- 15 Whitman records broken
- 6 Northwest Conference Meet Records broken
- 10 swimmers achieved NCAA "B" cuts
- 11 First place finishes
- Tied for our highest overall team placings: 2nd for the Men, 3rd for the Women
Needless to say, it was an exciting weekend! You can read through all the write-ups here. Furthermore, you can watch the video of the each session of the meet again! Just click here and follow the links. The number of season bests and personal bests for our swimmers was off the charts. I couldn't be more proud of the way that our swimmers performed. The spirit and enthusiasm on the pool deck every session was unrivaled. There is always a little bit of nervousness at the opening session of the meet but we arrived at the pool on Friday morning with all the energy and optimism in the world. When we say that we're the best team in the pool, we really mean it.
Of course, we could not have had the success that we did last weekend if we didn't have the support of all the parents, families, friends and alumni who came to cheer us on all weekend. All the snacks for the team, all the smiles and laughter, everything that made the weekend one that none of us will forget. It seems like every year we set the bar impossibly high and yet, somehow, we always manage to do even better the next year. I'm already looking forward to the 2015 NWC Championships!
But our season isn't over! After spending an extra night in Federal Way due to bad weather in the mountains, we arrived home in Walla Walla on Monday afternoon after a long detour through south through Portland to avoid the snow. Today, we're back in the water! The 10 people who have achieved "B" time cuts either individually or on relays will be back in the pool this afternoon at 4pm, along with anyone else on the team who wants to join them. NCAA Selections will take place on Thursday, February 27th. At this point, all we can do is cross our fingers and hope that the times we swam last weekend put us in a position to be selected into Nationals.
Here's a little overview about how selections work: the NCAA places a cap on the number of swimmers that get into the National Championships. Each year, 146 women and 140 men get selected into the meet. First, the NCAA selects the top 16 relays in each of the relay events. Unfortunately, we already know that our Women's 200 medley relay is out of the running because they are currently 18th. On the other hand, our Men's 400 medley relay is currently 11th so they still have a shot at getting selected into the meet. Sunday, February 23rd is the last day that a Conference Championship meet can take place and there are still several conferences that will be having their Championship meets this weekend. We'll be watching the results from those meets closely, hoping things fall our way!
After the top 16 relays are selected into the meet, athletes from individual events are selected into the meet based on time. Last year, roughly the top 12 or 13 times in each individual event made it into the meet. This year we can speculate that it will be pretty similar, with the top 12-15 times in each individual event getting selected into the meet. However, once an athlete is selected into the meet for an individual event, he or she can swim up to 3 total individual events so the total number of entries in each event is usually over 30. If an athlete is selected into the meet on a relay, he or she can swim any and all relay events, as well as any individual events in which he or she has achieved a "B" cut.
For now, we wait and train. Next week, when the official NCAA selections are published, we'll know exactly who is going to make the trip to Indiana for the meet. Conveniently, the meet is during the first week of our spring break, March 18th-22nd at the IUPUI Natatorium in downtown Indianapolis.
Be sure to check our Facebook and Twitter for more fun news and updates about selections! Go Whitman!
