After several apparent missed relay disqualification calls at a Last Chance Meet hosted by Washington & Lee University last season, Athletics Director Jan Hathorn and Head Coach Kami Gardner replied to SwimSwam regarding their officiating situation at that meet and how the program plans to handle officiating going forward
Their email did not directly address the specific disqualifications in question; instead, it focused on the broader circumstances surrounding the meet and outlined steps for the future.
“The officials at our meet were certified officials who worked according to established protocols and NCAA rules,” Hathorne told SwimSwam. “Over the course of several years, W&L has experienced limited officiating resources in our area, and we contract with these same officials to work any W&L home meets, and we contracted them for this meet exactly as we contract with any certified officials in our area based on availability.”
This last chance meet was live-streamed with video showing a number of situations where a swimmer left early on relay exchanges, leading to faster times to qualify for the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.
“Per the 2024-2025 NCAA rules and regulations, during the meet, there were no dual confirmations for relay exchanges, take-off pads were not available, and high-speed video review was neither required nor accessible. “ Hathorne said. “To our knowledge there is no conference, regional, or national officiating body that manages meet assignments.”
The final portion of the message highlighted the next steps for the program to be able to host these sorts of competitions in the future.
“After a thorough investigation, following the meet, W&L has worked to implement changes moving forward. We have identified and secured additional officials from outside the immediate area to contract for our home meets.” Hathorne added.
“Additionally, because we have limited event management resources during championship season or access to take-off pad technology, we will only host future invitationals of this nature when we secure advanced technology. We remain fully committed to upholding the high standards of our sport, program, and university.”
Washington & Lee and Mary Washington were the two teams that appeared to leave early on relay exchanges. Washington & Lee’s women’s 200 freestyle relay and men’s 200 medley relay both featured uncalled false starts, while Mary Washington’s women’s 200 medley relay also showed a clearly early takeover.
I can’t believe they are allowed to race this year. They should be sanctioned at least a year. The video shows just how egregious this was. This wasn’t because they had too few or poorly trained officials. They got busted because their racing time at NCAA’s was a minute off their posted time.
Disgraceful abomination. I would expect nothing less from a school that still honours a white supremacist traitor in their name.
shame on W&L!
Cheaters NEVER prosper
The classic Splash Bang meet. A local D2 team used to be famous for that at their last chance meet. The head coach would start the meet and practice his starting cadence with the team so they could anticipate the start.
I know this wasn’t the true reason but put the word out to local LSCs and officials will come. Especially if you’re paying, which sounds like they were.
The official on the far side is the head coach’s husband. The other official is his son. Those are factually accurate statements that you can decide whether or not they impact your understanding of what took place.
Even well officiated last-chance meets are somewhat unfair for relay times bc swimmers know that they can push the limit on starts without hurting team points with a DQ. 4×50 relays can be done numerous times. But this meet apparently took it a step further into outright fraud — nobody watched for false starts at all! That these swims were used for NCAA qualifying is outrageous. There’s a good argument for sanctioning the teams involved (penalties THIS season) — so as to deter this kind of nonsense in the future.
If they have such limitations, they should not be hosting the meet.
Bingo!