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IRVINE, California, August 5. SWIMMAC's Josh Schneider has been put back into the men's 50 free finale to swim while on appeal in the next step of what has been an interesting day for the NCAA 50-yard free champion.
Earlier today, Schneider was disqualified from the 50 free after no showing the men's 100 fly preliminary. Schneider, however, swam the 50 free prelim under protest and qualified second. After an on site hearing, Schneider was disqualified from the 50 free.
The legal wrangling continued throughout prelims and the break before finals with USA Swimming electing to allow him to swim on appeal tonight until a permanent decision can be made.
"He's swimming on appeal," Schneider's agent David Arluck told Swimming World. "The meet directors are doing the right thing by allowing him to swim."
Initial indications are that a technicality may allow Schneider's swims to remain. This meet has a requirement for swimmers to appear for a swimsuit check prior to competing. If swimmers do not appear on time, they are disqualified from the event. The question is whether the rulebook specifically states that a "no show" penalty supersedes a swimsuit check penalty. It might be technically possible that "no show" penalties cannot apply at this meet since a swimsuit check miss would result in a disqualification, and if a swimmer is already disqualified before the race starts then a "no show" could not technically happen.
A five-person Board of Directors panel will be meeting in the coming day to make a final decision on Schneider's appeal according to USA Swimming's Bruce Stratton.
Texas' Jimmy Feigen would have been the man to take Schneider's place in the finale if the disqualification would have stood. Texas, however, elected not to file a protest to guarantee Feigen's spot in the final eight.
Swimming World will keep you up to date with more information on this breaking story.
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