The NCAA’s bombshell after-the-start-of-the-season announcement of changes to the NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championship format (qualifying and competition) has shaken college swimming to its core.
At a moment in the sport where we all agree that changes are needed, the overwhelming response so far has been negative. With any change this radical, that’s an inevitability – although it doesn’t mean that the objections are incorrect.
Among the many, many objections (including things like disrupting divers’ performance mentality, the structure of the new schedule, allowing slower swimmers to get invited over faster ones), two things really jump out at me.
One is that I hope that the powers that be will share the results of this experiment. Do ratings go up? Do ticket sales go up? Do more folks sign up for ESPN+ subscriptions?
These are being called data-driven, viewer-driven decisions. If that’s true, then the viewer data should be shared with all stakeholders. Swimming historically and recently has been horrendous at transparency, but if a small group of decision makers are going to drop such radical changes, there should be accountability.
The CSCAA, which drove the proposal, and the NCAA, which approved it, need to tell the world what happens. It’s not that we’d expect ESPN to release full streaming data, but at a minimum we should expect a growth percentage number (viewers increased by X%) and some idea of how much closer we’re getting to the goals of any amount of linear coverage.
The other was brought up by Washington State head coach Russ Whitaker on X.
The one area of this I still don’t understand though is the AQ. Why would we eliminate the most realistic final these athletes would qualify for if they have Cinderella run? Still believe there’s a better way for these kids to swim on TV at night and have their story told.
— Russ Whitaker (@WazzuSwimCoach) October 4, 2025
His point is a good one: the NCAA and CSCAA made one change to ‘spread the wealth,’ which is allowing (mostly mid-major) conference champions who clear stiff time standards to ‘jump the line’ and qualify ahead of faster swimmers who didn’t win conference championships; and another that limits the wealth, which is eliminating B Finals, where those mid-major conference champions are most likely to qualify.
It’s not the changes that bother me, it’s that they seem to be neutralizing changes.
At least year’s NCAA Championship meets, in individual events with A and B finals (i.e., excluding the 1650 free), 5 swims from schools outside of the Power 4 conferences finished in the A final, while 10 finished in the B final.
Hand counted. Check my math.
That list includes Emily Lundgren from Washington State, who was 6th in the 200 breaststroke and 16th in the 100 breaststroke at last year’s NCAA Championships.
If getting swimmers to the NCAA Championships is good, getting them a prime time swim is even better. It’s unlikely that more casual fans tuning in to watch mid-major swimmers race in prelims would outweigh more casual fans tuning in to watch certain teams in B finals.
Ultimately, I don’t think cutting the B-Finals saves enough time to justify the loss of those evening swims, especially if we account for other reductions in dead time during the session that could offset some of that B-Final time (awards changes, reducing diving).
I’m willing to give it a shot. I’m happy that someone is trying something. It just feels like some parts of this plan are inelegant and contradictory. Let’s hope this is the beginning of something new.
“Willing to give it a shot” is one thing when you’re just writing about it. But when you’re a senior and this is your last season and you were on the cusp of finaling last year, it would probably feel like a gut punch.
Why rush this huge change? Oh that’s right: money from broadcasting, of course.
I appears the CSCAA board saw Bud Light’s and Cracker Barrel’s strategies, decided they wanted to alienate at least half their clientele and said… “Hold my Beer!”
Was it ever considered to move the meet away from March Madness? Hard to entice casual viewers when it conflicts with the most popular NCAA postseason tournament. Would viewership go up or down if the meet was two weeks earlier or even two weeks later?
Additionally, was it ever considered to have more than just two stationary go-pros stream the prelims? Maybe even some announcers in the booth for prelims too. This isn’t necessarily the CSCAA’s fault, but certainly there’s a way to enhance the TV product without actually changing what the product is. If we are going to make the B-finals score in the morning, then can we at least get a better TV experience in the morning?… Read more »
It has been discussed ad nauseum at higher levels. I don’t know if the NCAA killed that idea or if the coaches did, but it seems like it got dropped over the summer.
“We got the change we wanted…” now get the pitchforks! Seriously you guys don’t like anything.
While I do not love all of the changes and feel that it is too much all at once, I get why these changes were made. I’m sure this will get a bunch of down votes, but here we go…
Ever since NIL and the House settlement, like it or not, ALL sports are considered a business. I have read a lot of comments about “taking away opportunities” by getting rid of the B final. While I personally would love to still see a B final, if the NCAA and swimming/diving interests are trying to reach a broader audience, no one cares outside of the current swimming world to see a B final, or will ever remember who won… Read more »
Special Report – No one outside of the swimming world really cares about the A finals either. Sad reality but that is the truth.
Name one other championship meet, at any level, that doesn’t have a consolation final. I’ll wait.
(And before you say Olympics or Olympic Trials, they DO have semifinals which IMO counts as a second swim.)
This benefits no one.
High School limits the number of swimmers per event. No one wants to see a pay for play stacked team run the table with 5+ kids per event. Remember, this is just swimming. The Westminster Dog Show dwarfs it in ratings. Relax.
Move the 1650 FR from Day 4 to Day 1 and the 100 BK or 100 BR from Day 3 to Day 2. All the other changes were completely unnecessary.
Morons!
200 IM and 500 free had to be separated.