The NCAA Championship Mid-Major Automatic Qualifying Update has sparked a wave of excitement and controversy, especially in the women's division. With the new qualifying system, mid-major swimmers have a clearer path to the NCAA Championships, but it's not without its complexities and potential pitfalls.
The New NCAA Qualifying System:
In 2025, the CSCAA introduced a groundbreaking change to the NCAA Championship qualifying process, which was later approved by the NCAA. This system allows swimmers who achieve a specific time standard while winning an NCAA Division I conference title to automatically qualify for the prestigious NCAA Championships.
A Tale of Two Perspectives:
This proposal has been met with mixed reactions. Mid-major coaches are thrilled, as it provides a more transparent path to NCAA qualification. However, coaches from traditional power conferences are less enthusiastic, knowing that some of their lower-ranked qualifiers might be replaced by slower swimmers from mid-major conferences.
The Standard Set:
The qualifying standard is based on the 72nd-best time from the previous year's NCAA Championship meet, ensuring a competitive benchmark.
Women's Meet in Focus:
Let's dive into the women's meet, where the competition is fierce. The individual events have set standards for each stroke and distance, with the top 38 swimmers in each event typically qualifying.
The Complexities of Qualification:
Predicting the outcome of the new qualifying system is challenging. We've analyzed the current mid-major swimmers who are within reach of NCAA qualification and categorized them as follows:
- X-Swimmers: Already ranked in the top 30 of their events, likely to qualify regardless of conference title.
- Y-Swimmers: Not in the top 30 but under the conference-champion standard, needing to repeat their season's best and win the conference final.
- Z-Swimmers: Within 1% of the time standard, requiring a time drop and conference win to qualify.
The Numbers Game:
- There are 25 X-swimmers who would likely qualify under the old system.
- 59 Y-swimmers could qualify if they repeat their season's best and win their conference title.
- 99 Z-swimmers need a time drop and conference victory to qualify.
But don't jump to conclusions just yet! These numbers come with caveats:
- Some swimmers are duplicates, and NCAA qualification is swimmer-based, not swim-based.
- Not all Y-swimmers will hit the standard at their conference meets.
- Many swimmers come from the same conference, like the Ivy League and Mountain West, which could impact qualification numbers.
Conference Representation:
The Ivy League and Mountain West conferences dominate the numbers, with 58 and 48 swimmers, respectively. With only 18 individual swimming events on the NCAA calendar, many swimmers won't qualify as automatic qualifiers.
Swimmer Highlights:
In the 50 free, the Mountain West's Darcy Revitt and Scarlett Ferris are likely to qualify on their own merit. Meanwhile, the Mid-American Conference boasts an impressive women's 50 free field with four swimmers within 1% of the qualifying time.
The 'Lose to Win' Scenario:
In some cases, swimmers might need to employ a 'lose to win' strategy. For instance, Payton Kelly from Ball State has already swum faster than the qualifying time, but it won't count for NCAA qualification unless she repeats it in the conference final. The only way this strategy works is if the best swimmer in the conference is already qualified and intentionally underperforms to let the next-best swimmer qualify.
Teammate Shenanigans:
Keep an eye out for potential teammate collaborations, especially in the women's 100 breaststroke. Fresno State's Mackenzie Lung is clearly qualified, but teammates Aliz Kalmar and Jenna Pulkkinen might need drops to qualify. A similar situation exists in the 200 breast, where Kalmar has already been under the qualifying time and just needs to win.
Historical Perspective:
Last year, only 14 additional mid-major women would have qualified under the new system, while 26 actually qualified by being fast enough.
Battles to Watch:
- Ivy League 200 Free: Isabella Dieffenthaller, Savannah Skow, Crystal Yuen, and Morgan Lukinac are all close to the qualifying time. With multiple swimmers in contention, it's likely that at least one will hit the mark.
- Ivy League 500 Free: Caroline Daher, Alexandra Bastone, Natalie Garre, and Anna Moehn have all been under the qualifying standard. With none of them ranked high enough to qualify the traditional way, an automatic qualifier is expected.
- Ivy League 1650 Free: Penn teammates Sydney Bergstrom and Anna Moehn are top-ranked nationally but need to be champions to earn an invite. The Ivy League already has five swimmers under the qualifying standard, with more close to it.
- Mountain West 200 Back: San Diego State's Abby Storm and Colorado State's Tess Whineray are both well under the standard. The winner of this race is likely to go to the NCAA Championships.
- Ivy League 200 Fly: Princeton's Eleanor Sun, Harvard's Kiley Wilhelm, and Princeton's Heidi Smithwick have all been under the qualifying standard. This event could see a time drop that renders the automatic qualifier moot, but the winner will probably qualify.
- Ivy League 400 IM: Chloe Kim and Eleanor Sun will battle for a spot, with the winner likely earning a place at the NCAA Championships. Both need a time drop to qualify based on national ranking, but they are well within the auto-invite standard.
The Data Dive:
Note: This data was manually compiled, so please report any errors. The full data can be viewed in Google Sheets for easier reading.
The table below provides a detailed breakdown of swimmers, their times, and their qualification status for various events.
| Time | Name | Team | TS | Date | Event | Conference | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Darcy Revitt | Washington St. | QS | 11/19/25 | 50 free | Mountain West | X |
| 25 | Scarlett Ferris | Nevada | QS | 11/19/25 | 50 free | Mountain West | X |
| 56 | Payton Kelly | Ball State | QS | 11/20/25 | 50 free | Mid-American Conference | Y |
| 61 | Ada Szwabinska | Akron | NS | 1/23/26 | 50 free | Mid-American Conference | Z |
| 69 | Zita Szoke | Ohio | NS | 11/21/25 | 50 free | Mid-American Conference | Z |
| 71 | Callie Parkes | Akron | NS | 12/5/25 | 50 free | Mid-American Conference | Z |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
About Braden Keith:
Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of SwimSwam.com. He brings his experience from The Swimmers' Circle to build a new leader in the swimming community. His expertise and insights are invaluable in navigating the complexities of the sport.
Controversy Corner:
Do you think the new NCAA qualifying system is a fair and effective way to determine championship participants? Will it benefit the sport as a whole, or does it create more confusion and controversy? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
