TROIS-RIVIERES, QUE –
Elizabeth Ling of Calgary, Alta., was named female athlete of the meet for the third time this season as the McGill women's swim team finished first of six schools to capture the third leg of the RSEQ University Cup series, Friday, at the UQTR pool.
Over the 11 events held, the Martlets amassed an impressive total of 21 podiums, including nine gold medals, four silvers and eight bronzes. The McGill women finished atop the meet standings with 514 points to easily outdistance the second-place Montreal Carabins (245). Ottawa finished third with 211, followed by Laval (162), Sherbrooke (97) and UQTR (33).
"The team did a great job transitioning from one meet to the next this week," said
Savannah King, the squad's full-time assistant coach. "We had a long four-day meet last weekend, came back home and swam a pretty tough week of training, and then we had to race again at the end of this week. For them to put up some good times in their races on Friday shows the resolve of our swimmers."
Ling, a 5-foot-4 sprinter, won the 100-metre freestyle (56.25 seconds) and 100m backstroke (1:01.99) – posting qualifying times in each for Nationals. The 21-year-old civil engineering senior also anchored two winning relays, the 4x50m medley (1:53.49) and the 4x50 freestyle (1:44.24).
Joining her on the 4x50 MR was
Emilia Mastromatteo of Kenora, Ont., who won three golds and a silver, plus freshman
Maya McGhan of Ottawa, and
Marion Synishin, a 19-year-old junior from Halifax, who also struck gold in the 200 breaststroke (2:34.60).
Mastromatteo and McGhan also teamed up with Ling on the winning 4x50 FR, along with
Greta Zapparoli, a management junior who hails from the Italian city of Milan. Mastromatteo, a science sophomore, added a first-place finish in the 50 back (28.77) and a silver in the 50 butterfly.
Naomie Lo, a software engineering junior from Toronto, also produced a triple golden performance, winning the 200 fly (2:17.18), the 400 freestyle (4:17.58) and the 4x200 freestyle relay (8:25.69). Completing the foursome on the 200 free relay was
Mia Desjarlais of Prevost, Que., plus a pair of Montrealers,
Cailin McMurray and
Natasha Frost.
The fourth of five University Cup meet is slated for a date to be confirmed in mid-January at Ottawa. The regular season concludes with the RSEQ championship, to be hosted by Laval, in Quebec City, Feb. 17-18. The Martlets currently have 15 qualifiers, three shy of the maximum allowed, for the U SPORTS national championships, hosted by McGill, at the Pointe Claire pool, Mar. 7-9.
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
