CSCAA Announces Details for 2023 National Invitational Championship (Swimming)

The College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) have published details for the 2023 National Invitational Championship.

The event will be held from March 9-11, 2023 at the Elkhart Health & Aquatics Center in Elkhart, Indiana for the second-straight season.

The NIC returned in 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2021 meet and interrupted the 2020 meet mid-way through the competition. The event has been positioned as a secondary championship event primarily (though not exclusively) for swimmers who didn’t qualify for the NCAA Championship meets.

A core group of teams has attended the meet throughout its existence ( likeRice, Florida International). Last year saw a general increase in the prestige of athletes competing. That included Ohio State and Tennessee, both top 10 NCAA programs, bringing rosters of top non-NCAA Championship qualifying athletes. Other Power 5 teams to make an appearance included Indiana, TCU, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech, with most of the country’s top mid-major teams attending as well.

While many of those teams had competed at the meet before, especially the Indiana men who won the meet in 2019, the depth of the teams from Tennessee and Ohio State elevated the competition.

The Tennessee men and Ohio State won the 2022 titles.

In total, 30 men’s programs and 51 women’s programs competed last year. Those are similar numbers to the 28 and 52, respectively, that competed in 2019.

Among those who competed were Remi Fabiani of Cal Baptist, who had times fast enough to qualify for the NCAA Division I Championships. He was ineligible because his team is in the process of transitioning from NCAA Division II to Division I and is in the four year period where they are ineligible for NCAA Championship competition.

Qualifying

Individuals and relays may qualify for the CSCAA National Invitational Championship by winning their respective event(s) at a bona-fide collegiate conference championship.  In addition, any individual or relay team who equals or surpasses the CSCAA ‘A’ standard during the qualifying period shall be eligible to compete at the Championship.

Relays

• Teams do NOT have to use their fastest relay time for meet entry. Actual or aggregate relay times may be used.

• Relay times, once achieved, belong to the team. Any swimmer may participate on a relay at the meet.

• Teams with four individual qualifiers may enter any relay with their best time if it does not meet the meet qualifying time.

• Teams may enter more than one relay, but only the “A” relay will be allowed to score.

• If necessary, teams may bring a substitute relay swimmer should a qualifying relay member be unavailable for the meet. Substitute swimmers may enter individual events if they have the meet B time standard.

Bonus Qualifiers

Swimmers who qualify for the meet automatically (individually or on a relay, via conference championship or time standard) may also enter individual events if they have achieved the CSCAA ‘B’ standard during the qualifying period.

Automatic Qualifiers

Automatic Qualifiers
Individuals and relays may qualify for the CSCAA National Invitational Championship by
winning their respective event(s) at an eligible conference championship. In addition, any
individual or relay team who equals or surpasses the CSCAA ‘A’ standard during the qualifying
period shall be eligible to compete at the Championship.

Eligible Conferences
America East
American Athletic
Atlantic 10
Atlantic Coast
Big East
Big Ten
Big 12
CCSA
CAA
C-USA
Horizon League
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Missouri Valley
MPSF
Mountain West
Northeast
PCSC
Pac-12
Patriot League
SEC
Summit League
WAC

Time Standards