Hodges (1:45.06), Kuechler (1:45.13) and Justina Kozan (1:46.14).

Joining the team this season is Indiana graduate transfer Ella Ristic, who was 49.42 last season in the 100 free and 1:45.87 in the 200 free. She split 48.79/1:44.84 on Indiana’s relays at NCAAs last year.

The Trojans have incoming recruits Cornelia Fox (23.0/50.3/1:48.8), Julia Huffmaster (23.1/49.8/1:48.8), and Caelle Armijo (23.5/50.0/1:50.2) with potential in the sprints, though they don’t figure to be scoring threats this year.

Lily Dormans is another first-year who has a strong 200 free best time of 1:47.3.

DISTANCE FREESTYLE: ★★½

Claire Tuggle broke through last season in the 500 free, cracking 4:40 for the first time early on (4:39.16) and then dropping a big PB of 4:37.77 in the NCAA prelims to earn a second swim at nationals after she was left off the NCAA roster during her freshman year at Virginia.

Tuggle went on to place 11th in the final in 4:37.86, and those six points were all USC got in the distance free events.

Justina Kozan has yet to get her taper right for the NCAA Championships throfugh the first two seasons of her career. Last year, she went 4:38.47 in the 500 free at the Texas Invite in November, a time that would earn a second swim at NCAAs. But she added big in 4:47.16 and finished 60th. Macky Hodges also added a big chunk of time in the 500 at NCAAs, clocking 4:48.10 after going 4:43.76 earlier in the season.

If Kozan can time her taper right as a junior, she could be a scorer, but it’s hard to bet on that after she’s been off two years in a row.

Ella Ristic was 4:42.93 last year for Indiana, and while that’s not in scoring range, it adds depth and helps USC at Big Tens. The team also has Minna Abraham (4:41.74) and Marlene Kahler (4:44.77) returning for additional depth in the event. Freshman Lily Dormans has been 4:48.7 and will have a strong distance group to train and grow with.

The 1650, on the other hand, is weak for USC. Kahler was the team’s top swimmer last season at 16:22.73, which placed her 4th at Pac-12s but didn’t qualify for NCAAs.

BACKSTROKE: ★★½

Last season marked a massive breakthrough for Caroline Famous. In her senior year, after never having qualified for the NCAA Championships, she not only qualified but scored in two individual events, including the 100 back.

Famous fired off a personal best time of 50.78 during USC’s early February dual with Cal, and then was the runner-up at Pac-12s in 50.90. At NCAAs, she narrowly missed cracking the ‘A’ final, placing 9th in the prelims in 51.01, and went on to finish 14th (51.44).

Given her rapid rise last year, and that she’s been under the 50.99 ‘A’ final cut-off multiple times, Famous is a good candidate to crack the top eight at NCAAs in her final season.

The only other backstroke swims USC had at NCAAs last year was Macky Hodges and Justina Kozan in the 200 back, who placed 45 and 49th, respectively, both adding significantly from their season-bests.

Hodges was as fast as 1:53.75 last year, just over a second outside of scoring range (1:52.62 was 16th). Kozan was #2 on the team in both backstrokes (53.11/1:55.26) but isn’t projected to put any points on the board. Famous (1:56.04), Alice Waldow (1:56.15) and Lindsay Barnes (1:56.17) provide additional 200 back depth.

The Trojans have incoming freshman Cornelia Fox as an intriguing prospect, with her best times sitting at 53.57/1:56.94.

BREASTSTROKE: ★★★½

USC hasn’t had to worry about where its points will come from in breaststroke for years, with Kaitlyn Dobler