2017 U Sport Swimming Championships: Day 1 Finals Live Recap

U SPORTS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• February 24-26
• Complex – Université de Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke, Que.
• Short Course Meters
• Prelims: 10 AM, Finals: 6 PM
• Meet info
• Schedule/results
• Live Stream
• Meet Preview
• Defending men’s champions: University of Toronto
• Defending women’s champions: University of Toronto

Day 1 finals of the U Sport Championships are bound to be exciting tonight, with many great races on the docket and several Canadian Olympians in action.

Starting us off will be the 200 freestyle, where both the men’s and women’s fields will have three 2016 Canadian Olympians each. For the women, Katerine Savard and Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson will battle in the middle of the pool, while Sandrine Mainville lurks out in lane 1. For the men, Yuri Kisil, Markus Thormeyer and Evan van Moerkerke will have the middle lanes as the top three seeds after this morning. The three of them were teammates on Canada’s 4×100 free relay in Rio.

After setting a U Sport Championship Record this morning, Toronto’s Kylie Masse will chase her own Canadian Record in the women’s 50 back final, while Laval’s Pascal-Hugo Cantin will look to take advantage of his overturned DQ in the men’s 50 back to take home the gold medal. Both will have lane 4 in their respective A-finals.

Manitoba’s Kelsey Wog and Alberta’s Nick Kostiuk will be the favorites to take home the 100 breaststroke titles, but will have their hands full with Erin Stamp of UBC and Eli Wall of Toronto hot on their heels.

Canadian Record holders Katerine Savard and Coleman Allen are favored to take home gold in the 100 fly, and Seltenreich-Hodgson will seek her 4th consecutive title in the 400 IM. The men’s event should be a barn burner, with the last three gold medalists, Luke Reilly, Tristan Cote and Osvald Nitski all in the field.

WOMEN’S 200 FREE FINAL

• Canadian Record: 1:52.50, Taylor Ruck, 2016 SC World Championships
• U Sports Championship Record: 1:56.11, Erica Morningstar, 2009

1. Katerine Savard, Montreal, 1:54.91 U Sport Record
2. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, UBC, 1:55.91
3. Danica Ludlow, Calgary, 1:56.77

Katerine Savard powered her way to the first gold medal of the meet in the women’s 200 freestyle in a time of 1:54.91, breaking the eight year-old U Sport Championship Record of 1:56.11 from Erica Morningstar. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson also snuck under the old record for silver in 1:55.91, and Danica Ludlow of Calgary was 3rd in 1:56.77. Sandrine Mainville settled for 4th in 1:57.63.

MEN’S 200 FREE FINAL

• Canadian Record: 1:40.80, Brent Hayden, 2009 Berlin World Cup
• U Sports Championship Record: 1:43.31, Colin Russell, 2009

1. Yuri Kisil, UBC, 1:44.10
2. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 1:44.20
3. David Riley, Western, 1:46.58

UBC teammates Yuri Kisil and Markus Thormeyer battled all the way to the wall, with Kisil just snagging the touch by a tenth, 1:44.10 to 1:44.20. David Riley of Western took the bronze in 1:46.58. All three improved on their personal bests in the final.

400 free specialist Keegan Zanatta took 4th in 1:47.30, while Olympian Evan van Moerkerke of Guelph fell from 3rd this morning down to 7th in 1:48.80.

WOMEN’S 50 BACK FINAL

• Canadian Record: 26.34, Kylie Masse, 2016 SC World Championships
• U Sports Championship Record: 26.62, Kylie Masse, 2017

1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 26.53 U Sport Record
2. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 26.90
3. Rachel Rode, Toronto, 27.81

Toronto’s Kylie Masse lowered her Championship Record set this morning down to 26.53, claiming the gold medal. UBC’s Ingrid Wilm broke 27 seconds for the first time to win silver in 26.90, and Masse’s U of T teammate Rachel Rode took bronze in 27.81.

MEN’S 50 BACK FINAL

• Canadian Record: 23.90, Riley Janes/Javier Acevedo, 2000/2015
• U Sports Championship Record: 24.05, Kelly Aspinall, 2013

1. Pascal-Hugo C.Cantin, Laval, 24.67
2. Christopher Courtis, Calgary, 24.73
3. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 25.13

After seeing his disqualification overturned this morning, Laval’s Pascal-Hugo C.Cantin took full advantage winning gold in a time of 24.67. Calgary’s Christopher Courtis put up a fight, taking silver in 24.73.

Fresh off the 200 free Markus Thormeyer had a strong back 25 to take bronze in 25.13, out-touching Toronto’s Kyle Haas by 0.01.

WOMEN’S 100 BREAST FINAL

• Canadian Record: 1:04.28, Annamay Pierse, 2009 British Gas Grand Prix
• U Sports Championship Record: 1:05.16, Annamay Pierse, 2009

1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 1:06.06
2. Erin Stamp, UBC, 1:06.16
3. Tianna Rissling, Calgary, 1:06.29

In a very closely contested final, SC World medalist in the 200 breast Kelsey Wog won the 100m in a time of 1:06.06, squeaking past UBC’s Erin Stamp (1:06.16) and Calgary’s Tianna Rissling (1:06.29).

MEN’S 100 BREAST FINAL

• Canadian Record: 57.10, Paul Kornfeld, 2009 British Gas Grand Prix
• U Sports Championship Record: 59.08, Jason Block, 2013

1. Nick Kostiuk, Alberta, 59.07 U Sport Record
2. Eli Wall, Toronto, 59.29
3. Warren Mayer, UBC, 59.62

Nick Kostiuk of Alberta snuck under the Championship Record by 0.01 to win 100 breast gold in 59.07, eclipsing Jason Block‘s mark of 59.08 from 2013. It was very close race the whole way, with Toronto’s Eli Wall (59.29) and UBC’s Warren Mayer (59.62), who actually led through 50m, both cracking the minute barrier as well.

WOMEN’S 100 FLY FINAL

• Canadian Record: 56.15, Katerine Savard, 2016 SC World Championships
• U Sports Championship Record: 58.69, Jacomie Strydom, 2015

1. Katerine Savard, Montreal, 57.98 U Sport Record
2. Hannah Genich, Toronto, 59.11
3. Georgia Kidd, Alberta, 59.15

Katerine Savard picked up her second gold and second Championship Record of the session in the women’s 100 fly, touching in 57.98 for the win. Toronto’s Hannah Genich snuck in for silver in 59.11, and Alberta’s Georgia Kidd took bronze in 59.15. Former Championship Record holder Jacomie Strydom was 4th.

MEN’S 100 FLY FINAL

• Canadian Record: 50.90, Coleman Allen, 2013 Eindhoven World Cup
• U Sports Championship Record: 51.19, Coleman Allen, 2015

1. Coleman Allen, UBC, 52.13
2. Matt Dans, Toronto, 52.69
3. Gamal Assaad, Western, 52.72

UBC’s Coleman Allen reclaimed his 100 fly title from 2015 after taking last year off University swimming, clocking 52.13 for the gold medal. Toronto’s Matt Dans took silver in 52.69, and Western’s Gamal Assaad was 3rd for bronze in 52.72.

Luke Peddie (UBC) and Edward Liu (Toronto) tied for 4th in 53.34.

WOMEN’S 400 IM FINAL

• Canadian Record: 4:26.42, Mary-Sophie Harvey, 2016 Ontario Junior International
• U Sports Championship Record: 4:34.76, Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, 2014

1. Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson, UBC, 4:37.05
2. Megan Dalke, UBC, 4:41.83
3. Lauren Teghtsoonian, Calgary, 4:43.19

Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson blazed to her 4th straight 400 IM title in 4:37.05, her second medal of the night. Her UBC teammate Megan Dalke took silver in 4:41.83, and Calgary’s Lauren Teghtsoonian pulled off the bronze from lane 8 in 4:43.19.

MEN’S 400 IM FINAL

• Canadian Record: 4:02.72, Brian Johns, 2003 CIS Championships
• U Sports Championship Record: 4:02.72, Brian Johns, 2003

1. Montana Champagne, Ottawa, 4:10.15
2. Luke Reilly, UBC, 4:12.23
3. Jonathan Brown, UBC, 4:13.09

Montana Champagne from the University of Ottawa pulled away from pre-race favorite Luke Reilly on the breaststroke leg and stayed away in the free, winning the gold medal in a time of 4:10.15. Reilly settled for silver in 4:12.23, and his UBC teammate Jonathan Brown took bronze in 4:13.09. 2015 champ Tristan Cote from Calgary was 4th.

Women’s 400 Free Relay

• Canadian Record (non-National): 3:37.78, CN Piscine du Parc Olympique, 2009
• U Sports Championship Record: 3:38.74, Calgary, 2009

1. Montreal, 3:36.34 New Canadian Club Record/U Sport Record
2. UBC, 3:40.78
3. Toronto, 3:43.02

The Montreal Carabins threw down a new U Sport Championship and Club national record in 3:36.34 to win the women’s 400 free relay. Katerine Savard led off in 54.14 to give them the lead, and Sandrine Mainville unloaded a 52.44 on the anchor leg.

UBC took silver in 3:40.78, and Toronto grabbed bronze in 3:43.02.

Men’s 400 Free Relay

• Canadian Record (non-National): 3:10.99, UBC Dolphins Swim Club, 2009
• U Sports Championship Record: 3:15.30, UBC, 2012

1. UBC, 3:12.92
2. Toronto, 3:16.64
3. Montreal, 3:20.31

The UBC men ran away with the 400 free relay in a time of 3:12.92, shattering the existing U Sport Championship Record of 3:15.30 set back in 2012. Markus Thormeyer got them out ahead in 48.54, and Yuri Kisil split 47.02 on the second leg to extend the lead. Coleman Allen (48.18) and Luke Peddie (49.18) finished the job.

Toronto took silver in 3:16.64 with a swift 47.93 leg from Scott McGillivray, and Montreal just got passed Calgary for bronze in 3:20.31.

Team Race

Women

1. UBC, 268
2. Montreal, 158
3. Toronto, 114

Men

1. UBC, 247.50
2. Toronto, 185.50
3. Calgary, 139