(HALIFAX, N.S.) The Dalhousie Tigers are the 2019 Subway AUS Swimming Champions. At the end of the third and final day of the championships hosted by Dalhousie University, the men's team captured their 22nd consecutive conference championship and the women earned their 18th consecutive win.
Acadia's Kelsea Vessey was the first swimmer to climb to the top of the medal podium on the third and final day of the championship meet. She won the 200m butterfly event in a time of 2:19.14. Memorial's Allison Somers was second and Hannah Casey (UNB) and Stephanie Dennis (Dal), tied for third. Vessey and Somers both posted U SPORTS-qualifying times.
Alec Karlsen won Dalhousie's first gold medal of the evening, placing first in the 200m butterfly. UNB's Erik Staeben was second, followed by Jacob Branchflower from Dalhousie in third.
Isabel Sarty won her third individual gold medal of the meet, this time in the 100m freestyle. She clocked in with a time of 55.40, breaking her own AUS record. Fellow Tiger Lise Cinq-Mars was second, followed by UNB's Jennifer Moore in third. Sarty and Cinq-Mars, both posted U SPORTS-qualifying times in the race.
Mount Allison's Noah Mascoll-Gomes was the first to the wall in the men's 100m freestyle. Close behind were Acadia's Brett Liem and Dalhousie's Geraint Berger in second and third, respectively. Mascoll-Gomes & Brett both met the national qualifying time.
Alexis Bragman led a Dalhousie-sweep of the podium in the 200m breaststroke. Victoria MacDonald and Annie Douglas placed second and third, respectively.
Dalhousie's Calum Kershaw won the men's 200m breaststroke. He was followed by Acadia's Elyott Chang and Chris Johnson in second and third.
UNB's Leah Smal won her third gold of the championships, placing first in the 200m backstroke. She was followed by four Dalhousie swimmers who all hit the U SPORTS-qualifying time. Caroline Hickman was second, followed by Olivia Feschuk in third.
Tyler Immel-Herron (DAL) was the first swimmer to the wall in the 200m backstroke. Teammate Christian Payne was second, followed by Acadia's Benjamin Henger in third.
Dalhousie's Reagan Crowell won her third individual gold medal of the championships, placing first the 800m freestyle in a U SPORTS-qualifying time of 8:56.48. Teammate Imani Theodore was second, followed by Acadia's Kelsea Vessey in third.
Mckenzie Holden (DAL) won the men's 1500m freestyle race. Teammate Quinn West was second, followed by Memorial's Thomas Chafe in third.
The Tigers relay team of Isabel Sarty, Reagan Crowell, Claire Yurkovich and Lise Cinq-Mars set a new AUS record on their way to winning the 400m relay. The same team had set the newest record during the Kemp-Fry Invitational in November 2018. UNB was second in the relay, followed by Acadia in third.
Dalhousie also won the men's relay to end the evening. The team of Tyler Immel-Herron, Geraint Berger, Jacob Branchflower and Christian Payne finished first in a time of 3:26.99. Acadia was second, followed by UNB.
Dalhousie swept the championship meet awards with Reagan Crowell winning both the female rookie and swimmer of the meet after winning the 400m and 800m freestyle and 400m IM events. She also placed second in the 200m freestyle. Christian Payne was named the male rookie of the meet after earning first-place finishes in both the 50m and 100m backstroke events. He also earned second-place finishes in the 50m butterfly and 200m backstroke. After winning the 200m and 400m IM and 200m butterfly and placing fourth in the 200m backstroke, Alec Karlsen was named the male swimmer of the meet.
After three days of competition, the team standings are as follows:
Women's
Dalhousie - 1,143.50
Acadia - 602
University of New Brunswick - 462.50
Memorial - 371
Mount Allison - 240
Men's
Dalhousie - 1,013
Acadia - 695
University of New Brunswick - 399
Memorial - 379
Mount Allison - 278
Those swimmers who have achieved U SPORTS-qualifying times will compete in the U SPORTS championships Feb. 21-23, 2019, hosted by the University of British Columbia.
Source: Dalhousie Athletics Communications