Men's Swimming | 2/23/2019 11:54:00 PM

VANCOUVER, BC -- Four McGill records fell and freshmen Clement Secchi led the way with one gold and two bronze medals at the U SPORTS Odlum Brown swim championships, held at the UBC Aquatic Centre over the weekend.

The UBC Thunderbirds won both national titles, with McGill ending up fourth of 26 schools on the men's side, and sixth in the women's division. It was the best finish in more than a decade for the Montreal-based institution.

Secchi, an 18-year-old management freshman from the Aix-en-Provence region of France, won the 50-metre backstroke in 26.15 seconds The 5-foot-10, 140-pound sprinter, finished third in the 100-metre butterfly in 54.64 seconds. He also swam leadoff on McGill's bronze-medal winning 4x200m freestyle relay in 7:39.35..

The foursome also included Kade Wist. an economics senior from Calgary, followed by mechanical engineering sophomore David Brenken of Toronto, and William Simpson, a psychology junior from Kingston, Ont., who swam the anchor leg.

McGill, which qualified 14 men and 10 women for the nationals, produced a plethora of personal bests. Among them was Secchi, who broke McGill and RSEQ short course records in both the 100 back (53.29) and 200 back (1:57.04). He also temporarily surpassed Samuel Wang's team record in the 50 back (24.94) but in the very next heat, Wang, regained his record in 24.80.

Sarah Knott, an arts freshman from Sherwood Park, Alta., rewrote her own McGill record in the 200 breaststroke, posting a time of 2:31.97 in the morning preliminaries. She qualified for the A finals in two events, producing Top 8 finishes in both the 100m and 200m breaststrokes.

Another key scorer on the Martlets was Gabriella Doueihy, a 5-foot-3 biology sophomore from Lebanon, who is an Olympic swimmer for her native country. She accounted for 16.5 per cent of the combined points scored by the team (49.25 of 299).in the 400 free, 800 free, 4x100 free and 4x200 free.

The team has only two seniors expected to graduate, Rebecca Gillis of Dollard des Ormeaux, Que., and William Dixon of Oakville, Ont. Gillis, a psychology major, finished in the Top 16 (B finals) in all four of her races, making this her most productive nationals ever. Dixon, a materials engineering senior,  qualified for two different A finals, in the 50m butterfly and the 50m freestyle.

Team scoring is based on points earned by qualifying for the A, B and C finals. All prelims were swam in a short course pool (25m), which are eligible for school records, while the finals each evening were held in a long course pool (50m), which don't count toward school records.

"I'm over the moon, our results exceed my expectations and when that happens, it's very rewarding and I'm super proud," said McGill head coach Peter Carpenter. "All along we knew that we had a good team and we made decisions focussed on getting our best results at Nationals, rather than prioritizing the conference championship meet. And it paid off as we were the top Quebec school on the men's side (finishing ahead of the RSEQ champion Carabins). We were ranked sixth going into the meet and our goal was a top five finish and we were fourth.

"Our women's team was ranked 11th in the country heading into Nationals and we finished sixth (the second-best Quebec squad behind Montreal). It was just unimaginable how much we moved up, point by point and fought to get extra (evening) swims from the results of our (morning) prelims. For our girls to do that was incredible.This was an accomplishment by committee, with everyone stepping up and doing their part. I can't overstate enough how amazing the team spirit was and how hard they fought for each other. I'm super excited about our group for next year."

DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS FRON U SPORTS OFFICE
With the home pool victory, the UBC women have now captured seven titles in the last eight years, while the Thunderbird men collected their fourth of the last five national championships.
 
UBC secured the women's championship with 1,255.5 points, edging out the Toronto Varsity Blues (1,230.5) in an electrifying final day. The Montreal Carabins finished third with 701 points, followed by Calgary (521) and Victoria (312).
 
The men's standings also came down to the wire, as UBC (1,075 points) came from behind to top Calgary (925.5) on Day 3. Toronto was third (682), McGill fourth (550) and Victoria fifth (472.5).
 
"It's an amazing feeling to win a championship, but to win it at home is extra special and these kids battled," said UBC head coach, and women's Fox 40 co-coach of the year, Steve Price. "This was by no means guaranteed, they had to battle from Day 1. For the guys to come back like they did, and the women held off a really hard charge from Toronto, what a fantastic swim meet for everybody, some great performances from all over the country."
 
After a meet that saw 21 U SPORTS records broken, Price shared the women's Fox 40 coach-of-the-year award with Toronto's Byron MacDonald, and Calgary head coach Mike Blondal earned the men's honours.
 
U SPORTS male swimmer of the year honouree Markus Thormeyer set his fifth record of the meet with a personal-best time of 48.71 in the 100m freestyle, also earning his sixth meet record in the 200m backstroke (1:58.64) for his third straight gold in the event. The third-year 'Bird joined Alexander Pratt, Josiah Binnema, and Araya Therrien to secure the 4x100m freestyle relay in yet another U SPORTS record time of 3:23.39.
 
"It feels great to do this at home," said Thormeyer. "It wasn't an easy battle, the women were ahead from Day 1 but their lead was shrinking and the men...we were behind on Day 1 and were trying to overcome. No one knew what was going to happen. The fact both the men and women's teams pulled through for the third year in a row, it feels amazing."
 
In her last national university meet, 2016 Olympic medallist Kylie Masse completed the backstroke triple grand slam in record-breaking fashion, securing the 200m back gold in a best time of 2:08.70. It was the fourth 200m backstroke gold of her university career, to go with four in the 50m, and another four in the 100m. Eleven of those 12 wins came in U SPORTS record-setting fashion.
 
The former world record holder concluded her career at the UofT as the U SPORTS swimmer of the year for the fourth consecutive season.
 
"I'm really happy with it, to come out with the win would've been nice but I know our team did everything we possibly could to get as many points as we could," said Masse. "I'm so proud of these girls and to have been part of this team for five years is something really special, so I'll always remember my times as a Varsity Blue."
 
Masse swam one last race with her Toronto 4x100m freestyle relay team, and set a final U SPORTS record time of 3:43.90 with Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray and Rebecca Smith.
 
Smith, who was named female rookie of the year, won the 100m freestyle in 55.45 for the Varsity Blues on Day 3. Top rookie honours on the men's side went to Alexander Pratt, who finished the meet with two individual medals and three U SPORTS records with the UBC relay teams.
 
Victoria's Taylor Snowden-Richardson and Lethbridge Pronghorn Owen Guyn took home the student-athlete community service awards.
 
UBC's Emily Overholt crushed the 800m freestyle record by almost 10 seconds, touching the wall with a time of 8:46.89 for her fourth gold medal, and fourth meet record of the weekend.
 
Manitoba's Kelsey Wog completed the breaststroke sweep by defending her gold medal at the 200m distance in a record time of 2:25.50 – taking home top spot in the 50m breast, 100m breast and 200m individual medley.
 
Ottawa's Davide Casarin set a record in the 200m butterfly (2:00.41), while the Thunderbirds filled out the podium with Josiah Binnema in silver (2:00.95) and rookie Dmitriy Lim in bronze (2:01.16).
 
Second-year Thunderbird Jaren LeFranc impressed in his 200m breaststroke gold-medal swim (2:16.41), finishing nearly two full seconds ahead of Sherbrooke's Jonathan Naisby (2:18.39). Calgary's Benjamin Blackmon snagged bronze in 2:19.17.
 
 
INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
 
Women
 
Swimmer of the Year: Kylie Masse, Toronto
Rookie of the Year: Rebecca Smith, Toronto
Fox 40 Co-Coaches of the Year: Byron MacDonald, Toronto / Steve Price, UBC
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Taylor Snowden-Richardson, Victoria
 
Men
 
Swimmer of the Year: Markus Thormeyer, UBC
Rookie of the Year: Alexander Pratt, UBC
Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Mike Blondal, Calgary
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Owen Guyn, Lethbridge
 
 
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
 
Women
 
1. UBC, 1,255.5 points
2. Toronto, 1,230.5
3. Montreal, 701
4. Calgary, 521
5. Victoria, 312
6. McGill, 299
7. Ottawa, 294
8. Alberta, 237
T9. Western, 217
T9. Laval, 217
11. McMaster, 206
12. Dalhousie, 200
13. Waterloo, 198.5
14. Manitoba, 192.5
15. Guelph, 141
16. Sherbrooke, 96
17. Regina, 90
18. UNB, 73
19.UQTR, 72
20. Wilfrid Laurier, 58
21. Laurentian, 44
22. Acadia, 26
23. Queen's, 15
24. Lethbridge, 9
25. Memorial, 3
26. Brock, 1
 
Men (Nelson C. Hart trophy)
 
1. UBC, 1,075 points
2. Calgary, 925.5
3. Toronto, 682
4. McGill, 550
5. Victoria, 472.5
6. Regina, 470
7. Ottawa, 442.5
8. Laval, 397.5
9. Montreal, 388.5
10. Alberta, 249
11. Lethbridge, 234.5
12. Western, 160
13. Dalhousie, 134
14. Sherbrooke, 87
15. Manitoba, 65
16. Laurentian, 58
17. Brock, 41
18. Acadia, 40
19. Waterloo, 39
20. Queen's, 34
21. Thompson Rivers, 29
22. Mount Allison, 28
23. Guelph, 10
24. McMaster, 5
 
 
DAY 3 INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS
 
Women 200m Fly
1. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 2:13.54
2. Hannah Genich, Toronto, 2:13.77
3. Megan Dalke, UBC, 2:15.40
 
Men 200m Fly
1. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 2:00.41 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 2:00.95
3. Dmitriy Lim, UBC, 2:01.16
 
W 100m Free
1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 55.45
2. Charis Huddle, Western, 56.02
3. Hoi Lam Karen Lam, UBC, 56.22
 
M 100m Free
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 48.71 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 50.73
3. Mitch Ferraro, Toronto, 50.94
 
W 200m Breast
1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 2:25.50 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Renae Ledoux, Alberta, 2:32.50
3. Jasmine Raines, Laurier, 2:32.98
 
M 200m Breast
1. Jaren LeFranc, UBC, 2:16.41
2. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 2:18.39
3. Benjamin Blackmon, Calgary, 2:19.17
 
W 200m Back
1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 2:08.70 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Olivia Ellard, UBC, 2:13.75
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 2:14.51
 
M 200m Back
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 1:58.64 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Robert Hill, Calgary, 2:02.93
3. Anders Klein, Calgary, 2:03.76
 
W 800m Free
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 8:46.89 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Marit Anderson, Calgary, 8:50.17
3. Megan Dalke, UBC, 8:51.14
 
M 1500m Free
1. Eric Hedlin, Victoria, 15:34.16 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Hau-Li Fan, UBC, 15:34.24
3. Peter Brothers, Calgary, 15:50.47
 
W 4 x 100m Free
1. Toronto, 3:43.90 (U SPORTS Record)
(Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray, Kylie Masse, Rebecca Smith)
2. UBC, 3:45.75
(Hoi Lam Karen Tam, Quincy Brozo, Mackenzie Gunther, Emily Overholt)
3. Montreal, 3:47.20
(Katerine Savard, Charlotte Beauchemin, Frédérique Cigna, Ariane Mainville)
 
M 4 x 100m Free
1. UBC, 3:23.39 (U SPORTS Record)
(Alexander Pratt, Josiah Binnema, Araya Therrien, Markus Thormeyer)
2. Montreal, 3:26.56
(Vincent Laperle, Antoine Bujold, Vincent Taboga, Antoine Bernard-Lalonde)
3. Toronto, 3:26.75
(Bjoern-Ole Schrader, Matt Dans, Ethan Fazekas, Mitch Ferraro)
 

DAY 2 INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS
 
Women 200m Free
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 1:57.26 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 1:59.69
3. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 2:01.17
 
Men 200m Free
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 1:48.02 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 1:49.03
3. Alexander Pratt, UBC, 1:51.41
 
W 50m Back
1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 27.94
2. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 28.78
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 28.81
 
M 50m Back
1. Clement Secchi, McGill, 26.15
2. Josh Dow, Calgary, 26.18
3. Robert Hill, Calgary, 26.23
 
W 100 Breast
1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 1:08.23
2. Renae Ledoux, Alberta, 1:10.44
3. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 1:10.60
 
M 100 Breast
1. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 1:03.98
2. Benjamin Blackmon, Calgary, 1:04.34
3. Ruishen Yu, UBC, 1:04.40
 
W 400 IM
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 4:40.95 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Megan Dalke, UBC, 4:48.21
3. Allison McCloy, Calgary, 4:54.38
 
M 400 IM
1. Montana Champagne, Ottawa, 4:24.25
2. Ambroise Petit, Laval, 4:25.73
3. Brian Palaschuk, Regina, 4:26.05
 
W 50 Fly
1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 26.84
2. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 27.18
3. Marie-Lou Lapointe, Montreal, 27.20
 
M 50 Fly
1. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 24.52
2. Stephen Calkins, Calgary, 24.71
3. Matt Dans, Toronto, 24.85
 
W 4 x 200m Free
1. Toronto, 8:07.20 (Canadian & U SPORTS Record)
(Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray, Rebecca Smith, Kylie Masse)
2. UBC, 8:10.56
(Emily Overholt, Maia Brundage, Megan Dalke, Ingrid Wilm)
3. Calgary, 8:19.37
(Marit Anderson, Allison McCloy, Danica Ludlow, Robyn Lee)
 
M 4 x 200m Free
1. UBC, 7:27.78 (U SPORTS Record)
(Alexander Pratt, Markus Thormeyer, Josiah Binnema, Brodie Young)
2. Calgary, 7:36.01
(Peter Brothers, Stephen Calkins, Teddy Kalp, Emil Goin)
3. McGill, 7:39.35
(Clement Secchi, Kade Wist, David Brenken, Will Simpson)
 
 

DAY 1 INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS
 
Women 50m Free

1. Charis Huddle, Western, 25.74
2. Hoi Lam Karen Tam, UBC, 26.05
3. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 26.13

Men 50m Free

1. Alex Loginov, UBC, 23.21
2. Matthew Schouten, Laurentian, 23.36
3. Stephen Calkins, Calgary, 23.42

W 100m Back

1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 59.33 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 1:01.56
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 1:01.82

M 100m Back

1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 53.78 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Robert Hill, Calgary, 56.27
3. Anders Klein, Calgary, 56.38

W 50 Breast

1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 31.80
2. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 32.26
3. Marie-Laurence Godin, Sherbrooke, 32.47

M 50 Breast

1. Cale Kooyman, Alberta, 28.81
2. Matthew Loewen, Western, 28.93
3. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 29.00

W 400 Free

1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 4:06.27 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Megan Dalke, UBC, 4:15.57
3. Maia Brundage, UBC, 4:16.48

M 400 Free

1. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 3:53.46
2. Alexander Pratt, UBC, 3:56.92
3. Peter Brothers, Calgary, 3:57.95

W 100 Fly

1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 59.03
2. Hannah Genich, Toronto, 59.33
3. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 1:00.61

M 100 Fly

1. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 52.89 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Matt Dans, Toronto, 54.21
3. Clement Secchi, McGill, 54.64

W 200 IM

1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 2:13.98
2. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 2:16.87
3. Georgia Kidd, Toronto, 2:17.79

M 200 IM

1. Montana Champagne, Ottawa, 2:02.09 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Brian Palaschuk, Regina, 2:02.26
3. Josh Zakala, Victoria, 2:04.35

W 4 x 100m Medley

1. Toronto, 4:05.55 (U SPORTS Record & Canadian Club Record) 
   (Kylie Masse, Kelsey Crocker, Hannah Genich, Rebecca Smith)
2. UBC, 4:08.24
   (Ingrid Wilm, Hillary Metcalfe, Kirsten Douglas, Emily Overholt)
3. Montreal, 4:18.43
   (Ariane Mainville, Marie-Lou Lapointe, Katerine Savard, Anais Arlandis)

M 4 x 100m Medley

1. UBC, 3:41.62 (U SPORTS Record)
   (Markus Thormeyer, Jaren LeFranc, Josiah Binnema, Alexander Pratt)
2. Toronto, 3:47.19
   (Matthew Mac, Graeme Aylward, Matt Dans, Mitch Ferraro)
3. Calgary, 3:47.59
   (Anders Klein, Benjamin Blackmon, Emil Goin, Stephen Calkins)