Defending Champion Rice Chosen As American Women’s Swimming and Diving Favourite

Courtesy of American Athletic Conference. 

IRVING, Texas – Two-time defending American Conference champion Rice was slotted atop the 2026-27 American ladies’s swimming and diving preseason ballot, as voted on by the convention’s head coaches.

American ladies’s swimming and diving enters a second season with 9 competing groups that features affiliate members FIU, James Madison, Liberty and Marshall, becoming a member of full members East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, UNT, Rice and Tulane.

Rice, the winner of the 2025 and 2026 American championships, edged out 2026 convention runner-up Liberty within the preseason rankings. Tulane checked in third, simply forward of 2024 American champion FIU. The preseason projected standings have been rounded out by East Carolina, James Madison, Florida Atlantic, UNT and Marshall.

Rice turned the third repeat winner of the American Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship in convention historical past after scoring 1,404.5 factors in 2026. Liberty tallied a complete of 1,250 factors in its first American championship begin to place second.

The 2027 American Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship is scheduled for Feb. 17-20 on the Liberty Natatorium in Lynchburg, Virginia.

2026-27 American Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Rice (7) 63
2. Liberty (2) 58
3. Tulane 43
4. FIU 42
5. East Carolina 36
6. James Madison 32
7. Florida Atlantic 26
8. UNT 15
9. Marshall

Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis