2025 College Swimming Previews: Sim’s Return Has #12 Michigan Women Eyeing Return To Top 10

By James Sutherland on SwimSwam

It’s that time of the year again. SwimSwam will be previewing the top 12 men’s and women’s teams (and then some) from the 2024 NCAA Championships. Follow along with the College Swimming Preview Channel. Want to read even more? Check out the latest edition of the SwimSwam magazine. 

#12 MICHIGAN WOLVERINES

Key Losses: Kathryn Ackerman (2 NCAA points)

Key Additions: #19 Rebecca Diaconescu (NV – freestyle), Leila Fack (Canada – fly/free), BOTR Josie Connelly (MI – sprint free), Marian Ploeger (Germany – distance free)

Returning Fifth Years: Casey Chung (1 NCAA relay), Claire Newman (2 NCAA relays)

GRADING CRITERIA

Over the years, we’ve gone back and forth on how to project points, ranging from largely subjective rankings to more data-based grading criteria based on ‘projected returning points.’ We like being as objective as possible, but we’re going to stick with the approach we’ve adopted post-Covid. The “stars” will rely heavily on what swimmers actually did last year, but we’ll also give credit to returning swimmers or freshmen who have posted times that would have scored last year.

Since we only profile the top 12 teams in this format, our grades are designed with that range in mind. In the grand scheme of college swimming and compared to all other college programs, top 12 NCAA programs would pretty much all grade well across the board. But in the interest of making these previews informative, our grading scale is tough – designed to show the tiers between the good stroke groups, the great ones, and the 2015 Texas fly group types.

• 5 star (★★★★★) – a rare, elite NCAA group projected to score 25+ points per event
• 4 star (★★★★) – a very, very good NCAA group projected to score 15-24 points per event
• 3 star (★★★) – a good NCAA group projected to score 5-14 points per event
• 2 star (★★) – a solid NCAA group projected to score 1-4 points per event
• 1 star (★) –  an NCAA group that is projected to score no points per event, though that doesn’t mean it’s without potential scorers – they’ll just need to leapfrog some swimmers ahead of them to do it

We’ll grade each event discipline: sprint free (which we define to include all the relay-distance freestyle events, so 50, 100 and 200), distance free, IM, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and diving. Use these grades as a jumping-off point for discussion, rather than a reason to be angry.

Also, keep in mind that we are publishing many of these previews before teams have posted finalized rosters. We’re making our assessments based on the best information we have available at the time of publication, but we reserve the right to make changes after publication based on any new information that may emerge regarding rosters. If that does happen, we’ll make certain to note the change.

2023-24 LOOKBACK

Last season marked a bounce-back of sorts for the Michigan women. In 2022-23, the team’s Maggie MacNeil hangover was real—after NCAA finishes of 3rd in 2019, 6th in 2021 and 7th in 2022, the Wolverines plummeted to 23rd place, scoring just 33 points after previous marks of 314 (2019), 224.5 (2021) and 184.5 (2022).

The team’s lone individual scorer in 2023 was Letitia Sim, but last season, despite Sim taking a redshirt year to train for the Olympics, Michigan bounced back with a shot in the arm from some newcomers and a few second-years taking the next step under the tutelage of first-year head coach Matt Bowe.

Brazilian freestyler Stephanie Balduccini was the top NCAA scorer for the Wolverines with 15 points, and she played a critical role in their relay success, particularly in the free relays where they combined for 80 points. She also challenged for Big Ten titles by taking 3rd in the 200 free, 4th in the 100 free and 5th in the 200 IM.

Sophomore Katie Crom had another successful season, repeating as the conference champion in the 200 fly and adding the 500 free title to her resume to lead Michigan in scoring at Big Tens. She then followed up with 10 NCAA points after earning second swims in the 200 and 500 free.

The Wolverines ended up placing 3rd at Big Tens for the second straight season (after four consecutive runner-up showings), but managed to climb up 11 spots at NCAAs, going from 23rd to 12th and scoring more than four times as many points (147.5).

On top of the relays, Balduccini and Crom, it was the performances from sophomores Kiarra Milligan (diving), Brady Kendall (50 free) and freshman Hannah Bellard (200 fly) who pushed Michigan up the rankings at NCAAs, and they also got a contribution from senior Kathryn Ackerman individually, along with some big relay swims from the likes of Lindsay Flynn and Claire Newman.

Overall it was a successful first season under Bowe, with plenty of promise moving forward with multiple years of eligibility left for the the team’s top swimmers.

SPRINT FREE: ★★★★

The defending Big Ten champions in the 400 free relay, sprint freestyle is certainly an area of strength for Michigan.

Spearheading the squad is Stephanie Balduccini, who was 9th in the 100 free and 11th in the 200 free at NCAAs last season for 15 points. With best times of 47.04 and 1:43.00, she should be an ‘A’ finalist in at least the 100 next season, as the PB she set in the consolation final would’ve comfortably made the top eight in the prelims.

Michigan has two premier scoring threats in the 50 free in Brady Kendall and Lindsay Flynn, plus a few others who could sneak in for some points with a small drop.

Kendall set a PB of 21.69 to make the ‘A’ final in her sophomore year, ultimately tying for 7th. Flynn has been sub-22 multiple times, but narrowly missed out on scoring last season. However, she threw down a 21.27 split on the 200 free relay, so she’s got the ability to land some points.

Claire Newman (22.10) is also a key player on that relay and could realistically score individually, while Balduccini (22.22) raced the 200 IM instead last season but could easily switch and challenge for points.

Along with Balduccini, Flynn can score in the 100 free—she was 17th last season in 47.76, but also split 46.9 twice on relays. Newman, Kendall and Liang were all 48-point last season for relay depth and scoring at the conference level.

The 200 free is led by Balduccini and Crom, who both swam in the consolation final last season. Both are 1:43s, which was good for the ‘B’ final last season and will likely be the case again next season. Given their trajectory, especially for Balduccini, dropping next year is in the cards. There’s plenty of returning depth as well with Newman and Malia Amuan both 1:45s and Liang and Hannah Bellard 1:46s.

On top of the strong returning group of freestylers, the Wolverines will receive a boost from their incoming freshman who could challenge for relay spots and maybe even individual NCAA points.

Rebecca Diaconescu is a Sandpipers of Nevada product but is coming off representing Romania at the Olympic Games in Paris, where she was a semi-finalist in the women’s 200 free. She has shifted her focus away from the sprints and more toward the distance events over the past season, but still comes in with best times of 22.31/48.68/1:44.41 in the sprint events. The 200 free figures to be apart of her program moving forward, and her times in the 50 and 100—from December 2022—make her a potential relay member.

Josie Connelly is more of a pure sprinter with a 50 free best time of 22.25, making her a contender to do some damage down the road in the 50 free, and she’s also sub-50 in the 100 (49.66).

They’ve also got Canadian Leila Fack coming in with long course bests of 25.55 in the 50, 56.35 in the 100 and 2:03.20 in the 200, and German Marian Ploeger is also 2:03 LCM in the 200 free.

DISTANCE FREE: ★★½

Michigan’s distance freestyle prospects this season largely hinge on how freshman Ploeger transitions to long course, as the German has an impressive resume that includes winning silver in the 800 free (8:36.55) and bronze in the 1500 free (16:23.69) at the 2023 European Junior Championships.

She was faster in the 800 free this year, placing 4th at Euro Juniors (8:34.02), and took 5th in the 1500 free (16:35.87).

Ploeger’s PB in the 1500 converts to 16:04 in short course yards, which is within two seconds of what it took to score at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She’ll be valuable in dual meets in the 1000 given her 800 free ability, and she’ll be competitive in the 500 with a LCM best in the 400 (4:12.57) that converts to 4:42-high.

The Wolverines scored nine points last season across the two distance events, all coming from Katie Crom‘s 9th-place finish in the 500 free. Crom dropped a PB of 4:36.27 to win the ‘B’ final, a performance that suggests she can fight for a lane in the top eight in 2025.

Hannah Bellard clocked 4:38.44 in the 500 at the Georgia Fall Invitational, which would’ve been fast enough to make the consols last season. She ended up going 4:42.96 at NCAAs, placing 37th, but clearly has the ability to be a scorer.

Kathryn Shanley was the lone Michigan swimmer to race both the 500 and 1650 at NCAAs in 2024, placing 61st and 35th, respectively. Her season-bests stood at 4:45.49 and 16:14.82, with her best times (4:44.47/16:10.40) both stemming from December 2021 during her freshman campaign.

The other distance swimmer with scoring potential on the team is Diaconescu, who could end up focusing on the sprints but has the ability to be a player in the longer races. She’s been 4:48.69 (4:46.19 altitude adjusted) in the 500, but her mile time is far more competitive right now, having been 16:15.73 (16:04.73 altitude adjusted). The altitude adjusted time in the 1650 is within two seconds of scoring, but we’ll have to wait and see if she opts to train for the mile in college or go short.

BACKSTROKE: ★

Backstroke is a weak point for Michigan in terms of NCAA scoring prospects with Casey Chung being the team’s lone swimmer to qualify in either the 100 or 200 last season.

Chung was within striking distance of putting points on the board in the 100 back, placing 23rd, and set a best time of 51.81 leading off the Wolverines’ 400 medley relay, within three-tenths of what it took to score individually (51.55).

Lexi Greenhawt led off the 200 medley relay with a solid 24.17, so the team is still in a good spot for the relay lead-offs, but Greenhawt still has time to drop if she’s to make some noise individually (she was a relay-only swimmer in 2024).

Michigan’s top 200 backstroker last season was Lily Cleason, who was 1:55.05 in February and wasn’t on the team’s scoring roster for Big Tens.

The only incoming freshman with any kind of backstroke pedigree is Connelly, who has been 53.73 in the 100 and notably 24.62 (and 29.06 in long course) in the 50. There’s potential there.

BREASTSTROKE: ★★★

Letitia Sim‘s redshirt season was a blow to Michigan’s breaststroke prospects last season, as Devon Kitchel was the team’s lone NCAA qualifier in either event.

Kitchel recorded a lifetime best en route to placing 38th in the 100 breast (1:00.07) at NCAAs, and was 39th in the 200 breast (2:11.27) after touching two one-hundredths slower than her PB from Big Tens. Her best event is the 200 IM, and while she was solid in the breaststrokes in Sim’s absence, the return of the Singaporean will be significant.

Sim set best times of 58.34 in the 100 breast and 2:08.19 in the 200 breast at NCAAs in 2022, and was just slightly off those times in 2023 to place 9th in the 100 (58.48) and 18th in the 200 (2:08.39).

Her pedigree in the 100 breast makes her a surefire scorer with ‘A’ final potential, while in the 200 she’s right on the cusp of scoring. She was 18th in both 2022 and 2023, but could push through to the top 16 this year, especially if she breaks 2:08.

Adding depth to the breaststroke group is Claire Donan, who is expected to return for a fifth year and was 1:00.63 in the 100 last season. Rising senior Natalie Kan also swam the 200 medley relay at NCAAs last season in Sim’s absence, splitting 27.6.

BUTTERFLY: ★★★

Hannah Bellard was right on the cusp of cracking the NCAA ‘A’ final in the 200 fly as a freshman, ultimately placing 11th in a time of 1:53.68. She went 1:53.21 at the Georgia Fall Invitational, .01 off her best time set prior to college. If she were to recreate her PB in last year’s NCAA prelims, she still lands in the ‘B’ final in 9th. At least three of the 2024 ‘A’ finalists have graduated, which makes Bellard a top candidate for top-eight points in 2025.

In addition to Bellard, Michigan boasts the two-time defending Big Ten champion in the 200 fly, Katie Crom, who went 1:53.94 in 2023 and was 1:54.61 last season. She didn’t score at NCAAs after adding a bit of time, but has the pedigree to be a scorer.

Crom also set a best time in the long course pool this past summer, going 2:09.81 at the U.S. Olympic Trials to place 9th.

Neither Crom or Bellard races the 100 fly consistently, but that’s still an event Michigan is strong in.

Brady Kendall (51.72), Kan (51.88) and Anna Boemer (51.99) all broke 52 seconds last season, and they’re also bringing in Leila Fack, who has been 59.44 in long course which converts to 52.28 (which may be conservative).

Kendall was 24th at NCAAs and Kan was 40th, with the 16th-place points cut-off in prelims sitting at 51.34. Kendall could drop down, or Fack could realistically get there in her freshman year, but the Wolverines are on the outside looking in for 100 fly points, for now, while the 200 fly they have two good chances.

IM: ★½

Michigan loses its only scoring IMer from last season, Kathryn Ackerman, who dropped a best time of 4:06.88 in the 400 IM during the 2024 NCAA prelims before placing 15th in the ‘B’ final.

Narrowly missing the points last year was Devon Kitchel, who placed 17th in the 200 IM in 1:55.60, 15 one-hundredths shy of a second swim.

Kitchel, Letitia Sim and Stephanie Balduccini are all within striking distance of scoring in the 200 with small drops, though it seems possible Balduccini opts to swim the 50 free this year.

Without Ackerman, prospects are thin in the 400 IM—she was their only swimmer in the event at NCAAs in 2024. Hannah Bellard was next-fastest last season at 4:10.29, which qualified for NCAAs and she was actually entered in the event before scratching out. She also went 4:10 the year before in club swimming, so it’s not out of the question she could drop two seconds and end up scoring.

Kitchel is a good depth option in the 400 IM through the season at 4:12.26, but not for NCAAs where she’ll race the 100 breast instead.

DIVING: ★★

Australian Kiarra Milligan was the only diver from Michigan to qualify for NCAAs last season, making the ‘A’ final of the 3-meter event and placing 7th.

That finish gave Milligan 12 points, making her the second-highest individual scorer for the team at the 2024 NCAAs. She didn’t qualify to compete in either the 1-meter or platform event.

Evie Johnson was the only other Wolverine to place in the top 16 in a diving event at Big Tens. The British native, who will be a senior this year, was 12th on platform and 14th on 3-meter, but missed out on NCAA qualification.

RELAYS: ★★★

The Wolverines lose zero NCAA relay legs from last season and arguably stand to improve in at least some of the events, meaning we should expect last year’s total of 91 points as a baseline that they could easily surpass.

The quartet of Balduccini, Flynn, Newman and Kendall placed 4th in the 400 free relay and 5th in the 200 free relay last season, scoring big points for Michigan. Balduccini, Crom, Christey Liang and Malia Amuan combined to take 8th in the 800 free relay, and the team could be faster this season with the addition of Rebecca Diaconescu, while Leila Fack could factor in the sprint relays.

Where the Wolverines will surely improve is the medley relays, as the return of Letitia Sim should give them another second on the 200 medley and nearly two on the 400 medley. They were 12th in the 200 medley and tied for 16th in the 400, but could move up into the top eight in both with Sim. However, that’s assuming no other team gets quicker and the rest of the legs remain the same, which are both unknowns.

Kendall swam fly and Flynn was on free on both medleys last year, while Lexi Greenhawt was the backstroke lead-off on the 200 medley relay (24.17) and Casey Chung went first on the 400 medley (51.81).

Total Stars: 20/30

2024-25 OUTLOOK

Michigan is in a good spot heading into the season. With only one major loss, some new blood that figures to make an immediate impact, and an established core that continues to grow together, the expectation should be that they can challenge for a top 10 spot after a comfortable 12th last year.

It will be the final year of eligibility for one of the lynchpins of the Wolverine relays, Lindsay Flynn, but the team has done well to fill in those spots with Stephanie Balduccini leading the way and the newcomers this season bringing plenty of promise.

The return of Letitia Sim, with two more seasons of eligibility, is significant, and the development of someone like Hannah Bellard, and the continued reliable performances from names like Brady Kendall and Katie Crom put the team up among the best in the nation after a down year post-Maggie MacNeil in 2023.

WOMEN’S 2024-25 COLLEGE PREVIEW INDEX

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