The CSCAA releases separate women's and men's team rankings for DI, DII, and DIII teams several times each year. The latest top-20 list will stand until the start of the 2013-2014 season. The CSCAA states that
"The CSCAA D3 Poll Committee will produce in-season rankings of the 20 best performing NCAA Division 3 Swimming and Diving teams in rank order at the time of each poll. The poll is not designed to predict the results of the NCAA Championship, but rather which teams would win head-to-head against other teams in the country... The CSCAA Division 3 Team Ranking Committee consists of Steve Barnes, Wabash College; Abby Brethauer, University of Mary Washington; Beth DeLaRosby, Carthage College; Erin Detwiler, Allegheny University; Chris Myhre, University of Puget Sound; Peter Solomon, Wesleyan University."In other words, the ranking granted to a particular school does not as much represent the talent of one or two swimmers within a team, but rather the strength and depth of a team as a whole. The members of the ranking committee represent schools from all across the country and six different conferences.
Although the poll is not designed to predict the outcome of the 2013 National Championships, it is entirely plausible that Whitman will place 20th or better. We can hardly wait to get to Shenandoah, Texas, for next month's Championships!
