Timed Finals Vs. Prelims/Finals

Timed Finals

Most meets your swimmer attends use timed finals. Each swimmer races an event once, and everyone's times across all heats determine the final results.

Winning your heat does not necessarily mean winning the event.

All DCST home meets are timed-finals meets.

Prelims & Finals

Some championship and larger meets use preliminaries and finals, usually shortened to prelims/finals.

During prelims, everyone entered in the event races. The fastest swimmers advance and race the event again during finals.

PRELIMS → QUALIFY → FINALS

The finals race determines the final places among the swimmers who advance.

What If My Swimmer Qualifies for Finals?

Don't leave!

Results are posted after the event. Swimmers who qualify for finals generally have a limited amount of time to declare that they will not return for the finals session.

DCST strongly recommends swimming finals when you qualify.

If you're unsure whether your swimmer qualified or what happens next, check with your swimmer's coach before leaving the meet.

Championship Meets

Junior Districts (Winter Only)

Junior Districts gives swimmers up through age 12 a championship meet opportunity even if they have not yet reached the qualifying standards for higher-level championship meets. This makes Junior Districts a great opportunity for swimmers who are still working toward District and other qualifying times.

Districts (Winter Only)

Swimmers must meet the eligibility and qualifying requirements for the meet, including time requirements for swimmers ages 12 and under. Districts also provide an opportunity to achieve qualifying times for higher-level championship meets.

YMCA State

The YMCA State Championship is held in both the winter and summer seasons and brings together qualifying YMCA swimmers from across Illinois.

To compete in an individual event at State, a swimmer must achieve the required State qualifying time for that event.

Other Championship Meets

Districts and State aren't the only championship opportunities available to DCST swimmers. As swimmers progress and achieve qualifying times, they may become eligible for other YMCA and USA Swimming championship meets.

These meets have their own qualifying standards, age requirements, and eligibility rules. Coaches will help swimmers and families understand which championship meets they qualify for and which are appropriate for them.