The Division II and III Playing Rules Oversight Panel on Wednesday approved requiring the backstroke ledge to be adjustable to 4 centimeters above or 4 centimeters below the water level and may not be used outside of this range.
The rule change for men’s and women’s swimming and diving also has been approved at the Division I level for the 2026-27 academic year.
Under the rule, the ledge should be a minimum of 60 centimeters in length, 8 centimeters in height and 2 centimeters in width with 10 degrees of slope.
Other rules changes:
- New language was added to the rule for butterfly races. It now includes, “Additionally, once some part of the head of the swimmer has passed the final 5-meter mark (long course and short course meters) or 5-yard mark (short course yards), immediately prior to reaching for the finish, the swimmer may be completely submerged.”
- New language was added to the rule for freestyle races. It now includes, “Additionally, once some part of the head of the swimmer has passed the final 5-meter mark (long course and short course meters) or 5-yard mark (short course yards), immediately prior to reaching for the finish, the swimmer may be completely submerged.”
