Massachusetts Cancels 2020-2021 Winter Swimming & Diving State Championships

The MIAA board of directors has voted in favor of a recommendation to cancel all winter sports championships in Massachusetts in the 2020-2021 season as a second wave of coronavirus cases hits the state. That includes the winter swimming & diving season, which is one of two swimming and diving seasons in Massachusetts.

All 20 members of the board of directors voted in favor of the recommendation by the Tournament Management Committee to not hold winter championships.

The winter sports season could begin as early as November 30 and run until February 21, pending the results of a report from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The state previously canceled its fall sports season. Massachusetts is unique nationally in that it offers schools the choice of a fall or winter season for swimming & diving for both boys’ and girls, though only a few boys teams compete in the fall. The winter season also includes more teams for girls.

The fall season has also included only virtual meets, with teams competing remotely from their home facilities with their results being combined.

The 2020 championships were held in February before coronavirus quarantines set in, which cause some winter sports championships, like hockey and basketball, to be canceled last year as well.

The Saint John’s Prep boys are the 5-time defending MIAA Division I champions, while Wayland High School are the 4-time defending Division II champions. On the girls side, Westford Academy are the defending Division I champions, having won 8 titles in the last 9 years, while Duxbury High won the 2020 Division II title: their 3rd in 4 years.

Massachusetts, like most of the United States, is seeing an increase in new positive tests for coronavirus, though the state is still below its record highs from late April. Over the last 7 days, the state has averaged about 1,300 new daily cases, which is off their peak of almost 2,500 cases. That’s just under 19 new daily cases per 100,000 residents.

The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 has also begun to rise, but not as quickly as new cases: they state is averaging about 22 deaths caused by the coronavirus over the last week.