Baylor School’s boys varsity swimming and diving team has been awarded the 2008 National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association Class 9 National Dual Meet Championship.
This is the first time Baylor School has ever won this distinction, and the first time a team from Tennessee has ever won a championship in any of the recognized classifications.
The Baylor boys racked up 5,918 power points for the victory, with the Bolles School of Jacksonville, Fla., placing second with 5,781 points and the Collegiate School of Richmond, Va., placing third with 5,221 points.
The objective of this program is to rank and recognize the top high school dual meet teams in each classification. Baylor’s classification is independent schools based on an enrollment of 1 to 900 students in grades 9 through 12. Each school enters it’s best dual meet line-up utilizing official times from any official, regularly scheduled high school meet. Each time is given a point value based on the official NISCA Power Point Tables. The tables are designed to equate quality of a swimming time or diving total from event to event and from boys to girls.
The Baylor girl’s program posted its highest score ever of 5,536, to finish third in Class 11, behind Bolles and Pine Crest from Fort Lauderdale, and ahead of perennial national powers Germantown Academy and the Peddie School.
The Baylor teams were the only teams from Tennessee to place in the top 15 in any of the 12 classifications, 6 girls classifications and 6 boys classifications, and Baylor dramatically improved it’s rankings of 5th for the boys and 7th for the girls in 2007, which had been Baylor’s best rankings to that point.
“This championship and these rankings are a testament to the great work and dedication of the students involved in our program.” said Baylor Head Coach Dan Flack. “I feel it is important to note that both our girls and boys program are the only programs in the country to be ranked in the top ten in there dual meet class and receive one of NISCA’s national academic awards distinction based on overall team grade point average. These fine student athletes are what high school athletics are all about.”