MCSL Division Championship Weekend

By Reach for the Wall Staff.

It was a great 6 weeks of dual and championship meets in the MCSL.  The results are flowing in and will be available on Reach for the Wall soon.   Coming up next week are the MCSL All-Star Relay (Saturday, July 29) and All-Star Individual (Sunday July 30) meets at the Rockville Swim and Fitness Center.

Based on results from the 5 dual meets, MCSL has released preliminary division assignments for 2018.   Note that these division assignments are based on a computer swim-off using times from this 2017 season, not on teams’ win/loss records from this summer.  That is, at the end of each season, MCSL creates a virtual team for each MCSL team using the median times from its 5 dual meets and then runs a computerized swim-off (i.e., virtual meet) of each virtual team against every other virtual team.  The 6 teams that have the most wins end up in Division A, and those with the fewest wins (or new teams to MCSL) are placed in Division O.

Each of the 15 divisions in MCSL also held their Divisional Championship meets today, and below is a quick recap of each of those meets.  Congratulations to all the division champions.

Division A.  Rockville continued their undefeated streak and won the division championship meet by 60 points over second place Tallyho (and 61.5 points over Stonegate). Amazingly there were 8 races where a tie was recorded, and both Stonegate and Tallyho were involved in 2 races each where the points were split. In the overall standings, Stonegate captured second with their strong dual meet record and second place at the relay carnival.  Bethesda, Germantown and Country Glen had their own close battles during the season, with Bethesda taking 4th at Divisionals and in the overall standings, and Germantown taking 5th in both.  Next year, Tilden Woods will replace Country Glen in Division A.

Division B.  Tilden Woods went 5-0 in dual meets, showing their depth, but Connecticut Belair won a share of the overall title with the Dolphins by winning the division relay carnival (by 6 points over Tilden) and the Division championship meet (by 26 points).  Tilden Woods, however, moves up to Division A in 2018 as the 6th seed, while Connecticut Belair stays in Division B as the #1 seed.

Division C.  Wildwood Manor ran the table during the dual meet season, but finished second in both the division relay carnival and divisional championship meet to Northwest Branch.  The Wombats, however, finished 6 points ahead of Northwest Branch in the overall standings to claim the Division C title.  The Wombats move up to Division B next year as the #4 seed, while Northwest Branch stays in Division C next year as the #1 seed.

Division D.  Darnestown took down each team in the dual meet season, but finished third in the division relay and championship meets, opening the door for 4-1 Glenwood to snatch the overall Division D title with a 25 point win over Kentlands.  Darnestown finished 2nd overall and Kentlands third.  Glenwood and Darnestown will see each other again next year in Division C, where they will be the #4 and #6 seeds, respectively.  Kentlands will be the #1 seed in Division D next year.

Division E.  Damascus and King Farm share the division title with a total of 43 points. Damascus went 5-0 and finished 2nd in the division relay meet.  However, King Farm (3-2) fought their way back by winning the division championship meet and getting help from the rest of the division as Damascus placed 5th.  So despite losing 2 dual meets and finishing 4th at relay carnival, King Farm gets a share of the division title!  Damascus and King Farm will be together again in Division D in 2018.

Division F.  Clarksburg Village ran away with the division title, going 5-0 in dual meets, and winning the division relay and championship meets. Runner-up Robin Hood put up a good fight at the division championship meet, coming up 25.5 points shy.  Clarksburg Village moves up to Division C next year as the #2 seed.

Division G.  While Palisades was able to win each dual meet this season, Little Falls was victorious in both the division relay and championship meets. The gap was only 6 points, and Palisades gets the division title!  Palisades and Little Falls will be the top 2 seeds in Division F next year.

Division H.  Bannockburn took the division title by going 5-0 in dual meets and winning the division championship. Their 4th place hiccup at the division relay meet gave hope to Manchester Farm and Old Farm, but Bannockburn prevailed. Manchester Farm finished second, followed by Old Farm.  Bannockburn will bump to Division F next year,  Manchester Farm moves up to G.

Division I.  Powered by the Ossi, Daniel and Dworak families, Forest Knolls  handled the division. Going 5-0 in the dual meets and winning the division relay and championship meets, Forest Knolls never looked back. Lakelands and Glenmont battled for 2nd, with Lakelands edging out the Gators out in the division championship meet.  Next year, Forrest Knolls and Lakelands will swim in Division G, and Glenmont will be the top seed in Division H.

Division J.  Manor Woods will take home the division title on the strength of their dual meet record, but Potomac gave them a good scare by tying for 1st in the division relay carnival and winning the championship meet. Potomac mustered only two wins during the dual meets, but put together great performances for the division championship meets.  Next year, Manor Woods jumps to Division H while Potomac climbs to Division I.

Division K.  Poolesville and Calverton both finished with 4 dual meet wins, but Calverton gave the division title to Poolsville by coming in 4th in both the division relay and championship meets.  Although Whetstone and Seven Locks were both 3-2, they tied for 2nd overall because Whetstone won the relay meet and placed 3rd at the division championship, and Seven Locks finished 3rd at the relay meet and 2nd at the division championship.  Next year, Poolesville, Calverton and Seven Locks will battle each other in Division J.

Division L.  Even with Norbeck Hill pulling the upset at the division championship meet, Eldwick’s 2nd place at Divisions gave them the Division crown. With a 5-0 dual meet record and winning the division relay meet, Eldwick were too far ahead for any other team to take the title. Kudos to Norbeck Hill (2-3) for a stellar division championship meet!

Division M.  There was parity in this division with the top two teams winning 3 dual meets and the third place team winning 4 dual meets!  The division relay and championship meets determined the victor, with Washingtonian Woods capturing 2nd at the relay meet and 1st at the division championship. 2nd place in the division goes to New Mark Commons and third to Waters Landing.

Division N– Plantations went 5-0 in the dual meets and won both the division relay and championship meets. Flower Hill finished 2nd overall by going 4-1 and finished 2nd in the division relay carnival.  Fallsmead came in 3rd overall despite winning only 2 dual meets by finishing 3rd in both division meets.  Next year, Plantations climbs to Division L, and Flower Hill goes to Division M.

Division O.  Middlebridge pulled a great upset to win the division. After going 3-2 in dual meets, they won the relay and division championship meets to take the title.   Upper County finished in 2nd place overall, followed by Twinbrook (which went 5-0 in the dual meets).