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Typically, Whitman swimming and diving coach Geoff Schaefer embraces the importance of honesty. He made an exception when filling out his lineup for Metros this weekend.

"It is a big guessing game," he said. "You use anything you can get, go on any tips you pick up from your kids and what they've heard during their club swimming practices. That's why I told my kids all week to just lie, lie, lie. Maybe that's just me."

Saturday's season-ending Washington Metropolitan Interscholastic Swimming and Diving Championships' finals lasted about three hours. But coaches' preparation for the event spanned anywhere from three weeks to the entire season.

Crafting the perfect lineup is an art; it's not just about putting the fastest swimmers in every event. There are guidelines to work around.

In regular dual meets, each swimmer is allowed to compete in a maximum of three events; at championship meets, it's four, but two must be relays.

During the regular season, teams can have up to three swimmers in each event. At counties, it was only two; at Metros, coaches were allowed to put up to four swimmers in each race.

With those altered regulations in mind, the ultimate goal is to pick up as many points as possible. And that doesn't always mean putting swimmers in their best events.

"Different teams focus on different meets," Georgetown Prep coach Matt Mongelli said. "Some go for counties; some for the [Washington Metropolitan Prep School Swimming and Diving League Championships]. You have to know who is going for what. Then you take into consideration what all the teams have done this year, in past years, past meets. I sat down and looked at result sheets for what all the schools have done and tried to score out how I can get the most points."

The top 20 finishers in each event at Metros earn points in decreasing amounts. The winner of an individual event gets 24 points; relay winners earn 48.

Coaches not only take into account what's best for their own team, but also the strengths and weaknesses of other teams. They also try to guess what tricks other coaches might have up their sleeves.

Every single point counts in the long run. Sometimes a coach will take his best swimmer out of his fastest event and put him where he can score needed points.

For instance, a swimmer might be predominately a breaststroker, but a decent freestyler. If a rival team has standout breaststrokers but is weak in freestyle events, that swimmer might swim the freestyle, where he will score more points on that occasion.

Schaefer pulled off such a move this weekend. The Whitman girls' Montgomery County Public Schools record-setting performance in the 200-yard medley relay upset Churchill and helped the Vikings seize third place.

"It's a crapshoot," Churchill coach Rodney VanTassell said. "There have been Metros in the past where I've thrown away a relay and just been like, ‘Look, we're not going to win this,' and put in four swimmers who want to end their careers swimming in Metros. We didn't have that problem this year. Everything worked out well. But a lot of strategy goes into it."

The meet's schedule of events also throws a wrench in things. Swimming back-to-back races at a highly competitive level is tough. And tough early races could affect a swimmer's endurance later in the meet. Coaches have to be careful to give their charges enough rest, taking into account what each individual is capable of.

"It's a total puzzle," Schaefer said. "But as you put the pieces together and it all falls down on Metros, it's so exciting and worth all the work."