[M T]

Now, I'll step down from my soapbox and try to answer your questions.

The question about the "speedsuit's artificial depression of swimming records" depends upon which swim suit technology one wants to consider as the problem.  I think clearly swimming is ahead of 2000 and probably 2004.  Although we're now starting to see world, etc. records since the 2010 change in swim suit rules, swimmers aren't ahead of 2009, except in a few situations.

Yes, for swimming, it is having enough super-elite athletes to score a lot of points at nationals.  Stanford won 2 of 5 relays, but couldn't compete for the overall championship.  Relays are not enough, but often if you win the relays, you pile up points in individual events as well.  (So the medley relay is more telling -- the swimmers in that will likely do well in 8 events, not just 3)

I have to say that I'm not familiar enough with the recruiting of Stanford and that other team to state why Stanford has won fewer championships in recent years.  I have noticed that the school-that-shall-not-be-named has a number of foreign athletes in many of its programs (4 in W swim, 5 in M swim, 1 in WBB, 3 in MBB, etc.).  In the best years of Stanford women's swimming, Stanford had a coach that had multiple national championships in his previous school and was a perennial Olympic coach.  He continued that tradition at Stanford.  He clearly had an edge at recruiting, or perhaps, choosing amongst those asking to swim for him.  That was essentially a unique situation. 

[M T]

Now, I'll step down from my soapbox and try to answer your questions.

The question about the "speedsuit's artificial depression of swimming records" depends upon which swim suit technology one wants to consider as the problem.  I think clearly swimming is ahead of 2000 and probably 2004.  Although we're now starting to see world, etc. records since the 2010 change in swim suit rules, swimmers aren't ahead of 2009, except in a few situations.

Yes, for swimming, it is having enough super-elite athletes to score a lot of points at nationals.  Stanford won 2 of 5 relays, but couldn't compete for the overall championship.  Relays are not enough, but often if you win the relays, you pile up points in individual events as well.  (So the medley relay is more telling -- the swimmers in that will likely do well in 8 events, not just 3)

I have to say that I'm not familiar enough with the recruiting of Stanford and that other team to state why Stanford has won fewer championships in recent years.  I have noticed that the school-that-shall-not-be-named has a number of foreign athletes in many of its programs (4 in W swim, 5 in M swim, 1 in WBB, 3 in MBB, etc.).  In the best years of Stanford women's swimming, Stanford had a coach that had multiple national championships in his previous school and was a perennial Olympic coach.  He continued that tradition at Stanford.  He clearly had an edge at recruiting, or perhaps, choosing amongst those asking to swim for him.  That was essentially a unique situation.