ABOUT THE SEASON
Our League
The Downingtown West High School Swim and Dive Team is made up of a men's team and a women's team. Our teams participate in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association ("PIAA"), specifically the AAA Division of District 1. Additionally, our local competitive league is known as the Ches-Mont League, and we are in the National Division. Teams compete in the National Division throughout the regular season to determine the Ches-Mont Champion. A women's team and a men's team may be crowned Ches-Mont Champions from two different teams within the division.
The Ches-Mont National Division includes: Downingtown West, Downingtown East, Coatesville, West Chester East, Bishop Shanahan, Avon Grove, and West Chester Henderson.
Our Season
Our team competes in approximately 7-10 meets throughout the regular season. Some meets may be held outside our Ches-mont division. The League and the coaches determine which meets we participate in.
PIAA-Certified Officials are present at all competitions to enforce the technical rules of swimming that ensure the competition is fair and equitable. The Downingtown Area School District pays for all officials at home meets.
Meet Participation
Swimming
Athletes are limited to competing in a maximum of 4 events, of which no more than two can be individual events (diving is included as an individual event). Therefore, at each meet, athletes can compete in a maximum of 2 individual events and 2 relays, or 1 individual event and 3 relays. The coaches determine all individual events and relays. The individual events and relays for each athlete may change from meet-to-meet.
Scoring – In individual events, the first five finishers score with the following points awarded: 6-4-3-2-1. In relays, the first three finishers score with the following points: 8-4-2.
Diving
For each meet, three women and three men that demonstrate skill in completing five dives plus the required dive for the week will be entered in the diving competition at the coaches' discretion.
Each diver performs six dives, which the judges score using a scale of 0 to 10 at 1/2 point increments as follows:
- Exceptional: 9 to 10
- Excellent: 7.5 to 8.5
- Good: 6 to 7
- Satisfactory: 4.5 to 5
- Deficient: 2.5 to 4
- Unsatisfactory: 0.5 to 2
- Failed: 0
Each judge’s points are added, and then multiplied by the dive's degree of difficulty to arrive at the point total for each dive. The diver with the highest cumulative number of points places first.
Meet Order of Events
Women's events swim first, followed by the men's events. A short warm up takes place for the divers prior to their events. Following the diving event, a short warm up takes place again for the swimmers.
- 200 Medley Relay
- 200 Freestyle
- 200 Individual Medley
- 50 Freestyle
- Diving
- 100 Butterfly
- 100 Freestyle
- 500 Freestyle
- 200 Free Relay
- 100 Backstroke
- 100 Breaststroke
- 400 Freestyle Relay
After The Meet
Team members are expected to remain at the meet and with the team until the last event has been completed. At the completion of the meet, athletes are expected to clean up the deck and help put away equipment. Prior to the start of the meet, an athlete must obtain permission from a coach to leave the meet early.
Taper Meets
Not all swimmers participate in these meets. Swimmers will receive a communication from the coaches specific to Taper Meets.
Last Chance Meets
Not all swimmers participate in these meets. Swimmers will receive a communication from the coaches specific to Last Chance Meets.
Post-Season Championship Meets
The regular season is complete at the end of the dual meet season. However, we participate in a number of post-season meets for which a swimmer or diver must achieve a qualifying time/points. Those qualifying times/points will be posted after when they become available each year (they may change from year-to-year). At the end of the regular season, the coaches will send a communication to qualifiers specific to each meet. Those meets are as follows:
- Scott Elliott Invitational JV Meet at West Chester YMCA (no diving) (qualifying times posted each year).
- High School District Championship at the Graham Aquatic Center YMCA, York, PA (qualifying times posted each year).
- PIAA State Championship at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA (dependent upon which place athletes finish at the District Championship).
- District Diving is at North Penn High School
How to Qualify for the PIAA State Championship
For swimming, 32 athletes in each event or relays go to the PIAA State Championship each year. There are 9 automatic qualifiers as shown via the chart below. The next fastest swimmers across all districts (there are 12 districts and we are District 1) will comprise the remaining slots until 32 athletes are reached. Therefore, following the District 1 Championship (which is typically one week before most other district championships), we need to monitor all results to determine if an athlete is in top 32.
For diving, 24 athletes go to the PIAA State Championship based on their score at their district championship. The number of divers - and from which district - are shown via the chart below.
