MONTREAL – Sonia Dunn of Ottawa, made a huge splash in her debut with the McGill Martlets, Saturday, leading the defending Canadian University Artistic Swimming League champions to victory in the first of three meets this season.
 
The Martlets combined for seven podiums at the McGill Invitational, including four gold medal performances, one silver and a pair of bronzes.

Dunn, a 19-year-old science sophomore who didn't join the team until this fall, won all three of her events at the meet, a competition that featured 131 athletes from nine different institutions, held at the Memorial Pool in the Sir Arthur Currie Gym. Dunn finished first in the experienced category for all three disciplines: the solo, duet and team routines.
 
"It was a long but fantastic day and our coaching staff was very pleased with the results," said McGill head coach Lindsay Duncan. "Sonia had a superb performance in her very first competition with our team. We have a lot of depth in our roster this year and placed three routines among the Top 5 in both the experienced solo and duet (categories). And both of our entries in the experienced team routine placed in the Top 4."
 
In the winning duet routine, Dunn paired up with Clara Thomas, a former teammate from Ottawa, who is a science junior majoring in nursing. Thomas also produced a bronze medal result in the solo routine.
 
The winning team routine, coached by Vickie Leuenberger, featured Dunn and Thomas along with Alexa Vaillancourt of Newton, Mass., Catherine McGee of Toronto, Noemie Girard of Beaconsfield, Que., Olivia McLaughlin of Montreal, Kayla Drew of Chilliwack, B.C., April Ozere of Halifax and Zoe Morinville of Pointe Claire, Que.

Vaillancourt and Drew also teamed up to produce a silver medal performance in the duet routine.

In the novice division, McGill collected gold in the team routine and bronze in the duet category (Natalia Romero and Aya Shaban).

"It's early in the season, so we use this meet to gauge the progress the athletes have made technically and in terms of fitness," Duncan noted. "I think its safe to say we're on the right track."
 
McGill, which has won 17 CUASL titles since the conference was formed in 2001, is scheduled to compete next on Feb. 8 at the Eastern Divisional Meet hosted by Queen's in Kingston, Ont.
 
COMPLETE RESULTS
 
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-983-7012 (Tel.)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca