By Anya Pelshaw on SwimSwam
The second batch of mid-season invites is here. The biggest meet to watch is the Minnesota Invite which is highlighted by Cal.
The first round of mid-season meets saw some fast swimming. How might this weekend match up? Destin Lasco posted a 1:38.34 last year in the 200 backstroke, a time that would be 5th in the NCAA this season if he replicates the time exactly. Lasco won the 200 back and 200 IM NCAA titles last spring with a 1:35.37 in the 200 back and a 1:37.91 in the 200 IM.
Isabelle Stadden is a name to watch on the women’s side as she returned for her 5th year with Cal. She cracked the 1:50 mark in the 200 back at the meet last year, something only five women have done through the first set of mid-season swims.
Also highlighting this week’s schedule is the dual meet between Army and Navy. The two teams lead the Patriot League on both sides. Navy has won the men’s conference title in every season since 2004. Army sent a swimmer to NCAAs last year and welcomed Johnny Crush this fall. Crush has already put his name in the school record books. The Navy women have also been dominant at the Patriot League Championships, winning every conference title since 2012.
SwimSwam Pre-Invite Power Rankings
Note: Many members of the SwimSwam staff have searched websites to compile this list. Not all schools have schedules posted yet and meets are occasionally added/removed after this list is compiled.
| Meet | Date | Men | Women |
| Army vs Navy | 12/5 | Y | Y |
| Indiana vs Cincinnati | 12/6 | Y | |
| Minnesota Invitational (Cal | 12/4-7 | Y | Y |
| Diving – Rhode Island, UMass Amherst, La Salle | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| MIT Midseason Invitational | 12/6-12/8 | Y | Y |
| Gompei Invitational | 12/6-12/8 | Y | Y |
| Maine State Meet | 12/6-12/7 | Y | Y |
| Rhode Island vs Northeastern | 12/7 | Y | |
| Vermont vs UConn | 12/7 | Y | |
| Utah Tech vs Northern Arizona | 12/6-12/7 | Y | |
| Rutgers Invitational (dive) | 12/5-7 | ||
| Miami Ohio Invite | 12/5-7 | Y | Y |
| Princeton Big Al Invitational | 12/6-8 | Y | Y |
| Yale vs Southern Connecticut | 12/4-5 | Y | Y |
| Denison Invitational (Denison, Eastern Michigan, | 12/5-12/7 | Y | Y |
| Drexel vs Lehigh | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| UMBC Diving Invitational | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| Westchester vs. Delaware | 12/6 | Y | Y |
| South Dakota St. v. Omaha | 12/6 | Y | Y |
| Northern Iowa Diving Invite | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| Delta State Invite | 12/9-12 | Y | Y |
| Zippy Invite (Akron) | 12/5-8 | Y | Y |
| ECAC Championships | 12/6-8 | Y | |
| UMBC vs Frostburg | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| Riverside Diving Invite | 12/5-7 | Y | |
| Chapman vs San Diego | 12/7 | Y | |
| California Baptist vs Biola | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| Grand Canyon, Ottawa, Arizona Christian | 12/7 | Y | Y |
| Kansas v Rockhurst | 12/7 | Y |
Read the full story on SwimSwam: College Swimming Weekly Preview: December 4-10