2025 NCAA Division II Championships: Race For Team Titles Tightens On Day 3 (Ups/Downs)

By Sophie Kaufman on SwimSwam

2025 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championship

• March 11-15, 2025
• IU Natatorium — Indianapolis, IN 
• SCY (25 Yards) 
• Defending Champions: 
  • Women: Nova Southeastern (2x)
  • Men: University of Tampa (1x)
• Women’s Psych Sheets
• Men’s Psych Sheets
• Live Results 
• Live Stream
• Recaps:
  • Finals: Day 1 | Day 2
  • Prelims: Day 2

For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best during prelims. In prelims at the SEC Championships, swimmers qualify for one of three finals: the top eight finishers make the ‘A’ final (Ups), places nine through 16 make the ‘B’ final (Mids), and places 17 through 24 made the ‘C’ final (Downs). In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the ‘B’ final can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they swim the fastest or slowest time of the event in any final.

With that in mind, we track “Ups”, “Mids”, and “Downs” after each prelims session.

Ups/Down — Women

Note: Includes only teams with at least one ‘A’ finalist. See below for projected scoring with the full standings. Teams are listed in order of current team standings. 

Two-time defending champions Nova Southeastern held a slim margin over Drury entering the third day of the NCAA Division II Championships. Based on the projected individual scoring after prelims, that margin is projected to shrink to just one point after day three finals.

Drury outpaced Nova Southeastern this morning, both in terms of ‘A’ finalists and overall finalists. After putting an impressive five women into the ‘A’ final of the 200 IM, the team’s IM group was back out in force for the 400 IM, putting two swimmers into the ‘A’ final and two into the ‘B’ final. That event was the highlight of their morning, but they’ve got at least one swimmer in the ‘A’ and ‘B’ finals of the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle as well.

Nova Southeastern missed putting a finalist into the 100 butterfly ‘A’ final, but got stronger as the session went on, eventually putting two women into the ‘A’ final of the 200 freestyle and one into the ‘B’ final.

Projected Scoring — Women

Ups/Downs — Men

Note: Includes only teams with at least one ‘A’ finalist. See below for projected scoring with the full standings. Teams are listed in order of current team standings

Like the women’s race, the men’s race is projected to narrow after the individual finals tonight. It’s another race between Drury and the defending champions–in this case, the Tampa men. Drury holds an eight point lead after the second day of competition but the Spartans are projected to out score them in today’s individual events and carry a five point lead into day four.

After breaking the 800 freestyle relay NCAA Division II record on the opening night of competition, we expected the Tampa men to be strong in the 200 freestyle. They delivered, putting three into the ‘A’ final and one into the ‘B’ final. Drury also has four finalists in the event but flipped, with one ‘A’ finalist and three ‘B’ finalists.

Roberts-Wesleyan has one finalist and Quincy has two, securing their first points of the competition (barring a disqualification).

It’s also worth noting that 400 IM defending champion Cedric Buessing (Indy) got sick before prelims this morning, so he missed the event finals entirely.

Projected Scoring — Men

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