TROIS-RIVIERES, QUE –   Elizabeth Ling of Calgary, Alta., was named female athlete of the meet after winning three gold medals and one silver as McGill finished first of six women's teams at the season-opening RSEQ University Cup swim meet in Trois-Rivières, Que., last Friday.

Over all 11 events, the defending league champion McGill women racked up 11 gold medals, five silvers and four bronzes en route to finishing atop the meet standings with 546 points, well ahead of second-place Ottawa (281). Laval was third (236), followed by Montreal (142), Sherbrooke (70) and UQTR (0).

"Despite having a few key injuries we had a dominant first meet," said McGill head coach Peter Carpenter. "We went into it confident of the group we have this year. The athletes were certainly prepared to work hard for each other and the support on deck was amazing. For the first time in my memory we won every event on the women's side of the meet, including all three relays.I don't believe that we have ever done that on the men's side. Our men won eight of 11 races, including all all three relays. It was an amazing performance for the first meet of the season."

Ling, a 5-foot-4 sprinter, won the 50-metre butterfly (27.58 seconds) and the 100m free (56.98), in addition to helping the 4x50m freestyle relay finish atop the podium (1:45.29). The 21-year-old civil engineering senior registered a silver medal performance in the 50m backstroke, where she posted a time of 28.83 seconds, just fractions of a second behind the winning time (28.78).

Ling was one of four Martlets to produce a triple golden performance, along with Maya McGhan (who also had a bronze) of Ottawa, Naomie Lo of Toronto, and Emilia Mastromatteo of.Kenora, Ont.

McGhan, an 18-year-old management freshman, won the the 200 individual medley (2:21.51) and was part of two winning relays, the aforementioned 4x50 free and the 4x200 free (8:32.40). She placed third in the 100 free.

Lo, a software engineering junior, won the 200 butterfly (2:17.63), the 400 free (4:20.22) and was part of the 4x200 free.

Mastromatteo, a 19-year-old science sophomore, won the 50 backstroke (28.78), the 100 back (1:03.00) and was part of the winning 4x50 medley relay (1:54.50).

Rounding out the other individual gold medalists for McGill was Marion Synishin (200 breast; 2:37.06), an anatomy and cellular biology junior from Halifax, who was also on the winning 4x50 medley relay.

Other members of the winning relays included sophomore Iris Tinmouth of Comox, B.C., and junior Sydney Shemilt of Oakville, Ont., in the 4x200 free, plus Montrealer Cailin McMurray and Greta Zapparoli from Italy, in both the 4x50 free and 4x50 IM.

The second of five University Cup meets is slated for Oct. 21 at Sherbrooke.

COMPLETE RESULTS

LINK TO ARTICLE ON MEN'S RESULTS

RSEQ STATS & STANDINGS
 
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca