The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) has announced changes to the postseason qualification standards in the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, and 500 freestyle. The change in the standards follows an emergency meeting on January 27, during which the MIAA Management Committee discussed options to reduce the size of the Sectional Championships due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The time standards determined by the committee are based upon the goal of only having 18 swimmers or relays entered per event. The adjustments to the cuts are as follows:
- 200 medley relay
- Girls:
- South: 2:05.66 to 2:03.47
- North: 2:13.22 to 2:04.56
- Boys
- South: 1:52.71 to 1:48.84
- North: 1:52.53 to 1:47.85
- Girls:
- 500 freestyle
- Girls
- South: 5:55.73 to 5:43.48
- North: 5:54.51 to 5:50.66
- Boys
- South: 5:27.01 to 5:21.17
- North: 5:23.10 to 5:08.92
- Girls
- 200 medley relay
- Girls
- South: 1:52.42 to 1:49.80
- North: 1:58.71 to 1:52.83
- Boys
- South: 1:40.44 to 1:37.33
- North: 1:39.33 to 1:36.40
- Girls
- 400 freestyle relay
- Girls
- South: 4:13.24 to 4:04.66
- North: 4:26.48 to 4:12.82
- Boys
- South: 3:42.72 to 3:35.57
- North: 3:44.36 to 3:37.08
- Girls
The MIAA’s postseason follows a 2 meet format, with the Sectional Championships preceding the State Championships. Both meets require time standards for qualification with the States standards being faster than the Sectionals standards. For the Sectional Championships, the state is sectioned off into 3 separate regions: North, South, and West. The changes noted above only apply for the North and South Sectional meets.
To view the qualification standards for all meets, click here.
According to the MIAA, the 2022 Winter North and South Swim and Dive Sectional Championships will be held at Milford High School on February 12 and 13, which is only a 6-lane, 25 yard pool. Traditionally, the same meet has been held at MIT, which has a 10-lane, 25-yard pool and an additional 8-lane, 25-yard pool used for diving. However, MIT is currently not allowing any outside visitors inside campus buildings due to coronavirus concerns, forcing the meet to be moved. The West Sectional Championships are set to be held the same weekend at Springfield College, which is a 6-lane, 50 meter pool that can be sectioned off into a 6-lane, 25 yard pool and a separate diving well. The State Championships will be held one weekend later at Boston University, which has a 10-lane, 25 yard pool and separate diving well.
The MIAA ran into a similar issue for the 2021 Fall Sectional and State Swimming and Diving Championships last November as both traditional hosts, Harvard and MIT, would not host the meets due to Covid. According to the MIAA’s website, the meets were held at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the Boston Sports Institute instead, both of which are already hosting collegiate championships the weekend of February 12-13.
Recap Fall States meet?
Oof, sucks for whoever got cut.
Tho that said, the format for these meets has never made sense to me anyway. Sectionals, sure, it’s somewhat based on geography and you can invite more teams b/c there’s multiple sites. But then there’s…still not one all-state meet.
And there’s still not going to be one all-state meet with some of the schools still holding out from leaving the Fall and going to a single season in the winter. Seriously, is there any other state that splits the sport (apart from gender)? Milford pool has no warm-up/warm-down. The blocks are only about a foot above the water. No post-season last year, and no wonder club swimmers tend to skip swimming in high school in Massachusetts.
Meanwhile, Georgia just held a phenomenal meet at Georgia Tech.
NH splits the sport too
Wait, the meet was at Milford?!? I get pissed having rec league meets there because their blocks are the wrong height, what the hell. Oofs
This is exactly why “making states” is a bad goal.
milford high boutta be a movie