NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships 2015: Schedule, Team Rankings, Preview
The 2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships begin on Thursday, so fans of swift strokes and aquatic acrobatics can take in the marquee competition if March Madness isn't their flavor.
Iowa City, Iowa, will play host to the men's national championships, while the women will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, to compete for the collegiate country crown.
There are a ton of athletes who received invitations to participate in these prestigious games, so it's worth figuring out who to watch for and which teams are expected to fare the best.
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Below is a look at the complete schedule, along with a brief preview of the NCAA Championships. For complete rankings, check out NCAA.com for both the men's and women's standings.
| March 26-28 | Campus Recreation & Wellness Center in Iowa City, Iowa | ESPNU (April 8 at 5 p.m. ET) | ESPN3 |
| March 19-21 | Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, North Carolina | ESPNU (March 31 at 6 p.m. ET) | ESPN3 |
2015 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Preview
On the women's side, Georgia is the two-time defending champion and has to be viewed as the favorite yet again until someone can take the Bulldogs' title.
Coach Jack Bauerle spoke with reporters about the notion of the championships, as his Georgia team figures to have a bull's-eye on its back after dominating in the recent past.
"It's an anything-goes championship," said Bauerle, via SwimSwam.com. "Faster up top, and way deeper top 16. To make top 16 will be very challenging."
USA Swimming Stats provided all the appropriate links to get a survey of the upcoming championship participants:
California's men have finished either first or second in the past five years, winning three of the past four, and Texas has placed second in all three of the Golden Bears' triumphs.
Pac-12 Conference highlights how one of Cal's stars, versatile junior Josh Prenot, has flashed fine form and appears to be peaking at the perfect time:
There's reason to believe Cal could take home the hardware in both the men's and women's edition of the championships, because both teams are stacked with depth and headlined by some of the best talent in the nation.
Only Texas ranks ahead of the Golden Bears in the men's hierarchy, while the Cal women are ranked ahead of Georgia atop the College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll.
But as Bauerle alluded to before, there is plenty of depth at the NCAA Championships. There is a reason this exclusive group of sensational aquatic phenoms was rewarded with bids to compete.
In two sports where the slightest rotation on a dive or the most minuscule of margins as a swimmer can make such a massive difference, the line is extremely fine between the very best and the rest.
That's why it's so impressive that California has managed to stay ahead of the curve with both of its teams. Whether the Golden Bears can keep that up and make considerable history will be one major storyline as the championships commence.
Note: Championships information courtesy of NCAA.com unless otherwise noted.
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