The dates and schedules are all set, the teams have been realigned throughout the 17 divisions and the water in the 102 pools across the area is slowly being filtered and prepared for the upcoming 2022 summertime Northern Virginia Swimming League season.
When the popular outdoor campaign begins with 9 a.m. Saturday morning meets June 18, four local teams – the defending champion Tuckahoe Tigers (5-0), the Chesterbrook Tiger Sharks (4-1), the Highlands Swim Whomping Turtles and the Langley Wildthings – will be in Division 1. Chesterbrook finished second last summer with Highlands (1-4) fifth.
Langley won the Division 2 championship last year with a 5-0 record and moves up to Division 1.
In those initial June 18 meets, the first of five regular-season matches, Tuckahoe hosts Donaldson Run of Arlington, Highlands hosts Chesterbrook and Langley is at Overlee.
The 2022 season will be the first NVSL campaign since 2019 that will not be altered or have restrictions in some way because of the pandemic. That means the league-wide all-star relay carnival will be held for the first time since 2019, this summer on Wednesday, July 13 at Hamlet Swim Club in McLean.
“We are so really excited about this season and finally getting the relay carnival back,” league president Jen Sayasithsena said. “We have the same 102 teams ready to go, we will publish a handbook again this summer for the first time since 2019, and everything is on target.”
The one item not yet determined is the site of the league-wide individual all-star competition, which will be held Saturday, July 30. Sayasithsena said a final site will be decided in the next two or three weeks.
Springboard pool in Springfield hosted the past two all-star meets.
Divisional relays are scheduled for Wednesday, July 6 at 17 different sites, with no local pools hosting any meets that day.
“Everything is back this summer, so fingers crossed,” Sayasithsena said.
Division 2 of the summer season includes local pools Kent Gardens, McLean and Hamlet with Division 3 having Vienna Woods. Kent Gardens was the Division 4 champion last summer with a 5-0 mark.
The Oakton Otters head Division 4 along with Vienna Aquatic Club and Cardinal Hill. Oakton finished second in that division last summer at 4-1.
The Dunn Loring Dolphins were the Division 8 champions with a 5-0 mark last summer and have moved up to Division 6. They open the season June 18 at home against Country Club Hills of Fairfax.
The divisions and five-week regular-season schedules also are set for the NVSL diving season, scheduled to open with meets Tuesday evening, June 21.
Dunn Loring, Kent Gardens, Oakton and Vienna Woods are four local teams in Division I this summer with Great Falls in Division II. Oakton won the Division II title last season with a 5-0 record and Kent Gardens was second at 4-1. As a result, each moved up to Division I.
Cardinal Hill was the Division VI tri-champion last summer and is now in Division V.
Divisional dive meets are Sunday, July 24 with the season-ending league-wide all-star meet Sunday, July 31 at Fairfax Station.
NOTE: Many NVSL swimming teams move up and down in divisions from season to season based on win-loss records. The team making the biggest jump from last summer to 2022 is Cottontail of Springfield, jumping five spots from winning Division 13 to Division 8. The team falling the most divisions is Fox Mill Woods of Reston, dropping six spots from Division 8 to 14.