NCAA Announces 2020 Swimming and Diving Championships to be Swum in Short Course Meters

Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick

The 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships will be swum in short course meters, according to a press release released Monday.

The decision comes in light of the upcoming Olympic year where the majority of the swimmers competing at NCAAs will be focusing on training in long course meters. The NCAA will swim its annual championships in short course meters to allow athletes the chance to focus on meters more during the season.

The NCAA had its swimming and diving championships swum in short course meters in 2000 and 2004. The 2020 championships will be the first time the meet will be swum in short course meters in 16 years, allowing the athletes competing to set world records.

At the 2004 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Long Island, seven world records were set by George Bovell, Fred Bousquet, Ian Crocker, Peter Marshall, Aaron Peirsol and Texas’ 400 medley relay team. At the women’s meet that same year, two world records were set by Tara Kirk and the University of Georgia’s 200 free relay team.

Looking ahead to the 2020 meet, Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil and Harvard’s Dean Farris are some of the frontrunners to take a crack at the world record book. Weitzeil had the fastest 50 free in history with a 21.02, which converts to a 23.43 in short course meters, which is a little off the world record of 22.93 by Ranomi Kromowidjojo.

Farris will be in his senior season next year for Harvard as he is coming off his most successful NCAA meet this past weekend in Austin, Texas. Farris set the 200 free American Record with a 1:29.15, which converts to a 1:38.78 in short course meters. That converted time is under Paul Biedermann’s current world record of 1:39.37.

The 2020 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships will be in Athens, Georgia (women’s) and Indianapolis, Indiana (men’s).

Swimming World wants to ensure that the above “press release” is an April Fool’s Day joke and is not meant to be taken seriously.

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Tracy Jones

5 years ago

Isobel Jones

Thomas G Trapp

5 years ago

And the diving boards and platforms will be changed to heights measured in yards!

Andy Weinberg

5 years ago

Finally.

Scott Tyacke

5 years ago

World records here we come

Ross Gardner

5 years ago

Alex Semchenko Chris Rousseau swimming news pages are just having a blast today

Alex Semchenko

5 years ago

Reply to Ross Gardner

Ross Gardner lmao after the first one I fell for I literally just assume all headlines are April fools jokes

Andrei Olaru

5 years ago

Jonathan Reeder

John Dussliere

5 years ago

Hook, Line, and sinker!!! Nice….

Amy Albiero

5 years ago

April fools ?

Rob Duguay

5 years ago

April Fools but seriously it would make more sense.

Lyndsay Watts

5 years ago

They did it in 2000 as well. I hated it.

Ricardo Valdivia

5 years ago

Lol

Catherine Scheib Skarzynski

5 years ago

April fools?

Tim Grubb

5 years ago

Ty Grubb

5 years ago

Reply to Tim Grubb

THIS BETTER NOT BE AN APRIL FOOLS

Tim Grubb

5 years ago

Reply to Tim Grubb

Ty Grubb Gotch Ya!

Eric P Johnson

5 years ago

interesting

Kylie Youmans

5 years ago

Alexis Keto i seriously fell for this

Matt Ramey

5 years ago

Reply to Kylie Youmans

Kylie Youmans word, just got angry

Kylie Youmans

5 years ago

Reply to Kylie Youmans

Matt Ramey i was like “but isn’t that more work than it’s worth?” And 100000 other questions ?

Alexis Keto

5 years ago

Reply to Kylie Youmans

They did it in 2000. Just saying…

Matt Ramey

5 years ago

Reply to Kylie Youmans

Alexis Keto alright Ms. Facts! Lol I’ll always loathe competing in 25m

Alexis Keto

5 years ago

Reply to Kylie Youmans

It was a huge CAC advantage

MK Mahoney

5 years ago

Why? Is this an April Fools joke?

Eddie Ring

5 years ago

They’ve done it in the past. Thankfully after I was done.

Bess Swanson

5 years ago

April fools

Tammy Arbogast

5 years ago

Not even close to convincing

Wendy Griffin

5 years ago

My sons home pool is already a meter pool. ??

Johan Borén

5 years ago

Victor Johansson

Zeljko Panic

5 years ago

Ivana Ninkovic

Katherine Karaconstantis LaLime

5 years ago

John Steven LaLime

Mazen Shoukri

5 years ago

David A. Griffith april fool ?

David A. Griffith

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

Mazen Shoukri for sure

David A. Griffith

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

Murica yardssss

Mazen Shoukri

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

David A. Griffith they did it in early 2000’s i guess

David A. Griffith

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

No they didn’t dude!

David A. Griffith

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

No they didn’t!

Mazen Shoukri

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

David A. Griffith someone said that in comments ??

Brian Kremers

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

Mazen Shoukri ya they did. 2000 and 2004 NCAA were SCM

Mazen Shoukri

5 years ago

Reply to Mazen Shoukri

Brian Kremers aw thank you for letting us know, David A. Griffith dang man

Matt Davis

5 years ago

Deanna Johnson Andrew Johnson

Deanna Johnson

5 years ago

Reply to Matt Davis

Lol, April Fool’s!

Matt Davis

5 years ago

Reply to Matt Davis

Deanna Johnson lol

Johan Borén

5 years ago

Victor Johansson

Holly Dyer Glover

5 years ago

SCY is so dumb anyway

Anne Emaus

5 years ago

If not April fools I’ll say this my daughters college is a scm pool
And was it I believe in 1992 it was a lcm meet to help get trials cuts

Gary Anderson

5 years ago

Reply to Anne Emaus

1992 was yards in Indianapolis. The day after they did time trials LCM to allow for cuts.

David Morrow Guthrie

5 years ago

Not the greatest April fools because they’ve used SCM format in the past and it was great. Anthony Ervin broke the 50 free WR, something you can’t do in yards.

Anne Emaus

5 years ago

If not April fools I’ll say this my daughters college is a scm pool
And was it I believe in 1992 it was a lcm meet to help get trials cuts

Eric Valley

5 years ago

April fools?

Omar Khaled

5 years ago

Abdelrahman Abouzeid eh el hzar da????

Abdelrahman Abouzeid

5 years ago

Reply to Omar Khaled

April fool’s???

Charlene Tallen

5 years ago

April Fools!

Kalina Grace Emaus

5 years ago

My college pool was short course meters, and when I saw this I got really jealous . And then I realized what day it was.

Damon Garrison

5 years ago

I know it’s April Fools BUT unfortunately across the country we do the spring Sectional meets LCM. That’s no joke. It helps no more than 5-10% of the athletes that swim the countless meets across the country. Why can’t we designate 1 meet in each zone as LCM and keep the rest for the rest of the athletes!?!?