All You Need to Know About High School Meets/Scoring/Qualifying for State

Hi Swim and Dive Families!

I've had a few questions about how meets are scored and how a swimmer qualifies for the High School State meet.  Hopefully this article will clear up any confusion (adapted from this awesome article).

(Greysen and Hazel standing on the podium at last year's State meet)

If you are new to high school swimming, you may find it a bit confusing. It's unlike USA Swimming or Y Swimming club meets. High school swim is a competitive team sport, structured like the collegiate sport. Points from each event are added together for each team to determine the meet scores.

Here's an overview of what to expect and how to enjoy the high school season.

Dual Meets

The high school season consists of a number of dual meets against teams in our conference. Meet programs that list each swimmer competing by event are not always available. The visiting teams typically do not turn in a lineup until they arrive at the meet and there is not enough time to print spectator copies. More often than not the lineup for both teams must be adjusted after arriving at the pool due to illnesses and other eligibility issues. Technically the lineup can be changed by either team up until the start of the previous event.

For dual meets, each team enters up to three swimmers in each individual event and three relay teams in each relay event. Most events have a JV heat followed by a Varsity heat. In some cases there will be an exhibition heat prior to the JV heat. Most dual meets run two hours or less.

Swimmers may enter a maximum of four events, no more than two of which can be individual events. Swimmers are selected by the coach for each event or relay based on their times and the coach's goals for that meet. Depending on the meet, swimmers may have the opportunity to swim "off events" to mix things up and have some fun. For these more relaxed meets, relay teams may be scrambled as well.

A typical dual meet has three relay swim events and eight individual swim events, and a diving competition. . The order of the events for a dual meet is typically as follows:

• 200 Yard Medley Relay
• 200 Yard Freestyle
• 200 Yard Individual Medley
• 50 Yard Freestyle
• Diving

10 Minute Warm-Up

• 100 Yard Butterfly
• 100 Yard Freestyle
• 500 Yard Freestyle
• 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
• 100 Yard Backstroke
• 100 Yard Breaststroke
• 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

For dual meets (which have a maximum of three entries per team in typical six lane pools):

* Relays are scored: 8-4-2-0 — with only two relay teams being allowed to score for each team.
* Individual events are scored: 6-4-3-2-1-0.

Points from the diving competition are scored as an individual event; the point values are the same as an individual swim event. The exception being that Conference dual meets do not count diving points if one team does not have a dive program.

Unlike club meets, times swam at meets during the team season do not qualify a swimmer for state competition. State qualifying comes from winning your event at one of the 6 sectional meets, or finishing as one of the next fastest 18 swimmers in the state.

There are no ribbons or other awards at dual meets, just an opportunity for swimmers to better their times, help the team score points, and maybe even set a new record!

Conference, Sectional and State Meets

The Conference Meet is held at the end of the season.  This meet determines the Team Champion of the Conference. Additionally, swimmers earn first, second, and honorable mention All-Conference honors for each event based on their finish and receive medals for these top 3 finishers. The format is the same as a dual meet, but the number of teams participating means more heats and a longer meet. Each team gets a total of 27 entries for all individual events and two entries for each relay event.  In addition, there is a Junior Varsity Conference meet held before the Conference Meet.  We are allowed unlimited entries in the JV Conference meet.  Swimmers are allowed (and often do) compete in both the JV and Varsity Conference meets, but not in the same event.  There is a 4 event maximum (total for both meets).  

WIAA Sectional Meet - Each team gets a total of 18 entries for all individual events and one entry for each relay event. Medals are awarded to the top two swimmers in each event, plus any other state qualifiers.

WIAA State Meet - The state meet is held at the UW Madison aquatic facility; it is a great achievement to qualify for this meet celebrating the state's top swimmers.