2026 MICHIGAN MASTERS
SHORT COURSE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Friday-Sunday, April 17-19, 2026

USMS Sanctioned by the
Michigan LMSC,
Sanction #196-S007

 

 

Co-Hosted by: Oakland University Swim and Dive and the Michigan LMSC Board

Registration Questions: Patrick Weiss MISanctions@usms.org
Meet Director: Mitch Alters Alters@oakland.edu

At the Oakland University Rec. Center, 569 Pioneer Drive, Rochester, MI 48309 • (248) 370-4REC (4732)

Early Bird Registration – $100: January 1st – January 31st – SAVE $20
Regular Registration – $120: February 1st – March 31st

This meet is limited to the first 360 entrants.

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Questions:

Patrick Weiss, MI-LMSC Sanction Chair – MISanctions@usms.org
Jim Izzi, MI-LMSC Treasurer –MITreasurer@usms.org

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Facility:

Location:  The Oakland University aquatic center houses a 50-meter stretch pool with spectator seating for 1,000 and deck seating for 670 participants. Oakland University is the home of the Oakland University NCAA Division 1 Swim team and hosts many state and regional meets. The aquatic center has plenty of men’s and women’s locker room space and showers. Day lockers only bring your own lock. 

Pool: Only event registered athletes, designated workout group coaches, pool staff and volunteers are allowed on the pool deck. Competition Pool: 25 yards with bulkheads. 8 lane competition pool, during the meet there will be 5 lanes for warm up/cool down. There will be times where additional warm up/cool lanes will be available. The length of the competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1, but as a bulkhead course, is subject to length confirmation. Eligibility of times for USMS Top 10 and records will be contingent on verification of bulkhead placement. The pool will be measured as required per USMS rules. 

Timing: The primary timing system will be automatic timing with a state of the art Colorado System 7 timing system. Times from this competition will be eligible for world record, USMS record, and Top 10 consideration. Each session in addition will have 2 timers per lane. 

Parking: Ample free parking and short walk to the Rec Center & Natatorium in lots P16, P17 and P26. There is also a free parking structure P29. The entrance to the pool will be next to P16 and across the street from P17 follow the drive to the door.  Do not enter through Rec Center or O’rena doors. For an interactive Campus parking map – CLICK HERE

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Rules:

Competition Rules: United States Masters Swimming (USMS) rules and Michigan Local Masters Swimming Committee (MI-LMSC) policies will apply. The USMS rule book is available online at http://www.usms.org. The Michigan LMSC policies are located at http://www.michiganmasters.com under the “Information” tab.

The Michigan LMSC believes that athletes, coaches, officials, support staff and volunteers have the right to participate in a safe and inclusive sport environment that is free of abuse, harassment and discrimination.

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Events and Event Schedule:

Warmup times below reflect the competition pool only.

Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #1 – FRIDAY AFTERNOON Warm-up 12:45-1:30 pm. 1650 yard free check in by 1:30 pm. Competition begins at 1:45 pm.
1A	1A	1650 yard freestyle. 4 Heats only. (32 swimmers). Slow to fast
2	2	400 yard IM. Fast to Slow
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #2 – FRIDAY NIGHT Warm-up 4:00-4:35 pm. 1650 yard free check in by 4:30 pm. Competition begins at 4:45 pm.
1B	1B	1650 yard freestyle.  4 Heats only. (32 swimmers). Slow to fast
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #3 – SATURDAY MORNING Warm-up 7:00-7:35am. 500 yard free check in by 7:30 am. Competition begins at 7:45 am.
3	3	500 yard freestyle. 10 heats only. (80 swimmers). Slow to fast
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #4 – SATURDAY MORNING Warm-up begins after the last heat of the 500 free. Approx. 9:45-10:10 am. Competition begins no earlier than 10:15 am. 200 yard free relay entries & changes (event 10 & 11) are due before event 6 begins.
4	5	50 yard butterfly
6	7	200 yard backstroke
8	9	100 yard freestyle
		10 minute break
10	11	200 yard freestyle relay
		MI-LMSC annual meeting 20 minutes after Event #11
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #5 – SATURDAY AFTERNOON Warm-up 1:00-1:45 pm. Competition begins at 2:00 pm. 1:45-2:00 pm. Presentation of the Lifetime, Chetrick, and Lawrence Awards. 200 yard mixed medley relay entries & changes (event 18) are due before event 16 begins.
12	13	100 yard breaststroke
14	15	50 yard backstroke
16	17	200 yard butterfly
		10 minute break
18	18	200 yard mixed medley relay
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #6 – SUNDAY MORNING Warm-up 7:00-7:35am. 1000 yard free check in by 7:30 am. Competition begins at 7:45 am.
19	19	1000 yard freestyle. 5 Heats only. (40 swimmers). Slow to fast
		Warm-up begins after the last heat of the 1000 free. Approx. 9:45-10:10 am. Competition begins no earlier than 10:15am. 200 yard medley relay entries & changes (event 28 & 29) are due before event 26 begins.
20	21	200 yard IM
22	23	100 yard butterfly
24	25	200 yard freestyle
26	27	50 yard breastroke
		10 minute break
28	29	200 yard medley relay
Women’s Event #	Men’s Event #	SESSION #7 – SUNDAY AFTERNOON – Begins one hour after the end of Session #6. Estimated warm-up 12:45-1:10pm. Estimated competition begins at 1:15pm. 200 yard mixed free relay entries & changes (event 38) are due before event 34 begins.
30	31	50 yard freestyle
32	33	200 yard breaststroke
34	35	100 yard backstroke
36	37	100 yard IM
		10 minute break
38	38	200 yard mixed freestyle relay
Presentation of age-group high point, and team awards will be presented approximately 15 minutes after Event #38.

Entires:

Entry Methods and Entry Deadlines: This meet utilizes an online entry system only.

• Online entries: Go to http://www.MichiganMasters.com to enter the meet. This meet is  limited to the first 360 entrants.
• Relay entries: Relay entries must be submitted by the designated team representative, not individual swimmers. Refer to the “Entry Procedures” described below. 
• Seed entry times: It is appreciated that you enter an accurate seed time when registering for each event in order to maintain an accurate meet timeline.

Entry Fees:  

• Early Bird Registration: $100 January 1st – January 31st, 2026 at 9:00pm.
• Regular Registration $120 February 1st – March 31st, 2026 at 9:00pm.
• Pre-entered relay event entry fee – $20 per relay. Relay forms must be emailed to meet host Mitch Alters Alters@oakland.edu by Wednesday, April 15th, @ 12:00 noon. (See complete submission instructions in the “Relays” section below)
• Deck entered relays (at the meet) $24 per relay. (See complete submission instructions in “Relays” section below)

Refund Policy: By registering for this swim meet, you have purchased a “ticket”. As with a ticket to any sports or entertainment event, there are no refunds or credits if you are unable to attend.

Eligibility:  Swimmers must have a current 2026 USMS membership as of the entry deadline to be eligible to compete in this meet. One-day event registrations (USMS rule 201.1.3) are not valid given that this is a 3-day meet with multiple events. Swimmers must agree to the USMS “Participant Waiver and Release of Liability, Assumption of Risk and Indemnity Agreement.”

Workout Group Representation: When you register with USMS and Michigan LMSC, you sign up for one of three clubs:

1. Michigan Masters Club (MICH). If you are a Michigan Masters Club (MICH) member you have the opportunity at the state meet to do the following:
       i. Sign up to swim with your registered workout group (team)
       ii. Sign up to swim with an unregistered team for example:
                 i. Stray Cats, Battle Creek Y Masters, Milan Masters, etc, or club that you create
       To accumulate points & to swim in relays, you must designate a Workout Group/Team in your on-line entry.
2. Michigan Queer Aquatix (MINQX)
       To accumulate points & to swim in relays, you must designate MINQX on your on-line entry.
   
3. Michigan Unattached (UC19). If you are registered unattached, you must designate as follows:
     i. Club unattached (UC19).
     ii. Team unattached (UC19).
      All unattached swimmers are not eligible to swim in relays or combine points with other unattached
     swimmers. The swimmer is basically on their own.

Age Determination Date: Age on April 19, 2026 (last day of the meet) determines a swimmer’s age for the entire meet.

Event Limits: Swimmers may enter a maximum of 7 individual events for the entire meet (does not include relay events), with a daily maximum of 6 individual events. If more than seven individual events are listed on the entry form, only the first seven entries will be accepted. 

Entry Procedures:

• Individual Events: Choose a maximum of individual 7 events (does not include relay events). Enter your best short course yards (SCY) times on the line labeled “entry seed time.” You may enter an estimated time or “no time” if you do not have a best time to report. “No time” entries will be assigned to the slowest heats. You will use the format of 00:00.00.
• Distance Events: The 400y IM will be offered once during the meet on Friday afternoon. The 1650 Free will be offered only on Friday. There will be an Afternoon 1650, and an Evening 1650. The 1650 sessions are limited to 4 heats (32 swimmers) in both the afternoon and the evening sessions. The 500 free is limited to 80 swimmers and the 1000 free is limited to 40 swimmers. All distance events require a positive check-in. Refer to the check-in, seeding, and heat sheet procedures described earlier in this meet announcement for more information. 

• Relays: Designate one team representative to enter relays for the entire team.
  • Pre-entered relays. The team representative (only) should email pre-entered relays by Wednesday, April 15th @ 12:00 noon, to meet host Mitch Alters Alters@oakland.edu. The team representative should pay relay entry fees during general check-in on Friday, or on Saturday or Sunday before the day’s session begins. Cash or check payable to Oakland University Swim and Dive.
    
    For each relay, please include:  
    • The relay event and event number
    • Swimmers’ names (as they appear on USMS membership cards) in the order of relay swim, each swimmer’s age (each swimmer’s age on April 19, 2026) and gender.
    • Age group for the relay team. The relay age group is determined by the age of the youngest swimmer on the relay team.
    • Approximate seed time.
    • Mixed relays must consist of 2 men, and 2 women.
    • Relay names, swim order and age groups may be changed up to the deadlines listed in the meet event schedule. 
    • Edits to relays from relays submitted by email, please use a bright green relay change form (available in the pool office) by the deadline stated in the detailed Event Schedule. 
  • Deck-entered relays – at the meet. Bright green relay cards will be available in the pool office during the meet. To deck enter a relay, the green relay card MUST BE USED. To enter the relay, the team representative should submit the completed green relay card to the meet host Mitch Alters. The team representative should pay relay entry fees during general check-in on Friday, or on Saturday or Sunday before the day’s session begins. Cash or check payable to Oakland University Swim and Dive.

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Procedures and Policies:

Age Groups:  Age on April 19, 2026 (last day of the meet) determines a swimmer’s age for the entire meet. Individual event age groups: 18-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74 … 5-year increments as high as necessary.
Relay age groups: 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, 55+, 65+, 75+, 85+ … 10-year increments as high as necessary. Age groups for relay events are determined by the age of the youngest person on a relay team.

Warm-up/Cool-down: Swimmers must enter the water feet first in a cautious manner during all warm-ups/cool downs. Diving is permitted only in designated sprint lanes. No equipment is allowed during warm-up or cool down in the competition pool.  Dive entries are only allowed during one way sprints in designated sprint lanes. 

Check-In: 

• General check-in. Every swimmer must report for general check-in upon arrival at the meet to verify entry status. 
• Distance event check-in. Each swimmer who is entered in a distance event (400y IM, 500y freestyle, 1000y freestyle, 1650y freestyle) must report for a positive distance event check-in for each distance event entered. Swimmers who do not do a positive check-in before the check-in deadline listed on the Event Schedule will be scratched from that event. The Meet Director reserves the right to re-seed the distance events after check-in if subsequent scratches will allow consolidation of heats. The deadlines for distance event check-ins are provided in the Event Schedule section of this meet announcement.

Seeding: Seeding will be slow to fast for all individual events of 200 yards or less and for relay events, with men and women only events seeded separately. New for 2026 seeding will be slow to fast for distance events (400y IM, 500y free, 1000y free, 1650y free), with men and women seeded together. “No time” entries will be assigned to the slowest heats for all events.

Heat Sheets. Will be available on-line at: www.MichiganMasters.com, in a PDF file format. Participants can print out their own copy of the heat sheets if so desired. Heat sheets will show heat and lane assignments for all events that are 200 yards or less in distance. Heat sheets will be posted on the walls in the pool area. Separate heat sheets for the distance events (400y IM, 500y free, 1000y free, and 1650y free) will be posted at the pool when distance-event check-in for that event is complete.

Scratches: For all events, the swimmer is responsible for reporting to the assigned heat and lane in a timely manner. Failure to appear by the time of the Referee’s short whistle commands will be considered a scratch; the swimmer will not be allowed to swim in another heat of the same event.

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Timing and Scoring:

Timing system: The primary timing system will be a Colorado System 7 automatic timing. Times from this competition will be eligible for world record, USMS record and Top Ten consideration.

Swimmer responsibilities: Hit the timing pad firmly. Do not cut through lanes to reach the ladder until all swimmers have completed the event. During relays, remain clear of the timing pad area until the event is completed by all swimmers. Before distance free events (500y free, 1000y free, and 1650y free), make sure there is a person to count your laps at the end of your lane, however, a lap counter volunteer may be provided by the meet host. 

National or World Record attempt responsibilities: If going for a National or World Record, you will submit the USMS record form prior to the race. If this happens after a race, immediately alert the timing system operator and complete the record form. If going for a record, alert the Starter to request the required three manual back-up timers. 

Split request forms: Official split requests for individual events must be submitted using the Split Notification Form. Per USMS rules, for individual events other than backstroke you must notify the meet referee of your intent to record an initial split time before the meet is over; for backstroke events you must notify the referee before swimming that event. If possible, please submit all initial split requests (including for backstroke events) before the event is swum.

All relay leadoff splits (the 50y split in all 200y relays) will be recorded as automatic official splits.

Scoring:  Individual events: 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 points. Relay events: 18-14-12-10-8-6-4-2 points.

Results: Event results will be posted at clearly marked locations announced at the meet and at the awards table. Results will also be available via Meet Mobile app. Results will be published on the website (www.michiganmasters.com) following the meet.

Michigan LMSC Records:  A Michigan State Record may only be established by a swimmer registered through the Michigan LMSC. A Meet Championship Record can only be broken at the annual State Championship meet. 

Protests: Per USMS Rule 102.14.3, “Protests against judgment decisions of starters and stroke, turn, and relay takeoff judges can only be considered by the referee, and the referee’s decision shall be final.”

Other protests (e.g., concerns about seeding, awards, final results, eligibility, scoring, entries, etc.) per USMS Rule 102.14.5 “Any other protest arising from the competition itself shall be made within 30 minutes after the race in which the alleged infraction took place. If the protest is not resolved immediately, the protester shall at that time file a written protest with the chair of the LMSC or the chair’s representative having jurisdiction over the event. If the LMSC does not satisfactorily resolve the protest within 10 days, the protester may appeal in writing to the USMS Rules Committee chair within the next five days for final adjudication, whose decision shall then be binding on all parties.”

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Awards:

• 1st, 2nd, 3rd – Individual Events State Championship Medals  
• 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th – Individual Events State Championship Ribbons
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th – Relay Event  State Championship Ribbons  
• High Point Award – Age Group Women and Men State Championship Plaque 
• High Point Team – Large Team Division State Championship Trophy Plaque 
• High Point Team – Small Team Division State Championship Trophy Plaque 
• High Point Team – Large Team Women State Championship Trophy Plaque 
• High Point Team – Small Team Women State Championship Trophy Plaque 
• High Point Team – Large Team Men State Championship Trophy Plaque 
• High Point Team – Small Team Men State Championship Trophy Plaque  

Presentation of Awards:

• Pick up individual and relay event awards at the awards table during meet sessions. 
• Presentation of age group high point awards and overall team high point awards in all categories will begin approximately 15 minutes after the completion of the last event. The large and small team divisions will be based upon the number of total entries for each team.
• Please be prompt so award presentations are not delayed. Swimmers and team representatives are responsible to pick up any awards earned. Awards will not be mailed.

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MI-LMSC Annual Meeting:

All Michigan LMSC members are encouraged to attend the annual Michigan Local Masters Swimming Committee (LMSC) membership meeting. The location identified at General Check-In, and posted on deck. Time of the meeting is 20 minutes after the conclusion of the last event in Session #4 on Saturday morning. A light lunch will be served for those who attend the meeting. This is the time to vote on officer elections on “even numbered” years, and MI-LMSC bylaw updates and/or edits when applicable. The meeting will also include updates affecting the USMS National Organization, the Michigan LMSC, and your local team. State meet location for the following year will also be announced.

An agenda of the meeting will be available on the website www.MichiganMasters.com.

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Michigan Masters State Meet Annual Awards:

Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement, Chetrick, and Lawrence Awards are due by February 15 of the same year, and can be submitted on the website www.MichiganMasters.com.

• The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated a lengthy record of swimming accomplishments, as well as many years of outstanding volunteer contributions that further the objectives of masters swimming in the State of Michigan.
• The Chetrick Award recognizes an individual who has exhibited outstanding service and commitment to the spirit of Michigan Masters Swimming on either the state or national level.
• The Lawrence Award is presented to a swimmer from the Michigan LMSC who has achieved outstanding performances in National competition during the past year, and across the person’s swimming career.

Previous winners of these awards are noted under the “Awards” tab at http://www.michiganmasters.com.