Spartans Enter Top-Five in CSCAA Poll
Tampa men's and women's swimming teams both appear in top-25 poll.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The results of the third College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Division II Poll are in, with the University of Tampa women up five spots to fifth as the Spartan men come in at 17. Queens University of Charlotte men and the Drury women have kept their number one spots. Though the two programs continued to lead their respective polls, both saw their leads dwindle, thus setting up a showdown for the NCAA Division II Championships in March.
The Spartan women are coming off a lopsided 212-46 win at Keiser, and previously placed first overall at the annual Tampa Relay Classic. UT is one of two Sunshine State Conference schools in the top-five as Nova Southeastern is third in the nation. The two teams met on December 2 in Fort Lauderdale with NSU recording the victory. UT also has wins over Rollins, SCAD and Florida Southern this season, and achieved several NCAA qualifying times at the Spartan Invitational.
Tampa's men, ranked No. 17 in the nation, are also coming off a win at Keiser and a first-place finish at the Relay Classic. The Spartans have wins over Rollins and SCAD on their resume and also competed successfully at the Spartan Invite.
UT returns to action on January 26 at Saint Leo, which is the final regular-season meet of 2017-18. The SSC Championships (Feb. 22-25) and NCAA Championships (March 14-17) are also on the schedule for the Spartans.
In the men's poll, the defending NCAA Champion Royals maintained a seven-point lead over Drury. Delta State and Lindenwood both made leaps into the top four, moving up nine and seven spots respectively. Grand Valley dropped one to fifth while Indianapolis fell three to sixth. Oklahoma Baptist, Northern Michigan, Cal Baptist and Colorado Mesa rounded out the top ten.
In the women's poll, Drury maintained a two-point lead over Queens University of Charlotte. Nova Southeastern moved up three spots to third. Lindenwood made the biggest jump in the poll, leaping fifteen spots to number four. Tampa rose five spots to number five. Rounding out the top ten women's team were Indianapolis, West Chester, Northern Michigan and West Florida.
The CSCAA / TYR Top 25 aims to measure the top teams in head-to-head competition. The rankings are voted on by CSCAA-member coaches. This is the final Division II dual meet poll of the season.
Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) – the oldest organization of college coaches in America -is a professional organization of college swimming and diving coaches dedicated to serving and providing leadership for the advancement of the sport of swimming & diving at the collegiate level.