NEW Selection Process for 2026 Midwestern All Star Team
Midwestern Swimming 2026 Midwest All Star Team Qualification & Selection Process
https://www.mwswim.org/page/news/558125/2026-midwestern-all-star-team-selection-process
Purpose
A clear, replicable framework for selecting Midwestern Swimming’s athletes to the 2026 Midwest All Star Meet, modeled on the scoring process provided by Mike Norvell at USA Swimming (as used by Colorado Swimming).
Team Composition
- Roster size: 12 athletes per gender in each age group (10&U, 11–12, 13–14); 72 athletes total.
- Min USA Swimming BB+ times must be achieved between September 1, 2025 and December 15, 2025 of the current season.
Data Source & Run Date
- Source: Midwestern Hytek database top‑times reports for the Midwest All Star event program.
- Run date: Monday following the weekend that includes the second Sunday in December.
- Age determination: Athlete age as of the first day of the All Star meet (January 10, 2026).
Scoring Method (High Point System)
- For each All Star event, the top‑10 performances (per age group & gender) at the run date receive points per the table below.
- An athlete’s All Star score equals the sum of their points across all events in which they appear in the top‑10 list.
- The top 12 athletes by total points in each age group & gender are selected for the team.
- In the event of a tie in total points, the spot will go to the swimmer with the highest single-event finish. If still tied, the spot will go to the swimmer with the next-best event finish, continuing as needed until the tie is resolved.
Points by Top 10 Performance Ranking by event
| 1st - |
10 points |
6th - |
5 points |
|
| 2nd - |
9 points |
7th - |
4 points |
|
| 3rd - |
8 points |
8th - |
3 points |
|
| 4th - |
7 points |
9th - |
2 points |
|
| 5th - |
6 points |
10th - |
1 point |
Selection Timeline & Communication for the 2026 Allstar Meet
| Dec 1: | Deadline for athletes to fill out the application on Midwestern website. Swims will still be counted through December 15th |
| Dec 15: | Run top‑times reports, compute high‑point totals, and issue initial invitations to the top 12 per age group & gender and their club coaches by MW Secretary and MW Age Group Chair. |
| Dec 17 (5 p.m. CT): | RSVP deadline for initial invitees. |
| Dec 18: | Invite alternates in order of total points to fill any open roster spots. |
| Dec 20: | Finalize roster and notify families/clubs/coaches, post on MW website. |
Events Considered Based Upon the All Star Meet Events Program
Points are awarded only for events that are on the Midwest All‑Star meet program. The events scored for each age group are as follows:
| 10 & Under |
11–12 |
13–14 |
| 50 Free |
50 Free |
50 Free |
| 100 Free |
100 Free |
100 Free |
| 200 Free |
200 Free |
200 Free |
| 50 Back |
500 Free |
500 Free |
| 100 Back |
50 Back |
100 Back |
| 50 Breast |
100 Back |
200 Back |
| 100 Breast |
50 Breast |
100 Breast |
| 50 Fly |
100 Breast |
200 Breast |
| 100 Fly |
50 Fly |
100 Fly |
| 100 IM |
100 Fly |
200 Fly |
| 200 IM |
100 IM |
200 IM |
| ____ |
200 IM |
400 IM |
Administration
- The Midwestern Age Group Chair oversees the selection process, the ACE coaches have no determination in the selection process.
- The Midwestern Swimming Secretary will generate the top 10 times list from the Midwestern database and compile results in an Excel spreadsheet to facilitate scoring.
- Alternates are ordered by descending total points within each age group & gender and are contacted as needed after the RSVP deadline.
Questions, please reach out to your swimmer's coach or the ACE club manager at [email protected].
