By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
2019 INTERNATIONAL SWIMMING LEAGUE
- Saturday, October 5th – Sunday, October 6th
- 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm EST
- Indianapolis, IN
- Indiana University Natatorium (IUPUI)
- Short Course Meters (SCM)
- Group A: Cali Condors, DC Trident, Energy Standard, Aqua Centurions
- Full Meet Results
There’s not much suspense about the overall league standings after week 1 of the 2019 ISL Season – the 4 teams that competed are the only teams with points, and where they stand at that meet is where they stand in the league table to date.
How Standings Work
At each of the 6 regular season meets, teams will score points based on their relative finish order, as follows:
- 1st place – 4 points
- 2nd place – 3 points
- 3rd place – 2 points
- 4th place – 1 point
There are no ‘style’ points – whether the margins of each meet are 1 point or 100 points, the table above is how much is earned.
At the end of the 6 regular seasons meets (2 Group A, 2 Group B, 1 ‘derby’ meet with all US teams, and 1 ‘derby’ meet with all European teams), the teams will be ranked by continent (not “Group”). All 4 American teams will be ranked, and all 4 European teams will be ranked, and the top 2 American teams will go to the final, as will the top 2 European teams.
In theory, a team could win its ‘continent’ table without winning a single meet, because most of the meets are not grouped by ‘continent’ (see last weekend in Indy, which had 2 European and 2 American teams).
Note: ISL uses ‘points’ to describe many different scoring systems: meet points, MVP points, standings points, and prize money points. We’ll try to differentiate between those points as best we can in our coverage.
Current Standings After Meet 1
Europe:
In Europe, the Energy Standard club, the pre-season on-paper favorites in the league, has dashed out to the league thanks to a 96-point margin of victory in Indianapolis, and a tighter win in Naples, for a maximum 8 points.
Mathematically, nothing is guaranteed yet. However, having already proven to be well ahead of Aqua Centurions, Energy Standard is, essentially, a lock for the finale in Las Vegas in December. A top 2 finish at the European derby would mathematically lock Energy Standard in for Vegas. 3rd creates, at best, a tie scenario.
| 1st place finishes | 2nd place finishes | 3rd place finishes | 4th place finishes | Standings Points | |
| Energy Standard | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Aqua Centurions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| London Roar | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| Iron Swim | – | – | – | – | 0 |
America:
The Cali Condors were the best American team through the first 2 weeks, but even the addition of Caeleb Dressel and a relay DQ from Energy Standard couldn’t lift them to a victory. The American derby will be very interesting, because the LA Current has the depth to contend with the Condors, on paper, while the Breakers have a disruptive force in Michael Andrew whose training is tailor-made for the ISL format.
Ironically, the Condors’ fate could be determined by a European team: if the London Roar are hurt badly by the absence of British swimmers at the British training camp that overlaps with their first two meets, and the American teams in Group B are able to go 1-2, then the Condors are in trouble. The LA Current look very deep in that group, so the Condors should become fans of the Roar and Iron Swim next weekend in Lewisville, hoping for them to beat the Breakers. If the Breakers finish outside of the top 2, then the placement of the LA Current in Group B are less impactful to the Condors’ fate.
| 1st place finishes | 2nd place finishes | 3rd place finishes | 4th place finishes | Standings Points | |
| Cali Condors | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| DC Trident | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| LA Current | – | – | – | – | 0 |
| New York Breakers | – | – | – | – | 0 |
2019 ISL Season Schedule:
| GROUP A | GROUP B | DERBIES | FINALS | |
| DATE | October 5-6, 2019 | October 19-20, 2019 | November 16-17, 2019 | December 20-21, 2019 |
| LOCATION | INDIANAPOLIS, IN | LEWISVILLE – DALLAS, TX | WASHINGTON, DC | LAS VEGAS, NV |
| TEAMS | Cali Condors | LA Current | Cali Condors | US Team |
| DC Trident | New York Breakers | DC Trident | US Team | |
| Aqua Centurions | Team Iron | LA Current | European Team | |
| Energy Standard | London Roar | New York Breakers | European Team | |
| DATE | October 12-13, 2019 | October 26-27, 2019 | November 23-24, 2019 | |
| LOCATION | NAPLES, ITALY | BUDAPEST, HUN | LONDON, GBR | |
| TEAMS | Aqua Centurions | Team Iron | Aqua Centurions | |
| Energy Standard | London Roar | Energy Standard | ||
| Cali Condors | LA Current | Team Iron | ||
| DC Trident | New York Breakers | London Roar |
Read the full story on SwimSwam: Team Standings after Week 2 of the 2019 ISL Season