FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2018

 

The 2019 Pannell Swim Shop/KHSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships (Feb. 21-23) begin Thursday with the boys’ and girls’ diving preliminaries at the Ralph Wright Natatorium on the University of Louisville campus. Boys’ diving prelims are slated for 12:30-3 p.m. followed by the girls’ diving prelims from 6:30-9 p.m.

 

This year’s event features a new format, as the entirety of the boys’ swimming and diving championship will be completed on Friday, with the girls’ swimming prelims and & finals contested on Saturday. Boys’ swimming prelims begin at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, with the diving competition opening the championship finals at 5:30 p.m. and the first swimming events at 7 p.m. Saturday’s schedule of events will follow the same timeline, with the girls’ swimming prelims starting at 10:30 a.m. The girls’ championship begins with the diving finals at 5:30 p.m., followed by the girls’ swimming finals at 7 p.m.

 

Tickets go on sale at 11:30 a.m. Thursday for the boys’ diving prelims and 5:30 p.m. for the girls’ diving prelims. Ticket sales will start at 9:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday morning for each day’s prelims, and 4:30 p.m. for the evening sessions.

 

A complete schedule of events, the official championship program, heat sheets and live scoring can be found through the links below. Official championship photos will be available within 72 hours of the event at khsaa.org.

 

2019 Pannell Swim Shop/KHSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships

Event Schedule – 2

Last time St.X lost was 1988 and have 54 total swimming championships. Should be number 55 this year. Crazy that one school can dominate a sport like that.

Last time St.X lost was 1988 and have 54 total swimming championships. Should be number 55 this year. Crazy that one school can dominate a sport like that.

 

Thanks is crazy...

Swimming is primarily a club sport in KY. In fact, this year it is not required that a swimmer participate in a school meet prior to regionals. Lack of facilities pushes all the year-round swimmers to the USA Swimming teams. St. X is one of only two schools in Jefferson County with a pool.

 

Expect St. X and Sacred Heart to dominate once again this year.

Covington Catholic senior, Logan Smith wins the diving title.

Atta boy, Logan!

Covington Catholic senior, Logan Smith wins the diving title.

Atta boy, Logan!

 

Logan was amazing. I hear he is diving for UL next year.

KHSAA dropped the ball with the format/schedule change this year. Too much swimming in one day for high school kids. Rachel Klinker from Tates Creek had to swim two 500 Frees, two 200 Frees, and four relays yesterday. She wasn't the only one. Larger teams used alternates for relays in the morning to rest their "A" swimmers for the evening relays, but most don't have that luxury and it penalizes them in a one day prelims/finals format.

 

The new format did not allow any more swimmers into the meet nor did it reduce the number of people on deck. KHSAA should go back the previous system for next year's state meet at UK.

KHSAA dropped the ball with the format/schedule change this year. Too much swimming in one day for high school kids. Rachel Klinker from Tates Creek had to swim two 500 Frees, two 200 Frees, and four relays yesterday. She wasn't the only one. Larger teams used alternates for relays in the morning to rest their "A" swimmers for the evening relays, but most don't have that luxury and it penalizes them in a one day prelims/finals format.

 

The new format did not allow any more swimmers into the meet nor did it reduce the number of people on deck. KHSAA should go back the previous system for next year's state meet at UK.

 

I agree with you the format stinks and I have no idea what it accomplished.

 

I will disagree that the teams swam alternates during prelims. Maybe St. X and Sacred Heart, but I doubt anyone else did.

SHA swam alternates in all three relays on Saturday morning. Definite advantage to the larger teams in a one-day meet.

SHA swam alternates in all three relays on Saturday morning. Definite advantage to the larger teams in a one-day meet.

 

I said St. X and Sacred Heart were the only ones who might have done this. None of Sacred Hearts relay victories were close. Swimming alternates in prelims was probably more a factor of letting some kids involved than it was about resting athletes. They would have won no matter who swam prelims.

 

With that said, the format did not benefit kids doing the 200 / 500 free combos of events.

The new format was bad for all really. Another new thing they started is that if you were not competing in that session you could not be pool side you had to stay in the corner on the deck by the exit. My daughter said not only could you not see it was a huge fire hazzard which I think is what they were trying to address. Several of the girls and even girl coaches who didn't have boys competing had to buy tickets and take up precious bleacher space. Also if they were not going to put dive finals in the correct event sequence as previous years and put it before swim final warmups, they should have just did the entire event at once. The way they did it swim parents were lining up just after 3 for swim finals that started at 7 because the doors opened at 4:30 for diving. Not well thought out IMO.