The 2014 Canadian Commonwealth Games and Pan Pac trials will be taking place in Victoria, British Columbia April 2-5 highlighting Canada’s finest swimming stars. If you don’t know the Canadian roster too well you might want to know who to look for at the meet.
Noemie Thomas, Katerine Savard, and Audrey Lacroix
Look for Thomas, Savard, and Lacroix to be competing in the fly events at trials. These three girls all have the capability of getting on the podium at PanPacs and Commonwealths this summer possibly in more than one fly event. They’ve all posted top 10 times in the world this year in their respective events and should be fairly fast at trials. Savard and Thomas both made the finals at last year’s World Championships in the 100m fly; Lacroix came 10th in the 200 fly with a 2:07.91 just barely missing out on finals.
Ryan Cochrane
Cochrane has medalled at every international competition since the 2008 Olympics, so you can almost guarantee that he’ll be able to throw down a fast time at trials. He’s not known for swimming incredibly fast in-season, but he should be able to post times that will get him on the team where he’ll excel in the distance freestyles at both the Pan Pacs and Commonwealth Games. Cochrane will be swimming the 400, 800, and 1500m freestyles which he has tons of international experience in making him the man to beat in all three. His teammate Will Brothers will also be contending for a spot in the 1500m freestyle with Cochrane.
Tera Van Beilen and Martha McCabe
McCabe and Van Beilen will be competing in the breaststroke events at trials. Look for McCabe to have the edge over the field in the 200, and Van Beilen to have it in the 100. McCabe suffered an injury earlier this season and has only competed at one competition since November. At a meet in Plantation, Florida in mid-March, she posted a 1:11.54 in the 100m breaststroke and a 2:30.69 in the 200m breaststroke. Assuming she can go a little bit faster at trials she shouldn’t have much of a problem getting a spot on the team, but she’ll have her hands full with Ashley McGregor as well in the 200. Van Beilen’s been hot this year after having a great CIS Championships and posting some great in-season times in the 100m breaststroke. Van Beilen should be around a 1:07-1:08 at trials which will most likely get her a spot on the team.
Alec Page and Andrew Ford
Alec Page and Andrew Ford are Canada’s IM swimmers, both making the 2013 World Championship roster. Ford will be the favorite in the 200m IM whereas Page will be the favorite in the 400. Page is one of Canada’s up-and-coming youngsters in the event. He’s done some great racing this season at the Grand Prix series in the States which should help him secure a win at trials. Page was a 4:26.86 in the 400m IM prelims at the BC Open in early March, but should be a lot faster come trials.
Brittany MacLean, Savannah King, Barbara Jardin, and Samantha Cheverton
These up and coming freestyle swimmers should be battling for individual spots in the 200m freestyle. The favorite has to be MacLean after coming off a great NCAA Championships where she won both the 400 and 1650y freestyles in new NCAA records. Together, these four should be able to qualify for a relay position and be definite medal contender at the Pan Pacs and Commonwealths in the 4x200m freestyle relay. MacLean will be looking for a spot in all the freestyles excluding the 50. King should be her closest competitor in the 200 through 800 freestyles, but you can’t count out Barbara Jardin who was competing with King throughout the CIS Championships.
Coleman Allen and Zack Chetrat
Allen and Chetrat are the favorites going into their own fly events respectively. Chetrat is the favorite in the 200m fly after securing a fifth consecutive CIS championship victory in the event in late February. Coleman Allen won the 100m fly at the CIS Championships breaking his own record, so you know these two swimmers are going to be fast at trials. Allen will be swimming in both flys as well as the 100 and 200m freestyles.
Hilary Caldwell
Hilary Caldwell should be first to the wall in the 200m backstroke. Last year she earned herself a bronze medal at the World Championships in the event and his been posting some fast times ever since. Caldwell should also be in medal contention at Commonwealths and Worlds. Caldwell is currently absent from the psych sheet, but after speaking to her earlier in the week she did say she would be competing at trials.
Psych sheets are up on the Swimming Canada website. The trials will run April 2-5.
Exactly Catherine!! That’s what they have done since 2011.
Teddy Kalp making his first senior team in the 4X200 relay. Finales at world juniors in the 400 free as well
That’s is he comes in the top 4 and that’s if the top 4 have a top 16 time relay in the world. If not then Canada won’t even be sending a relay!! I see a lot of guys who can go 1:50 but it will take a 1:48 high for all four guys to make a relay squad. We will see tomorrow. I hope so but chances look slim.
If they don’t have 4 guys doing a 1:48 high tomorrow, I’d bet they’ll still have a relay, but it will just be made up of the 4 best that are available on race day.
With all due respect to Jeremy the taper for the NCAA will kill him for Canadian Trials if he swims anything over 400 meters. He will have to contend with not only Cochrane but Heldin and Brothers who have been swimming well all season and come in fully tapered. Even if Jeremy was taper for a long course 1500 we would have his hands full with the two younger swimmers in Hedlin and Brothers. Short course yards is a different animal than long course meters. Remember those guys were close to 15 minutes last year and top 15 in the world. That’s where the battle will be in the 1500, even Cochrane will have to bring his A game.
Agreed. Not all athletes are Michael Andrew. Situations like this seem like a huge upside to USRPT.
Would USRPT work for 1500?
Probably not for the back half where the race is won or lost. Training the 1500 is still old school miles plus good technique at anaerobic threshold.
Any word if there will be any live streaming of the finals? I think the 400 and 800 for the women and the 400 and 1500 for the men will be great races. Really looking forward to seeing if Mr. Bagshaw can turn around and crank again two weekends in a row, a tall order indeed.
Well the psych sheets currently only has Bagshaw entered in the 50/200/400 – conspicuously absent from the 800/1500…?!
Interesting. It would be hugely difficult to come back and rock a great 1500 LCM a week after a full taper for SCY. Maybe he’s aiming for the 400 individually and the 200 as a relay swimmer?
According to Island Swimming’s website (they are hosting) TSN will be streaming the meet on the web. I haven’t found anything on TSN’s website (or schedule) yet tho.
Here is the live stream link
https://www.swimming.ca/Livewebcast
Should be noted some other contenders:
Evan White (OAK) & Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson in the 200/400 IM
Russel Wood (UCSC) is improving greatly in the backstrokes
And David Sharpe (HTAC) is a contender in the 200 Fly, he did go to the olympics for that event.
Should be a great Trials!
There’s no doubt that there are a lot of young swimmers who are going to post some fast times.
I got to speak with Evan White at the Canada Cup in November, and he’s had an amazing season so I agree it would be great if he could get on the national team this time around.
Spoke with Russel Wood at CIS and he set a few records so he’s for sure on his way to some more best times this season.
The focus here was Canadians who made international finals/semis last year and at the Olympics + the girls for the relay.
Lots of young talent in this country that’ve really helped shape the national… Read more »
What about Eric Hedlin and Jeremy Bagshaw in the 4-15 and Richard Funk in the 1 and 2 breast?
Jeremy is going to throw down in the 1500!