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Disclaimer: Swim of the Week is not meant to be a conclusive selection of the best overall swim of the week, but rather one Featured Swim to be explored in deeper detail. The Swim of the Week is an opportunity to take a closer look at the context of one of the many fast swims this week, perhaps a swim that slipped through the cracks as others grabbed the headlines, or a race we didn’t get to examine as closely in the flood of weekly meets.
Canadian teenager Leah Tigert had a breakthrough swim in the 200 freestyle at last weekend’s Ontario Junior International (SCM) meet in Toronto, climbing the all-time national rankings with a three-second drop.
Tigert, a 17-year-old Tennessee commit, clocked 1:53.60 in the 200 free to smash her best time coming into the meet of 1:56.46, set in the prelims, and take more than three seconds off her best time coming into the meet of 1:56.67, set at last month’s NYAC Cup.
Split Comparison
| Tigert, 2025 NYAC Cup | Tigert, 2025 OJI (Prelims) | Tigert, 2025 OJI (Final) |
| 28.04 | 26.96 | 26.68 |
| 58.38 (30.34) | 56.50 (29.54) | 55.66 (28.98) |
| 1:27.74 (29.36) | 1:26.19 (29.69) | 1:24.29 (28.63) |
| 1:56.67 (28.93) | 1:56.46 (30.27) | 1:53.60 (29.31) |
Tigert now ranks 7th all-time in Canadian history and 6th in the girls’ 15-17 age group. She currently sits just 1.10 seconds shy of the 15-17 NAG record of 1:52.50, set by Taylor Ruck in 2016.
All-Time Canadian Performers, Women’s 200 Freestyle (SCM)
- Mary-Sophie Harvey, 1:51.49 – 2024
- Rebecca Smith, 1:52.15 – 2022
- Taylor Ruck, 1:52.50 – 2016
- Kayla Noelle Sanchez, 1:52.59 – 2018
- Summer McIntosh, 1:52.63 – 2022
- Ella Jansen, 1:53.35 – 2022
- Leah Tigert, 1:53.60 – 2025
- Katerine Savard, 1:54.21 – 2016
- Genevieve Saumur, 1:54.23 – 2009
- Alexandra Gabor, 1:54.97 – 2009
Tigert also set new best times in the 50 free (24.68), 100 free (53.17) and 100 back (59.32) at the meet, moving her into 5th, 4th and 22nd all-time in the 15-17 age group, respectively.
The Toronto Swim Club product, who will be joining the Lady Vols in the fall of 2026, represented Canada at the World Junior Championships this past August, placing 11th in the 100 free (55.36), 13th in the 200 free (2:01.71), 15th in the 50 free (26.01) 20th in the 100 back (1:02.21) and contributing to four Canadian relays that finished either 4th or 5th.
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Wow! 1:42 converted…major jump for her and huge for Tennessee!
Does put her on Canada,s 4 x 200f relay team. probably, no?
If she can translate this drop into a LC drop, then yes. Right now her PB of 1:59.5 isn’t cracking the top 4. There’s Summer and MSH, and then a bunch of women bunched in the 1:57-1:58 zone. Really need a few of them to break through to 1:56-1:55.
I’m so excited about this swimmer. She is TALL. Can’t wait to see how she does with SCY at Tenn, and hoping she can rock a big 100 Free for Canadian relays in 2028.