Changes Adopted to NCAA National Swim Championships Selection Process

BUFFALO, NY – The NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet recently adopted a  new selection process for swimmers that would focus more on individual events starting with the 2013 Division I Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Under the former selection process, the number of swimmers selected for the individual events often wasn't significantly more than the number of scoring positions for those events. For example, the top 16 finishers in an event earn points for their teams, but in some cases there could be only 17 individuals selected for a particular event. Additionally, the number of relays selected by the committee was, at most, the exact number of those that earn points.

In a news release, the NCAA said that the new selection process for swimmers would put more of a focus on individual events, while still maintaining the access ratio to the championships. Instead of selecting 281 women and 235 men, counting participants in both individual and relay events, the new process will select swimmers based solely on individual events. 

The Division I Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving Committee believes the new selection process creates more competitive fields in each of the individual events while still allowing the top relay teams to enter those events. Additionally, more schools would be represented at the championships.

According to the new rules, a team must have at least one swimmer invited to the Championships in an individual event to be eligible to swim one or more relay events, provided they have met the "A" qualifying standard during the season. In years past, a team could qualify for the Championship meet with a relay alone. 

The Division I Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving Committee believes the new selection process creates more competitive fields in each of the individual events while still allowing the top relay teams to enter those events. In addition, more schools will be represented at the championships.

"I am very excited about the new changes to the NCAA Swimming and Diving selection rules. I believe it will give us more opportunities for our men and women to qualify for arguably the fastest meet in the world," said UB men's and women's swimming head coach Andy Bashor. "It's an exciting time for UB Swimming and Diving."