Men's Swimming | Nov 14, 2017

SAINT LEO, Fla. – Both the Saint Leo men's and women's swim teams were ranked among the top 25 teams in Division II when the first College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) / TYR Division II Top 25 coaches polls were released Tuesday.

Men's swimming checked in at No. 17 in the season's inaugural poll. The Lions were immediately in front of Sunshine State Conference rival University of Tampa at No. 18 and right behind No. 16 Florida Tech, with No. 7 Nova Southeastern and No. 11 Florida Southern also representing the SSC in the ranking.

Women's swimming appeared tied with McKendree University (Ill.) at No. 23 in the poll, with the Lions one of only three SSC teams to make an appearance in the CSCAA/TYR top 25. Nova Southeastern checked in at No. 3 in the ranking, while the University of Tampa was slotted at No. 16.

"The dual meet polls are a bit interesting as its tough for the committee to get a 'true' eye test on how head to head meets would go by using a computer meet simulator," said Paul Mangen, Saint Leo's head men's and women's swimming coach. "The nuances that exist in swimming can be far and wide, so much so that I personally am not going to put too much weight into this as we have a plan for our season and so far we are on a good trajectory."

"On the relays that have been highly contested, our men have an average relay ranking of seventh place nationally and the women have an eighth-place national relay ranking. I personally keep a closer eye on average relay ranking, as well as individual improvement across the board. Once all the fall and winter invites take place, a much clearer picture of the national landscape takes place and we'll know more then as to how well we are progressing toward finishing among the top 10 nationally at the end of the year," said Mangen.

Both Saint Leo teams return to action on Friday, Nov. 17, when they travel to Melbourne, Fla., to compete in the Florida Tech Panther Invitational.

For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo swimming teams, visit www.saintleolions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.