2027 Spring Nationals - Meet Information

Dates

Competition days are April 29 - May 2
Pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, April 28, from 2 to 6 p.m. Pacific.

Location

William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center
4601 Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604

Hosted By

City of Irvine and Irvine Novaquatics

Have Questions?

Please contact the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org or 941-256-USMS (8767). 

Facility

William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center (Woollett) was completed as a major renovation of the original Heritage Park Aquatics Complex – site of the 1980 USA National Championships, the 1990 Junior Nationals West Championships and the 1981 USMS Short Course National Championships.

The newly renovated Center was completed in September of 2004. The center is an outdoors facility consisting of one constant depth (7 feet) competition pool (50 meter by 25 yard) and one variable depth warm-up pool (50 meter x 25 yard). In addition, a 25 yard by 25 meter teaching pool will be available for additional warm-up space. Expansive locker room facilities for both men and women are adjacent to Course A.

The center has hosted multiple USA Swimming National and Junior National Championships. Most recently, Woollett hosted the 2026 USA Swimming Toyota National Championships, the 2026 USA Swimming Speedo National Championships and the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.

Entry Deadlines and Surcharge

Online entries will be accepted between the below dates and will close at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, on the last day of the entry period. Fees are $12 per individual event, plus a surcharge per swimmer. The surcharge varies according to date of entry:

Mid-January - February 16 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific: $90 surcharge*
February 17 - April 5 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific: $120 surcharge*

Refunds and event change requests including entry time updates and/or event swaps must be made to the National Office at events@usmastersswimming.org by April 12. Event additions to existing registrations must be requested by April 9. No refunds will be given for events not swum.

Relay-only swimmers must enter and pay the meet surcharge by the entry deadline. See the relay page for full details.

If you cannot enter online, call 941-256-USMS (8767) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern Time, during the online entry periods above, to provide your entry information. A member services representative will complete the entry for you. Please have your desired events, times, and credit card information available.

National Qualifying Times/Number of Events/Sixth Event

Competitors may enter up to three individual events without meeting the national qualifying times, or a maximum of six events if they meet the NQTs (i.e. have swum a time equal to or better than the NQTs during the past two years). Exception: Competitors entering the 1650 freestyle must meet the NQT. See NQT frequently asked questions here.

All swimmers are limited to three individual events per day. If the meet is deemed too large, an athlete’s sixth event will be dropped. Swimmers entering six events must indicate which event is to be dropped in case the timeline is too long. No refunds will be given if the sixth event is dropped. A decision on the sixth event will be announced at usms.org by April 9.

If a swimmer enters an event with a time significantly slower or faster than that swimmer's recorded time in the previous three years, the Championship Committee may, after a discussion with the swimmer, change the seeded time to a realistic time.

Waitlist

If attendance is high, entries MAY be capped for events 200-yards and longer to ensure the timeline is manageable for volunteers and officials. More information can be found on the waitlist information page.

Eligibility and International Swimmers

Participants must be registered Masters swimmers and at least 18 years of age as of April 28. Swimmers turning 18 after the meet entry deadline and by April 28, must enter the meet by the entry deadline and register for USMS either before or on April 28.

If a swimmer wishes to affiliate with a Masters club, the club and swimmer must both be registered with the same Local Masters Swimming Committee (LMSC). If there are questions about affiliation, the swimmer will be entered with the affiliation “UC” (Unattached).

International entries are subject to verification and may require additional documentation. Please submit a copy of your Masters Registration card/letter from your governing body to Event Services. Verification is required at the time of online entry. If you do not present verification, you will not be permitted to swim in the competition.

Interim USMS Eligibility Policy

This event is a USMS-sanctioned competition and is governed by the USMS Interim Policy on Participation in the Men’s/Open and Women’s Competition Categories and Eligibility for Official Recognition Programs.

Participation in sanctioned events is permitted in the competition category that aligns with a member’s gender identity and/or expression, unless prohibited by applicable law.

Eligibility for Local Recognition Programs in the Women’s category at this event will be provided to the fullest extent required by applicable state or local law and any applicable facility-use agreement.

Eligibility determinations for National and Local Recognition Programs are handled through USMS administrative processes and will not be adjudicated onsite by meet personnel.

All participants must comply with applicable law and facility rules while onsite.

Age Groups

Age for the meet is determined as of May 2, 2027 except for 18-year-olds, who must be 18 by April 28, 2027. Age groups for individual events: 18–24, 25–29, 30–34, 35–39 … (five-year increments as high as necessary). Relay events: 18+, 25+, 35+, 45+, etc (10-year increments as high as necessary, determined by the age of the youngest relay member).

Registration

Prior to arriving at the facility, all participants must complete an online form which includes a liability waiver and emergency contact information. The form will be emailed one week prior to the event. Swimmers can then pick up hospitality passes and credentials upon arriving at the facility. Registration will be held at the facility on April 28 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., and on all other days from 6:30 a.m. through the end of competition.

Seeding

Men’s heats will precede women's heats for each event, except that women’s and men’s heats may be seeded together for the 400 IM, 1000, and 1650 freestyle events. The 1650 and 1000 freestyle events may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 400 IM and 500 freestyle may be seeded slowest to fastest by entry time, regardless of age. The 200-yard events may be deck seeded and may be seeded by entry time, regardless of age, for each sex. All 50 and 100 events will be pre-seeded by age group, with the oldest age groups first, slowest to fastest within each group. All seeding decisions will be announced at usms.org by April 12. 

Distance Events

*Swimmers may enter the 1000 freestyle or 1650 freestyle, but not both. All swimmers entering the 1650 must meet the NQT.

Event Sanction

Sanctioned by the Southern Pacific LMSC for USMS Inc. Sanction Number 337-S039.

The length of the competition course is in compliance and on file with USMS in accordance with articles 105.1.7 and 106.2.1.

The primary timing system will be automatic timing. Times from this competition will be eligible for USMS records and Top 10 consideration. 

Check-In Requirements and Deadlines

Swimmers must check in for events 400 yards or longer. Check-in will also be required for all the 200s if it is determined that deck seeding is necessary.

Check-in will be available on the event page available starting Monday, April 26. A link will be sent in an email to all swimmers. If you need assistance, please email Event Services or visit the Solutions Table on-site near Registration during the hours of the meet. 

The deadline to check in is 7 p.m. the night before the event is contested. Failure to check in by the following deadlines will result in the swimmer being scratched from the event and the swimmer will not be permitted to swim that event at another time. 

Heat sheets for deck seeded events will be published online by approximately 8 p.m. each evening. 

Meet Roster

A real-time meet roster including name, age, sex, and club will be available. Please verify your information and contact Event Services with any concerns by the entry deadline.

Heat and Psych Sheets

Psych sheets for all individual events will be available on the usms.org website the week of April 12. 

Heat sheets for pre-seeded events will be available online by April 16. Heat sheets for deck-seeded events will be posted at various places around the pool deck and on Meet Mobile and SwimPhone, once the events have been seeded.

Meet Start Times 

The competition will start at 8:00 a.m. each day of the meet. 

Warm-up Times and Procedures

The Course B competition pool will be open for warm-up on Wednesday, April 28 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. On competition days, Course A and Course B competition pools will be open from 6:30 a.m. until 7:50 a.m. 

There are 6 additional lanes of warm up space adjacent to each competition course.  The 65+ warm up space is available in the teaching pool.  All pools will be available from 6:30 a.m. until the conclusion of the final event each day. Both competition courses and adjacent warm-up space will be open for warm-up for 30 minutes following the last heat of the last event or until 5 p.m., whichever is later.

Scratches

Any swimmer failing to report to the proper lane in the correct heat of an event will be scratched from that event and will not be permitted to swim that event at another time.

Individual event and full athlete scratches will be accepted through April 12.

Relays 

All relays must be entered online. Swimmers may enter relays until 7 p.m. on the day before the relay is scheduled. See the Relay Information page for complete information.

Scoring

Swimmers in individual events will be awarded points for first through tenth places as 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, respectively. Relays will be awarded double points for first through tenth places as 22-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2, respectively.

Club Scoring

Club scoring will be tabulated in two categories (regional clubs and local clubs) and three divisions (men, women, and combined). Mixed relays score points only in the combined division.

Awards

Medals will be awarded for first through tenth places in each age group, for all events. A U.S. Masters Swimming National Champion patch will be given to each individual and relay-team member for the first event won. Swimmers winning more than one event may purchase additional patches. Unclaimed awards will not be mailed unless arrangements are made at the meet. There will be a charge for mailing awards. Club awards will be presented to the top 10 clubs in the local club division and top five clubs in the regional division.

Final Results

The complete results, including splits, will be posted at usms.org as a printable PDF and a page searchable by age group, event, swimmer, or club.. 

Split Notification

Final results will indicate splits for all swims (excluding pad malfunctions). Splits will be recorded for all swimmers and submitted for records and Top 10 consideration, for initial distances of all individual events (except for backstroke) and for all relay lead-off splits. Therefore, swimmers need not submit split requests for those events. Split requests are required for initial distance(s) of an individual backstroke event. The swimmer is responsible for picking up the Split Notification Form from the administrative official, filling it out, and presenting it to the administrative official prior to the swim.

Automatic split times will be submitted for USMS Top 10, however automatic split times from individual events will not automatically appear in the USMS event results database. If you would like a split time to be added to the event results database, please email your request after the meet to Event Services.

Time Verification (SWIMS)

Swimmers wishing to have times entered into SWIMS (USA Swimming’s times database) must complete a form, obtained from the administrative referee at the meet, prior to the swim.

Hearing Impaired Start Assistance

Any athlete with a hearing impairment may request starting assistance from the meet referee.  The request must be made prior to the start of the meet. If portable strobes are available, one may be located in a manner to provide a visual aid. Otherwise, another appropriate method may be employed to visually assist the affected swimmer. Please contact Event Services by the entry deadline if you require this assistance.

Service Animals

Animals other than service animals will not be permitted on deck at the venue.