SwimSwam Pulse: 43.9% Believe ACC Is Fastest Conference In College Swimming

SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.

Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers what the fastest conference was in the NCAA:

Question: What is the fastest conference in college swimming?

RESULTS

• ACC – 43.9%
• SEC – 39.0%
• Pac-12 – 12.1%
• Big Ten – 5.0%

It immediately becomes clear that, at least to some extent, the two conferences that had both genders competing while this poll was live last week benefitted from that with the ACC and SEC combining to receive nearly 83 percent of votes.

This poll could’ve been interpreted in any number of ways. The fastest conference in college swimming? What does that even mean?

One could interpret it as the conference that produces the fastest winning times at the conference championships, the one that would win a hypothetical quad meet made up of each conference’s all-stars (there’s an idea), which one scores the most points at NCAAs, or even just as simple as Who has the fastest male 50 freestyler?

The intention was for readers to interpret it anyway they wanted, with the average likely coming out to the conference with the best quality, overall, amongst men and women.

However, from the perspective of NCAA team standings, it’s hard to argue with the ACC and SEC landing at the top.

The SEC had a total of six teams (three men, three women) finish inside the top 10 at nationals last season, with the ACC ranking second with five.

For the ACC, this included the top two teams on the women’s side, highlighted by the University of Virginia women, who were absolutely on fire last week en route to winning their third consecutive conference title.

On the men’s side, the ACC had the fifth, eighth and ninth-ranked teams at NCAAs, though that eighth-place showing for NC State was more of a blip on the radar than a trend—they’ll likely return to the top five this year.

The SEC had Florida and Georgia go 3-4 at Men’s NCAAs last season, while the top women’s team was Alabama at fifth.

If the Pac-12 and Big Ten had their men and women’s championship meets combined and racing last week instead of the ACC and SEC, would the poll results be different? Probably to an extent, but the combination of high-end ability and depth in the ACC and SEC likely still pushes them to the top.

The Pac-12 has Stanford and Cal on the women’s side, along with the Golden Bear men, but isn’t terribly competitive as we move into the third, fourth, fifth-best teams. This also results in the conference’s top swimmers saving their full tapers for NCAAs, and as a result, the conference meet becomes a little slower and a little less intriguing.

The Big Ten has always been solid, but doesn’t seem to produce as many stars as the other conferences (save for some recent mega stars such as Lilly King, Beata Nelson and Maggie MacNeil).

As for the Big 12, of course it has Texas, but that’s not enough to even warrant a spot in the poll. When the Longhorns join the SEC down the line, that instantly makes it the fastest conference in the country, especially on the men’s side.

But for now, the ACC reigns supreme, albeit slightly, over the SEC, according to you, the reader.

Aside: Who do you think would win a combined college quad meet if each conference fielded an all-star team?

Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks: Which event(s) would you want to see added to the Division I NCAA Championship lineup:

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The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner.