For those unfamiliar with swimming terminology, the concept of “Ups” and “Downs” is a good way to track which teams performed best at prelims. In prelims at the NCAA National Championships, swimmers and divers qualify for one of two finals heats: the top 8 finishers make the A final, and places 9 through 16, the B final. In finals, swimmers are locked into their respective final, meaning a swimmer in the B heat (spots 9-16) can only place as high as 9th or as low as 16th, even if they put up the fastest or slowest time, or score the most diving points, of any heat in the final.
With that in mind, we’ll be tracking “Ups,” and “Downs” after each prelims session. “Up” refers to swimmers in the A final, “Down” to swimmers in the B final.
First-place Emory had their best morning yet, outscoring expectations by 37 points, most notably by getting four 100 freestylers into the A final. Kenyon had a good showing in morning heats of the 1650, but missed out on the 100 free final altogether. Denison sits 33 points behind Williams in the battle for third place in the team standings, and the Big Red had a couple of missed opportunities this morning while Williams did a tad better than expected. Amherst, Bates, Birmingham Southern, Bowdoin and Wash U all had strong performances on the final day.
Women’s Ups/Downs – Day 4
Note: while the 1650 free is included here in ups/downs, it is misleading in that it is a timed final, not a prelims/finals race. The 8 fastest-seeded teams coming into the meet are the “ups” that will swim in tonight’s final; the “downs” are the 8 fastest performances from this morning’s session. However, some of the “downs” might actually wind up in the top 8.
Anne Lepesant is the mother of four daughters, all of whom swam in college. With an undergraduate degree from Princeton (where she was an all-Ivy tennis player) and an MBA from INSEAD, she worked for many years in the financial industry, both in France and the U.S. Anne is currently …
