Whether you’re new to the sport or a years-long veteran, swimming can have lifelong health benefits. And if you’re interested in competitive swimming, you’re not alone. So which schools are the best Division I schools for men’s swimming?
College Factual has ranked the top 10 Division I schools for men’s swimming using a number of factors including the success of the athletic program, quality of school and student progress rate. The full description of the ranking methodology can be found here.
By Nheyob (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
1. Ohio State University
Ohio State University is a large public university offering undergraduate and graduate level programs. The most popular majors at this school are in General Psychology and Communication and Media Studies. Ohio State is ranked second overall in Ohio schools while being a nationally ranked school for veterans.
Under the leadership of coach Bill Wadley, the men’s swimming at Ohio State have enjoyed both competitive and academic success. Wadley’s teams have ranked in the NCAA Top 25 for 22 of the last 25 season and last year’s team had an overall GPA of 3.14.
2. University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is ranked the top University in Michigan and 61st nationwide. This highly selective school has a good student to teacher ratio of 12:1 and offers 112 undergraduate degrees across 75 majors. Popular majors at this school include child development and psychology, economics and business administration & management.
Mike Bottom, head coach for the University of Michigan’s men and women’s swimming and diving programs, have led his teams to an impressive number of victories. Bottom is a five-time Big Ten men’s swimming “Coach of the Year” recipient. In his seven years as head coach, he has led his teams to eight national titles including one national championship and six Big Ten championships.
3. University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a large private University that is recognized for having an excellent student to faculty ratio (9:1) and a high percentage of on-time graduation rates. By far, the most popular major is in business administration & management although USC also has an excellent Computer and Information Sciences program – ranked 3rd in the nation and visual and performing arts program – ranked 4th in the nation.
The USC Trojans are led by head coach Dave Salo – a 30-year veteran who was introduced into the American Swimming Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010. The Trojans have a long history of producing top swimmers – over the course of the USC Trojan’s long history, the swimming team have made Olympic teams 122 times winning gold medals 38 times.
4. University of Florida
The University of Florida is a large public University and is ranked best in the state out of 39 schools. With high ranked programs in several areas including biomedical sciences, education and engineering, UFlorida offers a high quality education for nearly anyone.
The Gator’s swim team is led by head coach Gregg Troy. Having tutored over 75 Olympians and more than 900 All-American honor students, Troy is known for leading some of the best swimmers in the nation. Troy also served as the 2012 USA men’s Olympic swim team head coach.
Dig deeper into College Factual’s ratings with this interactive tool:
5. Stanford University
Stanford University is ranked 4th overall in the nation and is highly selective accepting only about 6% of all applicants. Popular majors include human biology, computer science and engineering.
The Stanford Cardinal men’s swimming team is led by head coach Ted Knapp who served as an assistant under Hall of Fame head coach Skip Kenney. Now in his 32nd season with the Cardinals, Knapp has been responsible for leading his teams to seven NCAA championships and numerous conference titles.
6. University of Texas-Austin
The University of Texas-Austin offers one of the best values for your money for students and is considered a “Public Ivy,” offering an Ivy League experience at a public school price. As a large academic research school with over $550 million in expenditures, the University of Texas-Austin has a strong focus on engineering and physical sciences.
The men’s swimming team is led by Eddie Reese – now in his 38th year as head coach. Over his very successful career, Reese has led the Longhorns to 11 NCAA team titles and 11 NCAA runner-up finishes.
7. University of California-Berkeley
The University of California-Berkeley is a large public research university offering a number of areas of study. They are well ranked for their biological and biomedical sciences majors as well as social sciences. Berkeley is also highly diverse ranking well above the national average.
The men’s swimming team is led by David Durden, now in his 9th season as head coach. Durden’s teams have been very successful winning 3 NCAA team championships and 3 NCAA runner-up finishes in the last six years. Durden has also mentored swimmers to three Olympic medals in 2012.
8. Indiana University
Indiana University is a large public research university. Popular majors include business, public administration, and health and physical education. IU ranks high nationally in the social sciences and offers students a great value for their education.
The Hoosiers are very competitive in the NCAA conference and with head coach Ray Looze in place, IU has regained its reputation for training serious swimming teams. The 2005-2006 team under Looze’s leadership helped claim IU’s first Big Ten title since 1985.
9. Harvard University
Harvard is one of the best known Ivy League colleges and for good reason. With a #1 ranking for the state of Massachusetts and #5 in the nation, Harvard is known for their exceptional academics program. A small student to faculty ratio of 7:1 and highly selective application process ensures only top students get in. Economics, social sciences and history are the most popular programs at Harvard.
Head coach Kevin Tyrrell has lead his team to victory both in and out of the pool. His team for the 2014-2015 season claimed the highest GPA of any swim and dive team in the nation at an impressive 3.57. Although relatively new as head coach for the Crimson, Tyrrell has had an impressive start. His first year as head coach saw his team win the Ivy League dual meet championship. His second year saw an impressive 9-0 record for dual meets.
10. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
Founded in 1795, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill is one of the oldest public universities in the United States. This large public university offers 50 majors across 22 areas of study. Popular majors include communication and media studies, psychology, and biology.
Head coach Rich DeSelm has led the Tar Heels swim team for eight years. With numerous top 15 NCAA finishes DeSelm has a record for leading top swim teams. Recently, DeSelm was named a US Swimming National Team coach for the calendar year 2014.
This article comes from The USA TODAY College partner network. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of USA TODAY. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any discussion forums, blogs, photo- or video-sharing pages, or other areas of the Site through which users can supply information or material. However, we reserve the right at all times, in our sole discretion, to screen content submitted by users and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Service or is otherwise unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons.
Filed under: THE LOWDOWN FROM COLLEGE FACTUAL Tagged: Division 1 sports, Harvard, Indiana University, men's swimming, Ohio State University, Stanford, University of California Berkeley, University of Florida, University of Michigan, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, University of Southern California, University of Texas Austin