Championship Meets

Championship Meet Summary – Age Group (ages 14 & under)

Winter Season: September through March

Below is a summary for Ohio Championship meets that NAAC will compete in during the winter season. These meets are in addition to regular meets, or ‘invitational’s’, held throughout the season. All swimmers are expected to swim in the highest level championship meet for which they qualify. Your primary group coach will assist you in your planning.


ALL-STAR QUADRANGLULAR CHAMPIONSHIPS (Quads)

Second weekend in January, (IUPUI in Indianapolis)
This is an All-Star meet by selection only. Generally, you must apply for the Ohio “All-Star” QUAD team sometime in December –and the deadline is very strict. Parents are responsible for submitting applications by the deadline. Any swimmer with a National “AA” may apply. The organizers for this meet are made up of 1 representative each from the Lake Erie chapter (northern Ohio) and the Ohio Chapter (southern and mid-Ohio). These organizers will collect all applications and notify the top 4 swimmers in every event they have made the team; this notification is done before Christmas. Then, swimmers must reply with confirmation or decline. The meet pits Ohio verses Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois a four-state showdown. Since the Ohio H.S. season has begun at this point of the season, many high school swimmers choose not to participate in this meet since they are bound by HS competition rules.

OHIO REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

February (Dayton, Cincinnati, Columbus, and Toledo)
There are four (6) Ohio REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP meets in Ohio: Dayton, 2xColumbus, 2xCincinnati, and Toledo. The New Albany Aquatics Club is assigned to one of the Columbus area meets, usually held at St. Charles High School and Upper Arlington High School. This 3-day championships meet (Fri-Sat-Sun format) is for swimmers in the 10-under, 11-12, and 13-14 age groups. All 14-under swimmers slower than the OHIO JUNIOR OLYMPIC time standard in a particular event compete at the REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS in those events. This meet is a prelim/final format, which means everyone swims their events during preliminary heats the morning. Then, the top 16 swimmers in each even return to swim finals at night. Medals are given to 1-8 place and ribbons are awarded to 9-16 place. Awards are only given to swimmers in finals. Swimmers who achieve an Ohio JUNIOR OLYMPIC time standard at the REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, regardless of where they place or when they swam the event (prelims or finals) automatically qualify for the OHIO JUNIOR OLYMPIC STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS which takes place a few weeks later (see below).



TIME TRIAL QUALIFIER MEET

February Tuesday after REGIONAL CHAMPS (Upper Arlington, Ohio)
(Swimmers may deck enter at the meet) –Sometime, between the REGIONAL and JUNIOR OLYMPIC Championship meets, this is a special “Last Chance” Qualifier one-day session for swimmers who want to attempt to achieve a time standard outside of the championship meets above. This meet typically takes place during one evening after school, usually falling on a Tuesday. Swimmers of any age may participate in this event. The criteria are that swimmers must be close to the time standard he/she is attempting to achieve in order to enter the event. If time permits, the order of events is swum twice. No awards are given at a “LAST CHANCE” MEET. Although we encourage swimmers to compete at the traditional meet to enjoy the benefits of swimming prelims and finals, as well as receiving awards, sometimes a swimmer is in need of one or two time standards which would make the end-of-season championship season less hectic. This Qualifier meet is an excellent option to consider – but you should always get the opinions of your group coach.

OHIO “JUNIOR OLYMPIC” STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

March (Bowling Green, Ohio)
There is one (1) OHIO JO SHORT COURSE CHAMPIONSHIP meet in Ohio. This 3-day championship meet is for swimmers in the 10-under, 11-12, and 13-14 age groups. There is team scoring at this meet. All swimmers who have achieved ‘JO’ time standard at any time during the season and who are members of ‘JO’ relays are expected to compete at the state meet. This meet is a prelim/final format. Medals are given to 1-8 place and ribbons are awarded to 9-16 place at finals only. Also, an award is presented to the Ohio Outstanding "Male" and "Female" Swimmer of the Meet Award to the swimmer that scores the most Power Points – a scoring system that is part of USA-Swimming’s “IM EXTREME CHALLENGE” program which is based on the cumulative point total of each individual race the JO Championships; points are generated based on age and event. Age Group ‘High Point’ winners are also awarded.


Championship Meet Summary – Senior Age (15 & Over)

Winter Season: September through March

Below is a summary for Ohio Championship meets that NAAC swimmers will compete in during the winter season. These meets are in addition to regular meets, or ‘invitationals’, held throughout the season. All championship and invitational swim meets listed on our schedule are optional except in the case when an athlete qualifies for the USA Speedo Sectional (or higher) level. Your primary group coach will assist you in your planning. Please keep in mind that once a Middle School or High School swimmer competes in a meet for their school, they are not allowed to compete for NAAC until the last meet of their High School Season.

High School Championships are not USA-Swimming competitions. High School Districts and Championships are technically USA official observed meets and are counted for time standards by USA swimming. High School Sectionals are not observed and do not count towards USA swimming time standards.


HIGH SCHOOL SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Various locations throughout Ohio – early Feb

All high school swimmers compete at the SECTIONAL level. This is the first step to the "Road to Canton". High School swimmers are entered in a maximum of two (2) individual events and two (2) relay events by their respective high school coach. If swimmers place high enough in their event(s) after all of the SECTIONAL results are compiled, then he/she advances to the DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS on the following weekend. The boys and girls are broken into two divisions, Div. I and Div. II. Contact your high school for information on what division you compete in.

HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ohio State University (OH) – mid Feb

There are four (4) DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP held throughout the state of Ohio. Approximately the top 120 swimmers in each event across the state qualify to this level of high school swimming. If a swimmer places high enough in their respective event(s) after all of the DISTRICT results are compiled, then he/she advances to the STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS on the following weekend.

HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Canton (OH) – late Feb

Regarded as one of the fastest and most exciting state meets in the country, the OHIO HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS is one of the highest levels of high school competition found anywhere. Almost every year Ohio swimmers are recognized as national individual champions and/or National Team Champions because Ohio is one of the strongest swimming areas in the USA. Only the top 24 swimmers and top 24 relays in the state qualify for this event. The meet is a two-day format with preliminary swimming on day 1 and finals (top 16) on day 2. The crowd is packed with people cheering on every race, as well as college recruiters throughout the crowd watching prospective athletes compete. All boys and girls throughout Ohio are divided into “Div I” and “Div II” based on school population sizes.


OHIO SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

March, usually in Oxford (OH)

There is one (1) Ohio SENIOR SC Championship meet in Ohio. This meet is setup for swimmers who are 15-over and 14-unders high school swimmers that are not competing at the Ohio JUNIOR OLYMPIC Championships in March. NAAC won the Ohio SENIOR Championship Men’s meet in 2008, qualified several swimmers to Junior Nationals, and established several meet records and one national record. The Ohio SENIOR Championships is a prelim/finals format. The Head Coach will discuss with all senior aged swimmers if they are to attend this meet, or one of the other championship meets instead.


USA SPEEDO SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

March and August, locations TBD, (usually in OH or IN)

The Sectional Championship Meet is for senior swimmers who meet strict “SECTIONAL” qualification standards. (Visit the time standards section to see the qualifications for this meet). There are several "sections" across the country (we are in section 3). The format for this meet was established in 2000 by USA-Swimming . Most swimmers who qualify for the sectional meet are expected to compete at this meet – the Head Coach will guide senior swimmers on the entries for this meet.



USA JUNIOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

December, March, August locations TBD

Spring Juniors, since returning early 2002 by a coaches’ organization called NCSA, have been mainly held in Florida. The cuts are located on the NCSA website.
Summer Junior cuts are slightly faster to shrink the size of the meet and have been held in conjunction with another USA championship meet, either US OPEN or Nationals, and the location can be anywhere in the US. Cuts are posted by USA swimming with the meet packet.