Nov. 18, 2011

CollegeSwimming.com's Mid-Major Polls

Bronx, N.Y. - The first CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Division I Ranking was released on Thursday with the Fordham women's swimming & diving team ranked 16th, while the Fordham men's team is receiving votes in the initial poll.

Now in its 10th year, the Mid-Major Rankings serve to provide an objective point system to compare teams' relative strength in a traditional dual meet lineup. The ranking is available to those institutions that a) are not members of a BCS conference or Mountain West Conference, or b) provide fewer than one-half of the allowable scholarships under the NCAA rules.

The Fordham women's team is off to another strong start in 2011-12. The Rams are 3-0 in dual meet competition, led by senior Courtney Collyer and junior Brienne Ryan, who have already earned Atlantic 10 Performer of the Week honors this season. Heading into this weekend's Invitational competitions, Ryan holds the top times in the Atlantic 10 in the 50-yard freestyle, and 50-, 100-, and 200-yard backstroke events, while Collyer has the top times in the league in the 500-yard freestyle and the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events.

On the men's team, three Fordham Rams have already captured weekly Atlantic 10 honors this season, including junior Thomas Yi, sophomore Shintaro Noguchi, and freshman Patrick Militti. Heading into this weekend, Noguchi holds the top times in the conference in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly events.

The Fordham swimming & diving teams look to rise up the polls this weekend, as the groups begin competition at the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Other teams in the invitational besides Fordham are Colgate, Bucknell, Delaware, Georgetown, and La Salle.