The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association reviewed and denied an appeal from a Mercer County school district Monday regarding a re-swim at the state’s individual swimming championships this past weekend, citing guidance from national swimming rules.
As reported by Corey Annan of NJ.com, Lawrence Township Public Schools appealed the outcome of the 100-yard breaststroke at New Jersey's so-called Meet of Champions after senior Josh DeMarco finished in second place following a re-swim. NJSIAA officials at the meet had granted the event do-over after swimmers complained they did not hear the initial race's starting buzzer.
Per Annon's reporting, DeMarco placed first in the initial race on Sunday, but opted to keep his time from the first race and forgo the re-swim. But that time proved to be a half-second slower than that of the swimmer who won the second race. That swimmer, Yehor Maistruk, the event's defending state champion, was one of two competitors who never left the starting block during the initial race.
Maistruk re-swim time of 55.46 seconds bested DeMarco’s 55.95 from the initial race.
NFHS rules state that a re-swim may be ordered if a faulty start unfairly affects a competitor or the entire heat, particularly in championship finals. All eight swimmers were given a chance to re-swim, Annon reported.
“Following review and consultation with NFHS staff, it was determined that the rule was properly applied. The protest was denied, and the results of the re-swim stand,” NJSIAA spokesman Michael Cherenson said in a statement sent to NJ.com on Monday.
“I respect the ruling because I respect the committee and the organization,” Lawrence athletic director Anthony Ammirata said. “I’ve been in conversation with Colleen (Maguire), and I respect her position. I know she does a really good job and she’s a professional, but we’re trying to explore other options to see if they can possibly re-evaluate and we can come to a more equitable solution.”
Ammirata said he believed that the original race should have been restarted immediately once it became clear that Maistruk and Lagrimas hadn’t jumped off their starting blocks, Annan reported.
“To my understanding, proper officiating with the proper protocol would have been to stop the heat immediately so no competitor would have been able to continue the race,” Ammirata said. “That’s something everyone can learn from moving forward so this type of issue doesn’t happen again. As an athletic director, I completely understand that officials, regardless of the sport or event, are human and will make mistakes. It’s just that errors are magnified under the microscope at a Meet of Champions because there’s a lot on the line.”
“After the initial race concluded, the meet referee and tournament director immediately consulted and spoke with all coaches on deck,” the NJSIAA's Cherenson said, as reported by NJ.com. ”It was confirmed that multiple swimmers did not hear the starting signal. In accordance with NFHS rules, which govern high school swimming, the meet referee has the authority to order a re-swim when there is reasonable concern that a start was not fair to all competitors.
“Prior to the re-swim, it was clearly communicated to all participants and coaches that swimmers could either retain their original time or elect to compete in the re-swim, in which case the re-swim time would replace the original result.”
