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Hedlin, Hanus golden again on final day of Canada West Swimming Championships
VICTORIA – The University of Victoria Vikes swimming team added five individual and two relay medals on Day 3 of the Canada West Championships hosted in Calgary, Alta. Danielle Hanus raced to a gold and silver in the 200-m butterfly and 100-m backstroke, respectively. Eric Hedlin picked up his second gold of the weekend in the 400-m freestyle. Vike Josh Zakala earned silver in the men's 200-m individual medley, while Bailey Espersen got on the podium for bronze in the men's 200-m breaststroke.
RESULTS
The Vikes finished third on the women's side (388 points) and fourth on the men's side (483 points). The UBC women won their 10th consecutive title running away, outscoring the second-place Calgary Dinos by 274 with 969 points over the three-day event. The men's race was closer, with the Thunderbirds scoring 800 points to defeat the second-place Dinos by 98.5. Alberta, Victoria, and Manitoba rounded out the top five team finishers in women's action, while Victoria, Alberta, and Regina followed UBC and Calgary in the men's team standings.
"Ryan has done a great job looking at kids that the centres aren't looking at like athletes from smaller towns and communities that haven't necessarily been exposted yet and that's working quite well for us right now," highlighted Vikes head coach Peter Vizsolyi about his assistant coach Ryan Clouston's recruiting efforts. Vizsolyi referenced the strong performances from New Brunswick's Daniel Greer and Padric McKervill.
Following the meet Vike Taylor Snowden-Richardson was named the Student-Athlete Community Service Award winner for the second-straight year.
"Taylor is a bit unique as far as her incredible community service contributions," added Vizsolyi about the fifth-year and her created business called Tay's Team, an initiative that supports ill children in hospitals. The Science major personally knits and crochets fun character hats for the children and is known for iconic superhero, Disney princesses and Pixar characters.
Vike Danielle Hanus earned three gold medals and one silver, while she led the Vikes in all three medals won in the relays including a silver in the 4x100-m medley and 4x200-m freestyle and a bronze in the 4x100-m freestyle relay.
"You could overlook Danielle," said Vizsolyi about the third-year VIke who was the first non-UBC female swimmer to top the podium. "She is just really, really steady. She doesn't just get up and win a rae she goes unrested and every time shaves times and then goes and does the exact same thing in the relay. She is just really, really good for the team because she is such a solid person to be around."
On the men's side Eric Hedlin topped the podium in the 1500-m and 400-m freestyle, while Josh Zakala had the only silver in the 200-m individual medley. The Vikes men also had four bronze medals including Espesen's 200-m breaststroke swim and Zakala's 400-m individual medley performance. The Vikes also had the bronze in the men's 4x200-m freestyle and 4x100-m medley relays.
On Day 3, in the men's 200-m butterfly, Ethan Jensen qualified for the A Final and finished eighth overall in 2:05.24. Riley Wilkins and Padric McKervill finished in the middle of the B Final to take 13th and 14th place, respectively.
Zakala finished second in the 200-m individual medley in a U SPORTS qualifying time of 2:01.9
A pair of Vikes qualified for the A Final of the women's 200-m breaststroke including Andrea Farmer and Jamie Hellard, while Kara Wilson was 11th overall and second in the B Final. On the men's side Espersen finished with a bronze in 2:17.26, while the Vikes had four in the B Final including Daniel Greer who finished ninth overall in 2:21.03. Arthur Firmino, Zachary Dumas and Thomas Van Maren were 10th, 11th and 13th, respectively.
Fourth-year Vike Hedlin and Calgary's Peter Brothers went stroke-for-stroke down the stretch in the men's 400-metre freestyle, with Hedlin taking gold by just six hundredths. Ethan Phillips, who also qualified for the A Final, finished fifth in 4:00.03. In the women's 400-m free fifth year Kaitlin Gervais was fifth in 4:23.14, while in the B Final Snowden-Richardson was 10th (4:31.72), Lauren Taylor was 11th (4:33.32) and Alice Gentleman and Anna Letkeman were 14th and 16th, respectively.
The Vikes earned their third-straight relay medal, this time in the 4x100-m medley relay as Hanus, Jamie Hellard, Ballantyne and Gervais took silver in 4:12.65. The Vikes qualified for nationals behind gold medallists UBC (4:04.68).
The Vikes men also got on the podium in the same relay, the 4x100-m medley, as Zakala, Espersen, Jensen and Mallender finished with a bronze in 3:42.91 to qualify for U SPORTS Nationals. Calgary took gold, followed by UBC.
"Both of the relays tonight were UVic records and the fact that all weekend we were on the podium or just shy of the podium in the relay events shows that we are progressing as a team," added Vizsolyi.
With the conference championships behind them, the teams will move to preparations for the U SPORTS national championships, which UBC will host in Vancouver Feb. 21-23, 2019.
VIKES CW MEDALISTS
WOMEN
GOLD – 200-m FLY (Danielle Hanus, 2:11.01)
GOLD – 100-m FLY (Danielle Hanus, 58.89) *Canada West Record
GOLD – 50-m BACK (Danielle Hanus, 27.42)
SILVER – 100-m BACK (Danielle Hanus, 58.82)
SILVER – 4x100m Medley (Danielle Hanus, Jamie Hellard, Allison Ballantyne, Kaitlin Gervais, 4:12.65)
SILVER – 4x200-m FR (Victoria (8:18.90) – Danielle Hanus, Lauren Taylor, Allison Ballantyne, Kaitlin Gervais, 8:18.90)
BRONZE – 4x100-m FR (Danielle Hanus, Lauren Taylor, Allison Ballantyne, Kaitlin Gervais, 3:48.72)
MEN
GOLD – 1500-m FR (Eric Hedlin, 15:28.11)
GOLD – 400-m FR (Eric Hedlin, 3:51.96)
SILVER – 200-m IM (Josh Zakala, 2:01.94)
BRONZE – Bailey Espersen (200-m BR)
BRONZE – Josh Zakala (400-m IM, 4:22.11)
BRONZE – 4x200-m FR (Buzz Mallender, Eric Hedlin, Austin Phillips, Josh Zakala, 7:29.95)
BRONZE – 4x100m Medley (Josh Zakala, Bailey Espersen, Ethan Jensen, Buzz Mallender, 3:42.91)
TEAM STANDINGS (FINAL)
WOMEN
1. UBC, 969 pts.
2. Calgary, 695
3. Alberta, 399
4. Victoria, 388
5. Manitoba, 264
6. Regina, 212
7. Lethbridge, 151
8. Thompson Rivers, 11
MEN
1. UBC, 800 pts.
2. Calgary, 701.5
3. Victoria, 483
4. Alberta, 341
5. Regina, 333
6. Lethbridge, 308
7. Manitoba, 141.5
8. Thompson Rivers, 13
2018-19 CANADA WEST SWIMMING AWARDS
Swimmers of the Meet
Women: Kelsey Wog, Manitoba
Men: Markus Thormeyer, UBC
Rookies of the Meet
Women: Marit Anderson, Calgary
Men: Alexander Pratt, UBC
Student-Athlete Community Service
Women: Taylor Snowden-Richardson, Victoria
Men: Owen Guyn, Lethbridge
Coach of the Year
Women: Steve Price, UBC
Men: Steve Price, UBC
WOMEN- DAY 3
200 fly: 1st (GOLD)- Danielle Hanus (2:11.01), 11th- Sarah Kirkhope (2:28.04)
100 free: 13th- Lauren Taylor (59.51), 15th- Alice Gentleman (1:00.04), 17th- Jamie (1:00.63), 20th- Tabitha Craig (1:01.50)
200 IM: 9th- Allison Ballantyne (2:22.97), 13th- Allison Hampton (2:34.01)
100 back: 2nd (SILVER)- Danielle Hanus (58.82), 18th- Allison Hampton (1:10.72), 19th- Sarah Kirkhope (1:11.71)
200 breast: 6th- Andrea Farmer (2:37.75), 7th- Jamie Hellard (2:40.97), 11th- Kara Wilson (2:41.52)
400 free: 5th- Kaitlin Gervais (4:23. 14), 10th- Taylor Snowden-Richardson (4:31.72), 11th- Lauren Taylor (4:33.32), 14th- Alice Gentleman (4:35.88), 16th- Anna Letkeman (4:40.90), 17th- Tabitha Craig (4:41.53)
4x100 medley relay: 2nd (SILVER)- Danielle Hanus, Jamie Hellard, Allison Ballantyne, Kaitlin Gervais (4:12.65) *VIKES RECORD*
MEN- DAY 3
200 fly: 8th- Ethan Jensen (2:05.24), 12th- Riley Wilkins (2:07.50), 13th- Padric Mckervill (2:08.93), 17th- Bryce Molder (2:11.08), 20th- Austin Phillips (2:12.40)
100 free: 11th- Buzz Mallender (51.60), 21st- Bailey Espersen (52.88), 23rd- Colten Craig (53.24), 31st- Baylee Munro (54.49)
200 IM: 2nd (SILVER)- Josh Zakala (2:01.94), 15th- Thomas Van Maren (2:09.84), 18th- Zachary Dumas (2:11.97)
100 back: 5th- Buzz Mallender (55.70), 10th- Austin Phillips (57.66), 15th- Padric Mckervill (59.92), 17th- Ethan Jensen (59.83), 19th- Jack Savage (1:01.18)
200 breast: 3rd (BRONZE)- Bailey Espersen (2:17.26), 9th- Daniel Greer (2:21.03), 10th- Arthur Firmino (2:22.01), 12th- Zachary Dumas(2:23.29), 13th- Thomas Van Maren (2:24.33)
400 free: 1st (GOLD)- Eric Hedlin (3:51.96), 5th- Ethan Phillips (4:00.03), 17th- Chris Deegan (4:09.65), 19th- Jack Savage (4:13.31), 21st- Riley Wilkins (4:15.43)
4x100 medley relay: 3rd (BRONZE)- Josh Zakala, Bailey Espersen, Ethan Jensen, Buzz Mallender (3:42.91) *VIKES RECORD*
