Pre-selection entry sheets for the 2020 NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships have been published. These lists don’t list swimmers who will necessarily be invited to the NCAA Championship meet; rather, teams were able to list all swimmers with B cuts for a chance at selection. Swimmers are required to submit only 3 events for these pre-selection entry lists.
The number of women’s invitees will be around 319, at approximately 20 swimmers per individual event and exactly 20 relays; 29 invitees will be divers. Approximately 260 men will be invited, with about 16 invitees per swimming event (and exactly 16 relays), and 24 divers. The difference between women and men reflects the gender imbalance in Division III as a whole.
The selection process is somewhat complicated, but here’s the gist:
First, the NCAA will select the top 20/16 individuals in each event (29/24 for diving). Then, entries will be added to each relay event one-at-a-time, until all relay events have 20/16 entries.
If, at some point, the addition of one relay per event to the entire order of events puts the field over the total participant cap number, the relay whose time is closest to the Division III established “B” cut will be selected by entry until 20 relays are selected or the maximum participant number is reached. No additional relays will be added if the next relay for selection would surpass the maximum participant number or the last complete individual row.
After the selection process is conducted, if there is a disparity of more than one between individual and relay complete rows, then one individual event row is eliminated and the process returns to relay selection. No more than 20 relays will be selected.
If, after selecting relays, there are still additional spots left to fulfill the participant cap number, additional individuals whose time is greatest in percentage to the Division III established “B” cut will be selected by 1 individual entry until the participant cap is reached.
Last year, the qualifying line for individual women’s races was either 21 or 22, and for relays it was 20. For the men, individual races and relays were cut at 16 entries.
Unlike in Division I, Division III swimmers invited to swim on relays only can swim up to three events in which they have “B” time standards, regardless of whether they were selected individually in those events.
Each team is capped at 18 student-athletes of each gender, so the Denison men’s team will have to pare down its roster. Divers count only as 1/3 of a competitor.
The 2020 NCAA Division III National Championship meet will run from March 18th through March 21st.
Notable Entries
- Kenyon junior David Fitch will attempt to defend his national titles in the 100 fly and 100 back, along with racing the 50 free, at nationals. Those entries aren’t a huge surprise, except that he has the fastest time in the country this season in the 200 fly.
- Kenyon’s Crile Hart will swim as the top seed in the 200 IM, 100 back, and 200 back. Hart, who has 8 career NCAA titles (including relays), is the defending NCAA Division III Champion in the 100 back and 200 backstrokes. She’ll also swim as part of the 200 IM, which will be a premier event at the meet. She is also the fastest swimmer in the nation this season in the 50 free, 100 free and 100 fly.
- Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Collin Miller will swim the 200 IM, 100 breaststroke, and the 100 free. As the 2nd-best swimmer in the 100 breaststroke in Division III history, the breaststrokes were a given. He had the choice of the 50 free, where he’s 4th in the country this season, versus the 200 IM, where he’s 2nd in the country, on the meet’s opening day, though.
- Calvin College’s Julian Iturbe will swim the 50 free (63rd rank), 200 free (7th seed), and 100 free (6th seed). He’s opting for the 50 free on day 1 of the meet over the 500 free, where he ranks 11th in the country so far this season.
- MIT’s Bouke Edskes will swim the 200 IM (#4 seed), 100 fly (#4 seed), and 200 fly (#1 seed). That means he’ll skip the 400 IM, where he ranks 2nd in the country this season.
Also of note. Laura Westphal is not defending her title in 1650 title.
The psych sheets are now out so we can see the B cut/relay swimmers as well as the invited swimmers. I know the selection process is complicated but could you refresh my memory on what the NS stands for next to the swimmers listed below the B cuts on the psych sheets?
I believe that means they do not have the cut but have opted to swim that event. I could be very wrong with that though
Official psych sheets are up
relays last year brought back 18 on the women’s side
Looks like Emory may be looking at the end of their streak. Denison women look pretty dominant.
Denison men are a bit ahead but Kenyon’s close enough to keep it interesting. Especially since they seem likely to score a few points diving.
Yeah. It is very hard to figure out where Kenyon stands in terms of title potential. They could conceivably sweep the relays–even the 800 free relay, though I think Denison still has 60/40 odds on that one. Denison will probably have more overall swims b/ c of more individual invitees with more B cuts, and this may give them an initial edge.
Collin Miller is doing the 100 Free – not the 200 Breast
watch out for SCIAC’s new breast stroker champ. He beat Lukas by 1.5 seconds. He is still unknown in the swimming world but a great all around natural athlete.
It’s an inexact science not knowing the names associated with all the relays (and some entries being aggregate times particularly in the 400 Medley and 800 Free relay), but I’ve been fussing with the Women’s numbers since the release earlier this afternoon.
My take is that top 20 individual and 20 relay lines will go slightly over the cap and that relays will back down to 19 plus some on line 20 and that a couple of women from line 21 might make it.
We’ll see tomorrow night or Thursday if my prognostication is any good.