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Denver, Yale Capture Women's MM Titles

The Denver and Yale are the CollegeSwimming 2016-17 Mid-Major Champions.  It is the first time in the program's fourteen year history that there has been a tie.  Both programs are led by a pair of Texas-exes head coaches Brian Schrader (Denver) and Yale's Jim Henry.

The Pioneers and Bulldogs won the Summit and Ivy League titles respectively.  DU was powered by All-Americans Bailey Andison and Amanda Sanders and NCAA Qualifiers Morgan McCormick and Madeline Myers.  Yale University tied DU for the top spot following their Ivy League Championship. Sprinters Isabella Hindley, and Kina Zhoun and breaststroker Cha O'Leary led the Bulldogs to their first Ivy League title since 1997.

Conference champions Boise State (MWC) and Akron (MAC) finished third and fourth while Harvard finished fifth.  Rounding out the top ten were Florida International, Southern Methodist, Florida Gulf Coast, Houston and Eastern Michigan.

Past Champions | Conference Rankings | Mid-Major Definition

2017 CollegeSwimming Mid-Major Top 50

Rank School Meet Points
1 Denver Summit League Championships 824.31
1 Yale Ivy League Championships 824.31
3 Boise State Mountain West Championships 821.86
4 Akron MAC Championships 816.79
5 Harvard Ivy League Championships 810.93
6 Florida International C-USA Championships 809.66
7 Southern Methodist American Championships 807.97
8 Florida Gulf Coast CCSA Championships 807.72
9 Houston American Championships 795.45
10 Eastern Michigan MAC Championships 792.79
11 Buffalo MAC Championships 789.03
12 Rice C-USA Championships 788.55
13 Cincinnati American Championships 787.35
14 Penn Ivy League Championships 784.48
15 San Diego State Mountain West Championships 782.45
16 Navy Patriot League Championships 782.24
17 Villanova Big East Championships 780.97
18 Nevada Mountain West Championships 778.48
19 Wyoming Mountain West Championships 776.48
20 Miami-OH MAC Championships 776.21
21 UC-Santa Barbara MPSF Championships 775.55
22 Marshall C-USA Championships 774.14
23 Hawaii MPSF Championships 773.28
24 Colorado State Horizon League Championships 773.21
25 Liberty CCSA Championships 773.17
26 Princeton Ivy League Championships 771.17
27 Oakland Horizon League Championships 770.93
28 William and Mary CAA Championships 769.90
29 East Carolina American Championships 769.38
30 Missouri State Missouri Valley Championships 767.97
31 Brown Ivy League Championships 767.72
32 New Mexico Mountain West Championships 765.86
33 UC-Davis MPSF Championships 760.48
34 Pacific MPSF Championships 760.14
35 Tulane American Championships 758.48
36 Columbia Ivy League Championships 753.48
37 UMBC America East Championships 753.41
38 Cornell Ivy League Championships 751.66
39 Bowling Green MAC Championships 751.38
40 Richmond Atlantic 10 Championships 750.93
41 Air Force Mountain West Championships 750.55
42 North Texas C-USA Championships 750.28
43 Ohio University MAC Championships 748.69
44 James Madison CAA Championships 747.35
45 Grand Canyon WAC Championships 746.21
46 Lehigh Patriot League Championships 746.21
47 Connecticut Big East Championships 744.79
48 Drexel CAA Championships 742.79
49 Duquesne Atlantic 10 Championships 742.66
50 San Jose State Mountain West Championships 741.83

Past Women's Champions

2015-16 - Denver
2014-15 - San Diego State
2013-14 - San Diego State
2012-13 - Harvard
2010-12 - Ohio
2010-11 - Princeton
2009-10 - Princeton
2008-09 - Harvard
2007-08 - Harvard
2006-07 - Harvard
2005-06 - Harvard
2004-05 - UC-Irvine
2003-04 - Miami-OH

Conference Rankings

Previous year's ranking in parentheses

1 Ivy League (1) 183
1 Mid-American (3) 183
3 MWC (2) 198
4 American Athletic (4) 204
5 C-USA (6) 235
6 MPSF (5) 280
7 Patriot (8) 358
8 CAA (7) 361
9 CCSA (9) 367
10 Atlantic 10 (10) 410
11 WAC (11) 411
12 MVC (16) 412
13 Big East (13) 414
14 Horizon (14) 435
15 Summit (15) 471
16 America East (17) 502
17 Northeast (18) 559
18 MAAC (19) 682

Mid-Major Definition

Beginning in 2015, CollegeSwimming defined Mid-Majors as those programs outside of the Power 5 (Big Ten, Pac 12, Big 12, ACC, and SEC) or those that offered fewer than 50% of the maximum number of scholarships allowed by the NCAA. 

But what about other "Major" schools?

With the institution of the College Football Playoff in 2014, significant gaps emerged between the Power 5 and other FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) programs in the American, C-USA, Mid-American, and Mountain West.  This resulted in significant differences in swimming budgets with other FBS' swimming teams much closer to more traditional Mid-Majors (in both relative terms and actual dollars). 

Average Division I Swimming Budgets  Men Women
Power 5: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC  $1,283,138  $1,435,581
FBS: American, C-USA, Mid-American, Mountain West $530,202 $798,656
FCS/Non-Football Conferences $331,305 $443,579

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