By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
The Cal women jumped by over 100 points from last year’s NCAA Championship meet to this year’s and climbed 4 spots, which makes them the clear breakout team of this year’s championship.
The Golden Bears were the only team in the top 10 that jumped as many spots, though they were one of two teams that had triple digit point gains from last year to this year. The other team was #6 Michigan, who picked up 100 points off last year in spite of being 38.5 points behind their seeded points in 2026.
Alabama also jumped 4 spots to #11, cracking 100 points for the first time since 2022.
Four of the top five teams stayed in the same position from last year’s meet.
| Place | Team | Points | Last Year’s Place | Up/Down Places | Points Last Year | Difference |
| 1 | Virginia | 589 | 1 | — | 544 | +45 |
| 2 | Stanford | 380.5 | 2 | — | 417 | -36.5 |
| 3 | Texas | 376.5 | 3 | — | 394 | -17.5 |
| 4 | California | 303 | 8 | +4 | 202.5 | +100.5 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 301.5 | 5 | — | 298 | +3.5 |
| 6 | Michigan | 296 | 9 | +3 | 196 | +100 |
| 7 | Indiana | 258 | 4 | -3 | 312 | -54 |
| 8 | Louisville | 201.5 | 7 | -1 | 209.5 | -8 |
| 9 | NC State | 196.5 | 10 | +1 | 164 | +32.5 |
| 10 | Florida | 125.5 | 6 | -4 | 232 | -106.5 |
| 11 | Alabama | 100.5 | 15 | +4 | 65 | +35.5 |
| 12 | Ohio St | 87 | 14 | +2 | 66 | +21 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 70.5 | 12 | -1 | 126 | -55.5 |
| 14 | Southern California | 66 | 11 | -3 | 130 | -64 |
| 15 | Georgia | 63 | 16 | +1 | 58 | +5 |
| 16 | Pittsburgh | 55 | 27 | +11 | 21 | +34 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 55 | 27 | +11 | 21 | +34 |
| 18 | Miami (Fl) | 48 | 13 | -5 | 75.5 | -27.5 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 41 | 24 | +5 | 28 | +13 |
| 20 | UCLA | 39 | 37 | +17 | 7 | +32 |
| 21 | Duke | 35 | 21 | — | 33 | +2 |
| 21 | Purdue | 35 | 18 | -3 | 53 | -18 |
| 21 | LSU | 35 | 22 | +1 | 32 | +3 |
| 24 | UNC | 33 | 17 | -7 | 57 | -24 |
| 25 | Auburn | 25 | 35 | +10 | 10 | +15 |
| 25 | University of Kansas | 25 | 25 | — | 25 | — |
| 27 | Nebraska | 24 | 34 | +7 | 13 | +11 |
| 28 | Arkansas | 23.5 | 40 | +12 | 4 | +19.5 |
| 29 | Arizona | 21 | 29 | — | 20 | +1 |
| 30 | Texas A&M | 19.5 | 26 | -4 | 22 | -2.5 |
| 31 | Florida St | 16 | 36 | +5 | 8 | +8 |
| 32 | Cincinnati | 11 | 32 | — | 15 | -4 |
| 33 | Notre Dame | 9 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +9 |
| 33 | Akron | 9 | 41 | +8 | 2 | +7 |
| 33 | Nevada | 9 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +9 |
| 36 | Northwestern | 8 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +8 |
| 37 | Virginia Tech | 6 | 20 | -17 | 37 | -31 |
| 37 | Penn | 6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +6 |
| 37 | Arizona St | 6 | 19 | -18 | 41.5 | -35.5 |
| 40 | SIU | 4 | 30 | -10 | 17 | -13 |
| 40 | Rutgers | 4 | 41 | +1 | 2 | +2 |
| 42 | Washington St. | 3 | 33 | -9 | 14 | -11 |
| 43 | Fresno State | 2 | 43 | — | 1 | +1 |
| 43 | East Carolina University | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +2 |
| 43 | Princeton | 2 | 38 | -5 | 6 | -4 |
| 43 | Indiana State | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +2 |
| 47 | UCSD | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +1 |
| 47 | University of North Texas | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A | +1 |
The Virginia Cavaliers women, meanwhile, did 45 points better than last year en route to their 6th consecutive title. Their 589 point outburst was the most in that run, though it was just the 12th-best in NCAA history.
Top 27 Highest Scoring Teams, Women’s NCAA Swimming & Diving Championship History (Champions Only)
- Texas 1991 – 746
- Stanford 1992 – 735.5
- Texas 1988 – 661
- Stanford 1993 – 649.5
- Texas 1987 – 648.5
- Texas 1985 – 643
- Texas 1968 – 633
- Texas 1990 – 632
- Stanford 1989 – 610.5
- Georgia 2005 – 609.5
- Stanford 2018 – 593
- Virginia 2026 – 589
- Auburn 2004 – 569
- Virginia 2022 – 551.5
- Virginia 2025 – 544
- Virginia 2023 – 541.5
- Auburn 2003 – 536
- Auburn 2007 – 535
- Georgia 2014 – 528
- Virginia 2024 – 527.5
- Stanford 2017 – 526.5
- Auburn 2006 – 518.5
- Cal 2015 – 513
- Florida 1982 – 505
- Georgia 1999 – 504.5
- Stanford 1995 – 497.5
- Virginia 2021 – 491
Team By Team “Best Since” or “Worst Since”
Fun Fact: last year, Minnesota and Pitt tied for 27th place. This year, they tied for 16th place.
Note: Records reference results only at the NCAA Division I Championship. Some schools have placed higher in AIAW or other divisions of NCAA swimming.
- #1 Virginia – 6th straight championship
- Last Time they didn’t win was 2019, placing 6th
- #2 Stanford – Repeated as runners-up
- Last Time they weren’t 2nd was 2024, placing 5th
- #3 Texas – Repeated in 3rd place
- Last Time they weren’t 2nd was 2023, placing 2nd
- #4 Cal – Best Finish since 2021 (#4)
- Last Time they were higher than 4th was 2019 (#2)
- #5 Tennessee – Repeated in 4th place
- Last Time they weren’t 5th was 2024 (#4)
- #6 Michigan – Best Finish since 2021 (#6)
- Last Time they were higher than 6th was 2019 (#3)
- #7 Indiana – Lowest Finish Since 2024 (#7)
- Last Time they were lower than 7th was 2022 (#11)
- #8 Louisville – Lowest Finish Since 2021 (#13)
- #9 NC State – Best Finish Since 2024 (T-#9)
- Last Time they were higher than 9th was 2023 (#5)
- #10 Florida – Lowest Finish Since 2022 (#13)
- #11 Alabama – Best Finish Since 2022 (#4)
- #12 Ohio State – Best Finish Since 2024 (T-#9)
- #13 Wisconsin – Lowest Finish Since 2024 (#15)
- #14 USC – Lowest Finish Since 2022 (#16)
- #15 Georgia – Best Finish Since 2024 (#13)
- #16 Pitt – Best Finish In Program History
- Previous Best ranking came in 1983 (#18)
- #16 Minnesota – Best Finish Since 2019 (#11)
- #18 Miami (FL) – Lowest Finish Since 2025 (#40)
- #19 South Carolina – Best Finish Since 2004 (#11)
- #20 UCLA – Best Finish Since 2019 (#17)
- #21 Duke – Repeated in 21st place
- Last Time they weren’t 21st was 2024 (#16)
- #21 Purdue – Lowest Finish Since 2023 (#24)
- #21 LSU – Best Finish Since 2024 (#21)
- Last Time they were higher than 21st was 2023 (#13)
- #24 UNC – Lowest Finish Since 2019 (#42)
- #25 Auburn – Best Finish Since 2024 (#19)
- #25 Kansas – Repeated in 25th place
- Last Time they weren’t 25th was 2024 (t-#36)
- #27 Nebraska – Best Finish Since 2021 (#26)
- #28 Arkansas – Best Finish Since 2023 (t-#28)
- Last Time they were higher than 28th was 2021 (#27)
- #29 Arizona – Repeated in 29th place
- Last Time they weren’t 29th was 2024 (no score)
- #30 Texas A&M – Lowest Finish Since 2022 (#39)
- #31 Florida State – Best Finish Since 2024 (t-#38)
- #32 Cincinnati – Repeated in 32nd place
- Last Time they weren’t 32nd was 2024 (t-#38)
- #33 Notre Dame – Best Finish Since 2024 (t-#32)
- #33 Akron – Best Finish in Program History
- Previous Best Ranking Came in 2021, 2023, and 2024 (#36)
- #33 Nevada – Best Finish Since 2018 (#24)
- #36 Northwestern – Best Finish Since 2024 (#27)
- #37 Virginia Tech – Lowest Finish Since 2019 (#40)
- #37 Penn – Best Finish Since 2024 (#29)
- #37 Arizona State – Lowest Finish Since 2014 (t-#41)
- #40 SIU – Lowest Finish Since 2023 (NR)
- Prior to the last three years, hadn’t scored since 2014
- #40 Rutgers – Best Finish Since 2024 (t-#32)
- #42 Washington State – Lowest Finish Since 2023 (NR)
- #43 Fresno State – Repeated in 43rd place
- Last Time they weren’t 43rd was 2024 (NR)
- Prior to the last two years, hadn’t scored since 2024
- #43 East Carolina – First Time Scoring in Program History
- Frida Zuniga Guzman finished 15th on platform
- #43 Princeton – Lowest Finish Since 2024 (NR)
- Prior to the last two years, hadn’t scored since 2024
- #43 Indiana State – First Time Scoring in Program History
- #47 UCSD – First Time Scoring in Program History
- Chloe Braun finished 16th in the 100 breaststroke
- #47 North Texas – First Time Scoring in Program History
- Kamryn Wong finished 16th on 3-meter.
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Pitt Women Record Best Finish in Women’s NCAA Swim & Dive History (FULL 48 TEAM SCORING MOVES)
