Leftovers from the boys season

Here are a few leftovers and tidbits from the just-completed boys high school season:

Seedings

-- Attached are some links to two documents -- the D1 and D2 boys state meets that compare seed-time points (what teams would've scored had the meet gone perfectly to seed times) vs. the actual outcomes. For simplicity sake, I've downloaded just the scoring differential. i.e., how many more or fewer points teams scored at the state meets compared to their seeding. Thus, it provides a quick glance at which teams "seeded up" at the meets, and which ones did not.

Here are links to the final team scores from the WIAA website:

http://www.wiaawi.org/results/swimmingboys/2010/d1stateteamresults.htm
http://www.wiaawi.org/results/swimmingboys/2010/d2stateteamresults.htm

Simply add or subtract the final team results to the numbers provided in the links below to see whether a particular team did compared to their seed times at the meet.

(Why post this? I've found, in talking to and reading about coaches, that they almost all tell their swimmers to try to swim their best times, and let the results take care of themselves. Swimming's great virtue is that it allows a measure of assessing improvement (or not), regardless of the outcome of a particular swim or meet. Thus, I thought it a worthwhile exercise.)

D1:


State 2010 D1 Boys - Difference

D2


State 2010 D2 Boys - Difference


Thoughts:

-- Hard to imagine Greenfield/Greendale didn't set some kind of record in seeding up 99 points. The bulk of those additional points -- 66 -- came from coach Dale Schrank's strategy of spreading out his top three swimmers -- Mike Lucchesi, Matt Jungers, and Jack Lennertz -- on all three relays at sectionals (which helped secure a sectional title for the team at its home pool), and then placing the big three on just two relays at state. Still, arranging that is one thing, and going out and swimming as well as G/G did is another. A terrific meet from those swimmers.

-- For the second straight state meet, both Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights and Wausau East moved up in a big way. Last year, Sauk went up 49.5 points to capture second place at state; this year, the four-man team went up 48 points to finish in fifth place overall. WEast went up 46.5 points last year to finish third overall; this year, the team went up 41 points to grab a top-1o finish.

-- Wonder why McFarland is so good? Yes, they have top-tier talent, and a lot of it, which helps qualify solid relays for state. But once the Spartans arrive at the Natatorium, they always swim really well. McFarland came into the state meet seeded to win by nearly 100 points, and promptly added 30+ points to their seeded total. There's a reason these guys have won four straight D2 state championships. Maybe some of that great state-meet tapering is rubbing off on their rivals -- it's notable (to me at least) that the top-four placing teams in D2 this year (McFarland, Whitefish Bay, Monona Grove, and Shorewood) all swam very well at the state meet, with all of them seeding up by 18 points or more. Even with McFarland's recent domination, it's a good sign that other teams in D2 are rising up to the challenge of swimming well at the most important meet of the season.

State meet combined

The WISCA website has posted its analysis of the outcome of the state swim meet had both divisions entirely been combined. Out of respect for the website (access to the analysis is available to members and coaches), I won't reveal the outcome -- only to say it's both interesting and quite close.

As a takeoff on that exercise, for the past two years I've looked at the outcome of the D1 state meet had just McFarland moved up to the big-school division. Reason? Both of the past two D1 state meets have been closely contested, with historically low winning totals (Madison Memorial had 200.5 last year; Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial won this year with 197 points). Meanwhile, McFarland has run up huge winning margins the past two years. In addition, the WIAA does allow teams in all sports to voluntarily move up a division for competitive reasons (I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon with the Spartans, but I also don't think the WIAA will move to a one-division format in swimming. Thus, the analysis with McFarland's times placed in the D1 meet.)

Last year, McFarland would've won the D1 state meet. See:
http://wiscswim.blogspot.com/2009/02/and-best-boys-swim-team-in-state.html

This year, Waukesha South/Catholic Memorial would've still won -- by 1.5 points. My tally has WS/CM scoring 181 points, and McFarland 179.5. McFarland's terrific relays (86 points to 66 for WS/CM) and solid free sprinters would've been trumped by WS/CM's superior depth in events like the 200/500 frees, 100 fly, and 100 breaststroke.

D2 coaches (and swimmers) -- pat yourselves on the back

D1, of course, has the larger programs, and more depth, among the two divisions of swimming. It's not surprising the big schools have what are acknowledged as some of the best coaches in the state.

But I found this interesting little nugget in reviewing state meet results. Based strictly on seed times, and state meet performances, D2 relays outperformed their D1 counterparts by a wide margin this past weekend.

I looked at the top-16 relays that placed at state in both divisions. Here's what I found:

-- Seven of the D1 medley relays that placed in the top 16 cut time at state; nine added time. In D2, 12 of the 13 medley relays that scored points (there were three DQs) cut time.

-- 11 of the top-16 D1 200 free relays cut time; five added time. In D2, 13 of the 16 200 free relays cut time.

-- 11 of the top-16 D1 400 free relays cut time; five added time. In D2, 14 of the 15 200 free relays (one DQ) cut time.

In other words, 60 percent of the D1 relay teams at state that placed in the top 16 cut time. In D2, 89 percent of the relays cut time. A pretty impressive showing by the smaller schools -- and coaches.

TV broadcasts of state swim meets

A faithful blog reader emails to ask if I know when the boys swim meets will be broadcast on TV. I don't, and a check of schedules on Madison-area cable stations doesn't reveal anything, at least that I can find.

Anyone know? If so, shoot me an email or comment, and I'll post for every broadcast/cable area of the state that I receive. DVDs of both boys state meets can be ordered through this website: http://www.prepfilms.com/