By The Class: Top 5 DI Male Sophomores To Watch For
By The Class: Top 5 DI Male Sophomores To Watch For
FloSwimming's new series, By The Class, analyzes the top male and female Division I NCAA swimmers in each class -- freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior.
Welcome to the next installment of our newest series, By The Class. In this series, we will analyze the top five Division I swimmers -- both male and female -- to watch out for in the upcoming 2017-2018 NCAA season.
While there are certain sure bets, things don't always shake out in March as we expect them to in September.
Florida's Maxime Rooney made a massive impact for the Gators during his freshman season -- picking up an SEC title in the 200 freestyle and a top eight finish in the 200 at NCAAs. He also played a major role on UF's 800 freestyle relay team that placed third at NCAAs. The major key for Rooney will be dropping the 500 down a bit if he wants to be a scoring threat each day at NCAAs. While he is sitting at 4:18 right now, there is no doubt he has the capability of getting into the 4:12 range.
ASU's Cameron Craig had a breakout freshman campaign for the Sun Devils last year. Craig had a difficult time replicating his best times from Pac-12s at NCAAs just a few weeks later, but that does not take away from his impact -- especially with fifth-place points in the 200. Not to mention, the Michigan native contributed to Arizona State's sixth-place 400 freestyle relay. With the addition of Grant House, Craig has a new training partner to push him to the next level. Like Rooney, if Craig can put the pieces of the puzzle together at the right time he will score championship final points each day at NCAAs.
The only reason Felix Auböck isn't No. 1 on this list is because he is limited in terms of relay impact. As the fastest returner in the 1650 and second-fastest returner in the 500, Auböck has a legitimate chance of picking up a pair of NCAA titles. On top of that, the Michigan man can score championship final points in the 200 and contribute on the Wolverine's 800 freestyle relay as well. Watch out for this Austrian to be among the best of the best during the 2017-2018 season.
Stanford's Grant Shoults was one of the top recruits entering his freshman year on The Farm, coming off a pair of National Age Group records his senior year of high school in the 200 and 500 freestyles. While he was unable to match his best in the 200, he dropped best times in the 500 (4:10.23) and 1650 (14:35) to score championship final points for the Cardinal. Just like the rest of the guys on this list, if Shoults can put it all together when it counts at NCAAs he will be a major point-scoring machine.
Cal's Zheng Quah was a little bit of a mystery as he joined the Golden Bears during the midpoint of the season; however, the Singaporean broke onto the scene in a big way by finishing fifth in the 100 fly and second in the 200 fly at NCAAs. Most notably, his time of 1:38.83 in the 200 took down Tom Shields' school record of 1:39.65. With a full season under his belt in 2017-2018, Quah will be a massive contributor. The question remains: what will be his third event? Will he opt for the 100 fly/100 back double or pick up a third individual event on the first full day of competition? The only certainty is that Cal coach Dave Durden knows what he is doing and will plug Quah into the right holes to optimize his talent.
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While there are certain sure bets, things don't always shake out in March as we expect them to in September.
Scouting The Field
2017-18 Top 5 Sophomores -- Men
1.) Maxime Rooney (Florida)
| Maxime Rooney | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Freestyle | 42.45 | 28th |
| 200 Freestyle | 1:32.18 | 6th |
| 500 Freestyle | 4:18.66 | 48th |
2.) Cameron Craig (Arizona State)
| Cameron Craig | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Freestyle | 41.95 | DFS |
| 200 Freestyle | 1:31.71 | 5th |
| 200 IM | 1:42.75 | DSQ |
3.) Felix Auböck (Michigan)
| Felix Auböck | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 200 Freestyle | 1:32.02 | 10th |
| 500 Freestyle | 4:08.95 | 3rd |
| 1650 Freestyle | 14:22.88 | 2nd |
4.) Grant Shoults (Stanford)
| Grant Shoults | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 200 Freestyle | 1:33.26 | 18th |
| 500 Freestyle | 4:10.23 | 4th |
| 1650 Freestyle | 14:35.82 | 8th |
5.) Zheng Quah (California)
| Zheng Quah | Lifetime Best | 2017 NCAA Finish |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Fly | 45.06 | 5th |
| 200 Fly | 1:38.83 | 2nd |
| 100 Back | 46.25 | Relay Leadoff |
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