WESTFIELD – There will be a Western Massachusetts swim championship after all.
Late Friday, Westfield athletic director Karen Gomez announced that the area’s athletic directors had reached an agreement to hold an unofficial WMass championship swim meet on Monday, February 11.
The girls’ meet will be held at Westfield High School, while the boys’ meet will be conducted at Chicopee High. Both championships will begin at 4:30 p.m., and no spectators will be allowed to attend.
“At least the seniors will have a venue,” said Gomez.
Westfield’s unbeaten swim teams (both 10-0) were stunned after learning that the MIAA had cancelled Saturday’s championship with no plans to make it up, with officials citing timing and logistics issues. But coaches and athletic directors worked hard behind the scenes to pull it off.
The MIAA said late in the week that only individuals who had already qualified for states during the regular season would be eligible to participate in next weekend’s state championships.
Gomez said Westfield is in a central location for the Berkshire teams and those squads from Springfield.
“We have the building,” she said. “I think we can pull it off. We will do the best we can. It may not be the smoothest venue, it might be longer. But it is a first-class venue for these student-athletes.”
Gomez said fans, including parents and friends, will not be allowed to attend due to the smaller venue, and to protect all of the student-athletes to ensure a fair competition.
