Nice article about some top NW Ohio swimmers

 
Great article on a great team with great swimmers. Oh, you know there are many Bomber swimmers that know what's buzzing up in NW Ohio. Expecting some great races between the Knights and Bombers. Dan DiSalle's freestyle leg on the 200 medley relay the past two years at state was incredible. Expecting the medley relay to be just a touch again this year.
 
Good article, although things would have to really go StF way and disaster would have to strike StX for StF to win the state title. Nonetheless, its understandable that Coach Kennedy wants to set sights at the top. Last year was the year for StF. Barone's car accident and his resulting absence from the state meet probably cost them the title.

That said, from the team standpoint the exciting aspect of the state meet this year will be the battle for second place. From the statements in the article the StF swimmers seem to recognize this. StF has the marquee swimmers, but UA will have numbers along with Joey Long who will be favored in the 500. Cville will be in the mix as well for runner up. It probably will come down to who tapers their swimmers best for the state meet.

In that regard StF may have an advantage coming from the NW district. Cville coming out of the Southwest will have the most difficulty moving a large number of swimmers on to the state meet without fully tapering for the district meet. With the rule change this year the NW District will pick up an additional automatic qualifyer, while the Southwest loses 2 automatics, the Central 1 and the Northeast 3. That may allow StF to taper more swimmers for the state meet as their top swimmers and relay teams can likely gain the automatic qualifier with unrested times. If they choose, they could use their B relays or at minimum an unstacked relay at the district, win the automatic qualifyer and send even more swimmers to the state meet. In the past SC would unstack its relays at the district so that they could qualify some younger swimmers to the state and give them state meet experience. This year with the reduced number of automatics, it looks like only StF could safely do that without the danger of not qualifying. Anyway as always, it will be an interesting end of the season.
 
Obviously the dynamics of the state meet differ significantly from a dual meet. Nonetheless, the dual meets between these teams shows that they are very close to one another. St. Francis barley defeated UA in December when they met.

Toledo St. Francis De Sales 145 Upper Arlington 141
200-yard medley relay—Upper Arlington (Neri, Reardon, Cutler, Dodson) 1:39.86. 200 freestyle—Zimmerman (TSFD) 1:44.29. 200 IM—Reardon (UA) 1:57.07. 50 freestyle—DiSalle (TSFD) 21.54. 100 butterfly—Cutler (UA) 53.97. 100 freestyle—DiSalle (TSFD) 47.70. 500 freestyle—Long (UA) 4:41.30. 200 freestyle relay—Toledo St. Francis (MacDonald, Trimble, Zimmerman, DiSalle) 1:27.48. 100 backstroke—Neri (UA) 54.40. 100 breaststroke—MacDonald (TSFD) 59.44. 400 freestyle relay—Toledo St. Francis (MacDonald, Trimble, Zimmerman, DiSalle) 3:14.85.

And UA tied Centerville last night.

Upper Arlington 157, Centerville 157
200 medley relay: Upper Arlington 1:38.66. 200 free: Long (UA) 1:41.94. 200 IM: Hickey (C) 1:55.95. 50 free: Clark (C) 22.07. 100 butterfly: Mitchell (C) 53.41. 100 free: Clark (C) 48.19. 500 free: Long (UA) 4:38.67. 200 free relay: Centerville 1:27.64. 100 back: Neri (UA) 53.01. 100 breast: Reardon (UA) 1:00.63. 400 free relay: Centerville 3:11.88.
 
With the postseason beginning in less than 2 weeks, how many people out there have heard about the new happenings for Division 1 in the NW district? This year the top 24 times based off of the sectional psych sheet automatically qualify to the district meet without having to swim. The final 8 qualifiers will be determined by a super sectional meet at Fremont Ross with everyone outside of the top 24 competing. To me this is a huge injustice to the other top teams in the state of Ohio. A team like St. Francis does not really have to worry about any of their kids swimming sectionals. They have one less meet and are able to rest just a little bit more. They also do not risk a potential relay DQ at the sectional meet. How is this fair to the other 3 districts in the state? Something needs to be done immediately.
 
Each district establishes its own rules for who swims and how they get to each district meet. Since there are only 16 D1 teams in the Northwest, I suspect that this is more a cost savings measure than one designed to give St. Francis an advantage. It seems unlikely that St. Francis will be more rested because they didn't swim a sectional meet. It is true that one less swim eliminates the possibility of disqualification - although when was the last time that a potential state qualifier (individual or relay) was DQed in a sectional meet? I suspect never. I suppose it could aid an injured or sick swimmer, but that's not something calculated in advance.

Maybe with the numbers what they are, the Northwest D1 should combine with the Central D1 for the district meet. As things stand now the Northeast has 58 D1 teams, the Southwest 43, and the Central 30. Combining the Northwest and Central would make the number of teams in each district meet more even. Years ago the Central district teams swam in the Southwest district because there were not enough teams to justify a separate district meet. The Central district did not have a separate meet until the 1940s. I believe that the Northwest teams swam either in the Northeast or Central districts until the 1950s.
 
thedutchman said:
Each district establishes its own rules for who swims and how they get to each district meet. Since there are only 16 D1 teams in the Northwest, I suspect that this is more a cost savings measure than one designed to give St. Francis an advantage. It seems unlikely that St. Francis will be more rested because they didn't swim a sectional meet. It is true that one less swim eliminates the possibility of disqualification - although when was the last time that a potential state qualifier (individual or relay) was DQed in a sectional meet? I suspect never. I suppose it could aid an injured or sick swimmer, but that's not something calculated in advance.
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It happens. In 2009, Loveland 200 free relay DQ'd at sectional. They had the same lineup swim the 200 medley and 200 free relays. 200 medley qualified for state and the 200 free was probably their best relay. Fortunately, their 400 relay also qualified for district. So they put their 200 free lineup into the 400 at district, which then also qualified for state.

I have also seen a backstroker DQ'd with a time that would have qualified for state, but I think that was a district meet. When the adrenaline gets going, anything can happen.
 
Yea, you're right a DQ can happen in the sectional meet, but I'm with the dutchman on this one. The thought that a team like StF would risk any kind of false start at the sectional level is unimaginable. They would advance to district if each swimmer waited for his teammate to climb out of the pool. I don't think the Northwest's elimination of a sectional swim for the top 24 will give any advantgage to StF. Most states qualify swimmers for the state meet by a cut time. Now that would be an advantage if a team could eliminate the district swim to move on to the state meet.
 
ImPartial said:
It happens. In 2009, Loveland 200 free relay DQ'd at sectional. They had the same lineup swim the 200 medley and 200 free relays. 200 medley qualified for state and the 200 free was probably their best relay. Fortunately, their 400 relay also qualified for district. So they put their 200 free lineup into the 400 at district, which then also qualified for state.

I have also seen a backstroker DQ'd with a time that would have qualified for state, but I think that was a district meet. When the adrenaline gets going, anything can happen.
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I stand corrected. That said, it was either an inexperienced coach or a relay that ignored the coach who told them safe starts to be disqualified in the sectional. Any relay with state qualifying potential can have very slow starts in the sectional without danger of not moving on to the district meet, even a very fast district like the Southwest. Now at the district level that is a different ballgame altogether. Hopefully any DQ at the district level (and the sectional level for that matter) is obvious to everyone or it probably shouldn't have been made. I have witnessed questionable DQs of otherwise state qualifying swims at the district level. Any DQ of a state qualifying swim is sad, but it is especially sad and aggravating when it seems that only the official saw the violation.
 
thedutchman said:
I have witnessed questionable DQs of otherwise state qualifying swims at the district level. Any DQ of a state qualifying swim is sad, but it is especially sad and aggravating when it seems that only the official saw the violation.
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Isn't it the official's responsibility to look for the violation? False starts need to have dual confirmation. Officials generally give the swimmer at this level the benefit of the doubt unless it is a clear violation. Do you think that HS officials are head hunting at Districts and the State meet?
 
preeder61 said:
Isn't it the official's responsibility to look for the violation? False starts need to have dual confirmation. Officials generally give the swimmer at this level the benefit of the doubt unless it is a clear violation. Do you think that HS officials are head hunting at Districts and the State meet?
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I will say that in the past there have been certain officials and coaches that are out to headhunt certain teams at the sectional level. As sad and pathetic as that is, it is true.
 
preeder61 said:
Isn't it the official's responsibility to look for the violation? False starts need to have dual confirmation. Officials generally give the swimmer at this level the benefit of the doubt unless it is a clear violation. Do you think that HS officials are head hunting at Districts and the State meet?
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yes i think there are officials that on a close call would surely side with a dq instead of giving a kid the benefit of the doubt
 
preeder61 said:
Isn't it the official's responsibility to look for the violation? False starts need to have dual confirmation. Officials generally give the swimmer at this level the benefit of the doubt unless it is a clear violation. Do you think that HS officials are head hunting at Districts and the State meet?
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, I have the utmost respect for the officials and in my view on a whole they do a great job. The questionable DQs I have seen were not false starts. Rather they were a stroke and turn judge which I believe is not a dual confirmation but a solo call. And the DQs I've witnessed were at the district level not the sectional. I agree that generally the officials at that level give the swimmer the benefit of the doubt. The few that don't quickly become known.
 
I thinking not having a sectional meet is a disadvantage. I think it helps the swimmers swim their race and get better mentally prepared for the District meet. A DQ at sectionals would be from a total lack of focus and does not happen often.
 
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