Ranking the 2026 Ladies’s NCAA Recruiting Classes: #4-1

We have made it to the ultimate 4 faculties in our 2026 recruiting class rankings. We have already regarded on the faculties with courses ranked #5-#16 and it’s simply the most effective of the most effective remaining.

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A couple of necessary notes on our rankings:

• The rankings are primarily based on our Class of 2026 Re-Rank and our Top 10 NCAA Diving Recruits. “HM” refers to our honorable mentions and “BOTR” refers to our Best of the Rest part for top-tier recruits
• Like most of our rankings, these placements are subjective. We base our staff ranks on various elements: prospects’ incoming instances are by far the principle issue, however we additionally think about potential upside within the class, class dimension, relay influence, and staff wants. Greater weight is positioned on identified success in brief course yards, so overseas swimmers are barely devalued primarily based on the issue in changing lengthy course instances to quick course manufacturing.
• Transfers are included, although they’re weighed lower than recruits who arrive with 5 seasons of eligibility. We additionally have in mind what number of years the transfers have remaining. An athlete with one 12 months remaining will probably be weighted decrease than an athlete with 4 years remaining.
• For the total record of all verbally dedicated athletes, click on right here. An enormous thanks to SwimSwam’s personal Anne Lepesant for compiling the index – with out it, rankings like these can be far much less complete.
• Some groups had not launched a finalized 2026-27 staff roster on the time these articles have been printed, that means it’s attainable we missed some names. Let us know within the feedback beneath.

Honorable Mentions

• Ohio State, Colorado State, Alabama, Arizona

Previously Ranked

• #16 Arkansas Razorbacks
• #15 UNC Tar Heels
• #14 Florida Gators
• #13 Wisconsin Badgers
• #12 Harvard Crimson
• #11 Arizona State University Sun Devils
• #10 Duke Blue Devils
• #9 Michigan Wolverines
• #8 Georgia Bulldogs
• #7 Stanford Cardinal
• #6 NC State Wolfpack
• #5 Cal Golden Bears

#4 Texas Longhorns

Texas didn’t signal a ton of swimmers for the recruiting class of 2026, however the ones they did get are distinctive, choosing up three top-10 ranked swimmers.

Their prime recruit is #1.5 Audrey Derivaux. Originally a member of the category of 2027, Derivaux reclassified to the category of 2026 and can be part of the Longhorns within the fall, giving her two years with the staff earlier than the 2028 Olympic Trials. Derivaux is a possible NCAA ‘A’ finalist in 4 of her occasions, the 1650 free, 200 fly, 200 IM, and 400 IM. She struggled barely in lengthy course, however set finest instances in a lot of her occasions final quick course, and will probably be an enormous addition to the Texas roster.

Sydney Schoeck was the #4 ranked recruit and the quickest miler within the class. She is available in with a finest time of 15:51.76 within the mile, which she swam in March and would have completed seventh on the NCAA Championships. Her finest instances within the 500 free (4:37.88), 200 again (1:51.49), and 400 IM (4:04.22) are additionally in NCAA scoring place and her 500 free is inside half-a-second of ‘A’ closing territory.

The #6 ranked recruit within the class, Mena Boardman is a dash freestyler and butterfly, a job the Texas girls have been missing lately. Her 50 free time of twenty-two.05 would have been the second quickest time on the Texas staff final season to Eva Okaro, and her 100 fly time of fifty.93 would have been third on the staff. Her 100 fly is a possible NCAA scoring swim, although she was not in a position to match that point throughout her senior 12 months.

Honorable point out Brynn Lavigueur is a backstroker and freestyler, who’s close to the NCAA cutline within the 100 again (52.16) and the 200 free (1:45.82).

Their closing freshman is Avery Klamforth, who’s becoming a member of this system as a BOTR ranked breaststroker. She is available in at 1:00.4/2:11.2 and can slot in behind junior Piper Enge and senior Angie Coe within the 100 breast rankings.

The Longhorns additionally picked up LSU switch Giulia Zambelli, who was a person NCAA qualifier within the 200 fly after she set a lifetime finest 1:53.76 in November of 2025. She additionally swam on LSU’s 800 freestyle relay and can add depth within the 200 fly behind Campbell Stoll, who will probably be a senior this 12 months. Zambelli has three years of eligibility remaining below the brand new guidelines.

#3 Indiana Hoosiers

Where lots of the prime recruiting courses went for high quality over amount, the Indiana Hoosiers went for each with their class of 2026 recruits, bringing in 12 new athletes, of which eight are ranked recruits and one scored double digit factors on the 2026 NCAA Championships.

Starting with their incoming freshmen, the Hoosiers paid quite a lot of consideration to the locations they have been weak. The class is led by #3 ranked Kayla Han. The California native has the quickest 400 IM and 1000 free instances within the class and can are available as a distance freestyler/IMer for the Hoosiers this fall, a spot they desperately want expertise. Her finest instances within the 500 free (4:36.88) and 400 IM (4:03.28) would have ‘A’ finaled on the 2026 NCAAs, a spot the place Indiana scored no factors and one level respectively. In the 1650 free (15:56.07) and 200 IM (1:55.74) she additionally would have been in scoring vary and Indiana had no person rating in both of these occasions as nicely.

Han will probably be joined within the distance occasions by #14 Elizabeth Eichbrecht, who’s coming in with finest instances of 16:06.54 and 4:41.54, quicker than anybody on the staff final season. Eichbrecht additionally has finest instances of 1:45.05 within the 200 free, 49.06 within the 100 free, and 22.88 within the 50 free, making her a really broad vary freestyler who will doubtless contend for an 800 freestyle relay spot this 12 months.

#18 Paige Downey (4:44.68/16:03.94) and BOTR Anne Dickinson (4:42.8/16:30) may even assist shore up the space program.

HM Eva Rottink has a finest time of 51.99 within the 100 again and 52.88 within the 100 fly, that are each close to the NCAA cutlines.

Their ranked swimmers are rounded out by butterflyer Emma Belk (52.9/1:58.0) and IMer Lylah Theriac (1:59.6). The Hoosiers additionally grabbed #3 ranked diver Lilly Rogers.

Perhaps essentially the most important addition to the Indiana roster is breaststroker Anita Bottazzo. Despite being nicknamed “Breaststroke U”, the Indiana girls didn’t have a single breaststroker below 1:00 final season. That won’t be the case this 12 months as NCAA runner-up and dual-’A’ finalist Bottazzo is becoming a member of this system from Florida. She has finest instances of 56.87/2:06.97 and scored 28.5 factors within the breaststroke occasions on the 2026 NCAA Championships. She will probably be an instantaneous influence maker on the Hoosier roster each individually and on relays.

#2 Tennessee Volunteers

Deciding the order for the highest two groups was not simple, and the ultimate end result may have gone both route. The Tennessee girls’s staff has some massive identify athletes coming in, and their recruiting class is made up virtually totally of freshmen.

Charlotte Crush was the undisputed #1 ranked recruit in all of our earlier recruit rankings till Rylee Erisman and Audrey Derivaux reclassified and she or he slipped to #2. She will be part of the Tennessee girls’s roster because the quickest 100 backstroker (49.46), 200 backstroker (1:48.69), and 100 butterflyer (50.00) within the class. All three of those instances are nicely inside the NCAA ‘A’ closing instances and would have scored within the prime 5. She additionally has a finest 50 freed from 21.88, a finest 100 freed from 47.72, and a finest 200 freed from 1:44.34 and can fill a vital position on Tennessee medley relays which can be already phenomenal.

Just a couple of spots behind Crush within the rankings is #5 Molly Sweeney, the highest breaststroker within the class with lifetime bests of 59.24/2:06.72. Her 200 breaststroke would have scored within the ‘A’ closing at NCAAs, an occasion the place Tennessee didn’t have any athletes. She may even get to coach below McKenzie Siroky, who has seen huge breaststroke enhancements whereas at Tennessee.

Honorable Mention Eliza Wallace is one other prime breaststroker with a finest 100 breast time of 59.36 and a finest 200 breast of two:12.34.

The Volunteers additionally grabbed the #1 ranked diver Isabel Baley after they employed a brand new diving coach final April. She will probably be joined by Australian diver Hannah Smith and Portuguese diver Luisa Fragoeiro Arco.

A trio of Canadian athletes may even be becoming a member of the Tennessee roster this 12 months, led by Madison Kryger who swam at each the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs for Canada. She set a number of recent private bests on the Canadian Trials, profitable the 50 again, 100 again, and 200 again on the meet.

Sprint freestylers Leah Tigert and Matea Gigovic are the opposite two Canadians. Tigert gained the 100 free on the Canadian Trials in 54.76 and will probably be a possible relay member for the staff and Gigovic gained the 50 and 100 fly occasions.

Tennessee additionally picked up Pitt switch Kimmy Shannon, who had an enormous meet on the ACC Championships to attain 33 factors in 2026. She certified for the person NCAA Championships within the 400 IM as nicely, and her 200 and 400 IM instances would each have been third on final 12 months’s staff.

#1 Virginia Cavaliers

Ultimately, the University of Virginia got here out on prime for his or her 2026 class. The six-time reigning NCAA Champions simply appear to be getting higher, and their class of 2026 is headlined by some massive freshmen and one huge switch.

Just like with the remaining, we’re going to begin with the home/SwimSwam ranked freshmen, regardless that their worldwide college students and transfers are distinctive. The home athletes are headlined by #8 Alyssa Sagle, a Virginia native. Sagle is coming into Charlottesville with finest instances within the 100 again (50.56) and 200 again (1:50.96) which can be nicely below the NCAA qualifying requirements and would have scored in each occasions final season.

#11 Molly Workman is a sprinter, who enters this system with finest instances of twenty-two.17/48.31/1:46.04 within the three shorter freestyle occasions, and she or he already has two sub-22 relay performances below her belt.

Roos Rottink, an Honorable Mention, is a backstroke/butterflyer who is sort of below NCAA qualifying requirements.

BOTR ranked Caden Martin (dash free), and Sara Czirjak (breast) will spherical out the home swimmers, all with no less than one occasion close to the NCAA cutline.

Moving onto their worldwide freshmen, Smilte Plytnykaite will doubtless be the most important influence piece from the second she arrives. The breaststroker from Lithuania fills a vital position on the Virginia roster that graduated its prime two breaststrokers after the 2026 season. She has transformed instances that put her at or close to NCAA scoring place in each breaststroke occasions.

Croatia’s Jana Pavalic is a dash freestyler with a transformed 50 free time of 21.50, and she or he will probably be joined within the dash free occasions by South Africa’s Jessica Thompson, whose 50 free converts to 22.03. Australian butterflyer Olivia Hine will spherical out the freshman class.

The Cavaliers additionally picked up a couple of transfers together with the most important identify switch of the season in Teagan O’Dell. The #2 ranked recruit from 2025, O’Dell had a large 12 months at Cal, qualifying for 3 ‘A’ finals and scoring 46 factors as a freshman on the 2026 NCAAs together with a 2nd place end within the 200 IM. She introduced her switch to Virginia in April and also will doubtless swim on the 800 free relay.

The Cavaliers additionally picked up Texas switch Berit Berglund, who didn’t race on the 2026 NCAA Championships after initially showing on the psych sheets. In 2024, she completed ninth within the 100 again at NCAAs, stopping the clock in 50.70, however she hasn’t been again to that mark since.