CCS Championship Meets

Swimmers must be registered with CCS prior to the start of the Championship Meet to be eligible to participate in any CCS Championship Meet (GH 3.2.1 A). Swimmers must also be over 18 years old prior to the start of the meet. For swimmers turning 18 years of age between the entry deadline and the start of the meet, please refer to the Under 18 Policy.

CCS Regional Championship Meets

  • Each of the 4 regions will have a Regional Championship Meet in the fall. 
  • There are NO qualifying time standards for the Regional Championships.
  • Clubs may compete in Regional Championships outside of their geographically assigned region, but such Clubs will compete as exhibition.
    • Swimmers attending a Regional Championship outside of their assigned region are NOT eligible to…
      • Advance to finals in prelim/finals events
      • Earn points
      • Set meet records (according to GH 2.5.3)
  • Clubs swimming at Regional Championships outside of their geographically assigned regions shall have results uploaded to the CCS database and ARE eligible for Nationals qualification.
  • All Registration/President Portal deadlines will be in the EASTERN time zone, regardless of region. All Meet Session Warm Up/Start times will be in the host’s LOCAL time zone.
  • Swimmers wishing to have their times count for USMS/USA Swimming must provide their USMS ID# or USA Swimming ID. For USA Swimming specifically, in order for times to be eligible for entry into the SWIMS database, swimmers must 1) be an active member with USA Swimming and 2) have completed Athlete Protection Training no later than the individual athlete entry deadline. Individual swimmers must provide their USMS/USA Swimming IDs via a Google form link (found in the meet packet) by the athlete entry deadline.

Format

  • All meets will be prelims/finals (most will be 2 courses for prelims)
  • Championship/consolation finals (number of athletes varies by site)
  • 200 butterfly/backstroke/breaststroke, 400 individual medley, 500 freestyle, and 1000 freestyle will be timed finals in the prelims session.
  • All relays will be timed finals in the finals session.
  • Only the A relay can score.
  • The 500 freestyle and 1000 freestyle will be seeded fastest to slowest. All other preliminary and timed finals events will be seeded slowest to fastest.
  • Medals provided for top three in each event as well as top three teams (Male, Female, and Combined)

2025 Regionals

  • Locations
    • Central: Hosted by Club Swimming at Ohio State - November 8-9
    • Southern: Hosted by Florida State Swim Club - November 8-9
    • Western: Hosted by Swim Club at UC - Irvine - November 8-9
    • Eastern: Hosted by Liberty University Men's Swimming - November 15-16

Western Regionals Entry Procedure: Please see the meet packet for information regarding the entry procedures for Western Regionals. Since the meet will be swum in only one competition course, in order to ensure a timely meet, there is a 1000 athlete entry cap in place. Clubs will pre-register to reserve space for their athletes via the tentative attendance form. Athletes from the pre-registered clubs will then sign up for their events in the CCS portal. Registration will follow the typical process for the other three regionals sites, with no entry cap.

 

 

Entry Deadlines: Note that these deadlines are in ET.

Region

Central/Southern

Western

Eastern

Pre-Registration Period

N/A

10/1 at 12PM – 10/10 at 11:59PM

N/A

Pre-Registered Clubs Athlete Registration

N/A

10/12 at 12PM – 10/22 at 11:59PM

N/A

Athlete Entry Period

10/1 at 12PM – 10/29 at 11:59PM

10/23 at 12PM - 10/29 at 11:59PM*

10/1 at 12PM - 11/5 at 11:59PM

President Confirmation Period

10/30 at 12AM – 11/2 at 11:59PM

10/30 at 12AM – 11/2 at 11:59PM

11/6 at 12AM –
11/9 at 11:59PM

No late entries are accepted after the close of the President Confirmation Period.

*For the Western Regional Meet, the athlete registration will be allowed for pre-registered clubs only during the Pre-Registered Clubs Athlete Registration period. After that period closes, if space is available, registration may open to all clubs on 10/23 at 12PM until that space is filled.

CCS National Championship Meet 

  • There will be 1 National Championship meet every season in the spring.
  • The National Championship meet will have qualifying standards, which will be released in the fall. 
  • The qualification period will be defined as week after the preceding year’s National Championship and until 1 month before the National Championship.
  • Only times in the CCS database achieved within the qualification period will be accepted as times to qualify for the National Championship. Times from seasons prior do NOT count. 
  • Altitude adjustments will be made upon request for any CCS-Sanctioned meets swum at or above 3,000 feet elevation in accordance with the guidelines set by the most recent education of the U.S. Masters Swimming Rules. 

2026 Nationals

Host: NC State Club Swim

Location: Greensboro Aquatic Center (Greensboro, North Carolina)

Dates: April 10-12

 

Bidding for Championship Meets

  • Bidding to host a Regional or National Championship is a valuable opportunity for teams to showcase their club to CCS and have the opportunity to potentially bring a premier event to their community and elevate their program’s visibility.
  • The host of the Regional Championships and the National Championships are decided by the Competition Committee via bid. 
  • The Competition Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to hosts.
  • Clubs must submit a bid packet, which includes:
    • Cover letter
    • Facility specifications
    • Sample budget
    • Sample contract
  • The Cover Letter will aid the Meet Directors in the bidding process, outlining acceptable event windows and facility requirements.
  • The deadline to submit a bid application is December 1st of the CCS registration year preceding the intended championship event.
  • Clubs can contact CCS (collegeclub@usmastersswimming.com) or the Competition Committee (ccscompetition@usmastersswimming.org) via email with any questions. The competition committee is happy to meet to discuss potential opportunities and provide past examples.

Advisory Board Championship Meet Liaisons

The Liaison’s role is to aid the Host in putting on the best possible National or Regional Championship – by answering questions, providing resources and guidance, and advocating for the Host. CCS Nationals and Regionals liaisons are past championship meet directors who are the representatives of the Competition Committee help oversees these championship meets. Liaisons are involved with every step of the championship meet hosting process from when the bid is received to the post-meet exit survey after the meet.

The roles and responsibilities of the Regionals Liaisons are

  • Meet regularly (monthly) with regionals hosts to go over progress and updates
  • Communicate with the hosts via Discord to answer questions and track progress
  • Develop overall meet information packet and assist hosts with site-specific information and the arrival logistics packets
  • Answer questions regarding general overall meet policies and procedures via the regionals email/Discord
  • Oversee (alongside USMS) the registration process for the Regionals meets, including any forms used for registration and preparing the meet databases
  • Provide regular updates to the CCS Advisory Board

The roles and responsibilities of the Nationals Liaisons are

  • Meet regularly (monthly at first and biweekly closer to the championship meet) with the Nationals host and facility team to go over progress and updates
  • Communicate with the Nationals host and facility team via Teams to answer questions and track progress
  • Answer questions from clubs, athletes, and parents regarding the meet via the nationals email/Discord
  • Assist with developing the meet information packet and arrival logistics packet
  • Oversee (alongside USMS) the registration process for the Nationals meet, including any forms used for registration and preparing the meet databases
  • Provide on-site support during the championship meet
  • Coordinate in-water aspects of the meet with the meet referee and the designated administrative official
  • Provide regular updates to the CCS Advisory Board