College Swimming Invitationals: Most Top Teams in Action This Week
Invitational season has arrived in college swimming. In recent years, most top-ranked teams have shifted their season schedules to swim their main midseason taper meet prior to swimmers heading home for a brief Thanksgiving vacation. That pattern continues in 2024, with almost every program heading to a destination like Austin, Columbus, Knoxville or Greensboro in the next few days.
Of the women’s and men’s teams who finished in the top-15 at last year’s NCAA Championships, only Cal is idle this week, with the Golden Bears opting to race after Thanksgiving at the Minnesota Invite. Here’s where the remaining 14 women’s teams and 13 men’s teams (with Notre Dame’s men suspended this season).
Texas Invitational, Wednesday 11/20 through Friday 11/22
- Women’s teams: Texas (2nd), Stanford (5th), USC (8th), Wisconsin (15th)
- Men’s teams: Texas (7th)
Emma Sticklen — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
The top women’s clash of the week will take place in Austin, with two of the country’s most decorated teams highlighting the competition. The Longhorns have finished as national runnerup in each of the last three seasons, with the 2022 and 2023 results coming at Stanford’s expense. Now, returning to the Cardinal roster is Torri Huske, fresh off a five-medal, three-gold performance at the Paris Olympics.
Huske is unlikely to face any serious competition in her main events as she gears up to pursue her first individual NCAA title, and we will also get a glimpse at where swimmers like Aurora Roghair, Lucy Bell and Caroline Bricker stack up nationally. The Longhorns, meanwhile, will hope their strong sophomore class can continue to step forward to supplement Emma Sticklen, Olympian Erin Gemmell and rising distance swimmer Jillian Cox. Wisconsin’s Phoebe Bacon will swim her first big competition since taking fourth in the 200-meter back at the Olympics.
The Texas men will not have any significant competition this time. We know what Hubert Kos and Luke Hobson are capable of, but this meet will give a better glimpse into how Will Modglin, Nate Germonprez, Rex Maurer and the rest of the team stacks up as new head coach Bob Bowman pursues a big jump in year one.
Tennessee Invitational, Wednesday 11/20 through Friday 11/22
- Women’s teams: Virginia (1st), Tennessee (4th)
- Men’s teams: Tennessee (6th)
The Volunteers will certainly have their stars out in force, with sprinters Jordan Crooks and Gui Caribe highlighting on the men’s side while Mona McSharry and Camille Spink race for the women, but the focus here will be on the Virginia women, specifically Gretchen Walsh. As with any time the younger Walsh sister races in college events, records could fall in any event she races as she continues to push the sprint boundaries. Gretchen’s older sister Alex Walsh is not expected to compete.
Georgia Invitational, Wednesday 11/20 through Friday 11/22
Josh Liendo — Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
- Women’s teams: Florida (3rd), Georgia (13th)
- Men’s teams: Florida (3rd), Georgia (11th)
The attention here will be on Florida, with the Gators coming off duel third-place finishes at last year’s national championship meets. Bella Sims will try to prove her disappointing Olympic Trials performances were a fluke as she looks to get back to her two-national-title form from last year’s NCAAs, and the Florida men should continue to show out in the sprint events and relays, with Josh Liendo, Adam Chaney, Julian Smith and Jonny Marshall among the main players.
NC State Invitational (Greensboro), Thursday 11/21 through Saturday 11/23
- Women’s teams: NC State (=9th)
- Men’s teams: Arizona State (1st), NC State (5th), Virginia Tech (9th)
The best men’s competition of the week will likely take place at the Greensboro Aquatic Center as the new-look Sun Devils, defending last year’s national title under new head coach Herbie Behm, race against a strong Wolfpack team. Both of these squads have standouts, most notably 200 fly national-title winners Ilya Kharun (ASU) and Aiden Hayes (NC State), but both teams are loaded with sprint depth. Meanwhile, the NC State women will have Erika Pelaez and Leah Shackley racing at an invitational for the first time.
Ohio State Invitational, Thursday 11/21 through Saturday 11/23
- Women’s teams: Louisville (6th), Indiana (7th), Ohio State (=9th)
- Men’s teams: Indiana (4th), Ohio State (13th), Louisville (15th)
Another deep meet in Columbus will feature Gabi Albiero and the Louisville sprinters as well as an Indiana men’s team that could be the best Ray Looze has ever assembled. This year’s Hoosiers have a monster breaststroke trio consisting of Josh Matheny, Jassen Yep and Brian Benzing, top-20 Olympic finishers in Rafael Miroslaw and Tomer Frankel and a trio of high-impact transfers, Matt King, Owen McDonald and Zalan Sarkany, not to mention a power-packed diving group led by Olympian Carson Tyler.
Other meets to watch:
Texas A&M Art Adamson Invitational, Wednesday 11/21 through Friday 11/23
- Women’s teams: Texas A&M (14th)
- Men’s teams: none in top-15 (Texas A&M 16th last year)
SMU Invitational, Wednesday 11/20 through Saturday 11/23
- Women’s teams: none in top-15
- Men’s teams: Stanford (8th)
Georgia Tech Invitational, Friday 11/23 through Sunday 11/25
- Women’s teams: Michigan (12th)
- Men’s teams: Auburn (12th), Michigan (14th)