A few notes on SwimCloud's D3 Most Improved, Part 2
Men's Events
We will not fully recap the process we used for Women’s events, partly because we are easily bored and because we are also running behind in our coverage of second-half meets.1
We are just going to jump in and look at the most improved teams in the dual-meet format since the end of the 2021-22 season.
A few notes before we start. We are only counting teams that wind up in the top 130. Movement in the bottom half of the ranking is much more fluid - and less meaningful - than movement in the top 50% of teams. If you want a dissertation on why, let us know.
It also matters where a team winds up. We criticized SwimCloud for only mentioning teams if they wind up in the top 50. We think that is too restrictive. But we also want to acknowledge that movement within the top 50 is much tougher than movement elsewhere. So teams that make huge jumps AND land in the top 50 deserve special recognition.
Like Salisbury.
Salisbury is the most improved program in Division III.
In Men’s events, the team was ranked 155th at the end of the 2021-22 season. The Sea Gulls are currently ranked 38th. The improvement in rank of +117 is the greatest improvement of any team, in either Men’s or Women’s events, since the end of the 2021-22 season.
It is worth reminding our readers that since 2021-22, Salisbury is the second most improved dual-meet team in Women’s events as well.
+202
Since the end of the 2021-22, here is how things look for Salisbury.
Improvement in ranking, dual meet scoring, Men’s events: +117
Improvement in ranking, dual meet scoring, Women’s events: +85
Improvement in ranking, dual meet scoring, overall: +202
Over the past 1.5 seasons, Salisbury - as a program - has improved in both Men’s and Women’s events to an extent unmatched in Division III. And it is not close, the second most improved team is more than 70 spots behind Salisbury. Salisbury isn’t just a dramatically improved team. They are a phenomenon without recent precedent in Division III.
Bridgewater, Oberlin and Marymount
Bridgewater was the 5th most improved team in Women’s events and is also the second most improved team in Men’s events. Impressive, and a radical improvement for that team. Washington & Lee comfortably won the ODAC Championships in Men’s and Women’s events in both 2022 and 2023. This year Bridgewater and upstarts Roanoke may make it more interesting.
In the last two seasons, Oberlin finished sixth in Men’s events at the NCACs. This season it looks like they will be fighting it out with Wooster for third place. The Yeomen and Yeowomen (not making that up) are at Kenyon today, which is probably not a lot of fun. Still, in one season, this has become a much much better team.
Marymount continues to impress and improve. Fairly evenly matched with another much improved team in St. Mary’s College of Maryland (the 8th most improved on our list), these two teams will make the Atlantic East Conference Championships (out in the home pool of SMCM) worth watching. In the championship format, SwimCloud gives the slight edge to Marymount.
Baruch College?
Yeh, Baruch College. So here’s the story on that. There’s this guy. Bennett Maczka. He’s a grad student at Baruch, doing a business major in real estate. He has a COVID year of eligibility, so he is swimming at Baruch.
Last season, in his Senior year, he completed his second season swimming for Texas Christian University.2 He swam a 1:39.44 in the 200 Free at the Big XII Conference Championships.
The entire improvement for Baruch isn’t tied to one athlete. Baruch has some promising athletes, and Junior Youssef Elkhouly and First-Year Ramiel Fayngersh have posted really solid times. But, yeh, Bennett Maczka is definitely a factor in Baruch’s improved rankings.
Nebraska Wesleyan
Before we wrap we want to point out that Nebraska Wesleyan - who receives it’s share of attention from our humble publication - made the list. We have a high opinion of that program. Though the only Division III swim/dive program in the state, they swim a competitive schedule including trips to Chicago and Grinnell, and they are locked in a terrific battle with their Iowa neighbors, Luther College. It is no surprise to us that they ranked as one of the most improved teams in Division III, and we anticipate further upward movement from the Prairie Wolves.
Movement in traffic
If moving into the top 50 is hard, then significant movement within the top 50 is even more impressive.
These three teams keep ascending even as the competition gets more intense. Case Western especially stands out as the team that has gone from very good to elite in the last couple seasons.
We have been assured that we do not qualify for a diagnosis of ADHD. In case that was your next question.
?
Maczka started At Queens. Will be interesting to see if he makes nationals.