Photo credit Michael P. Hall
GUELPH, Ont. - The Toronto Varsity Blues men's team and Western Mustangs women's team successfully defended their titles at the 2011 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Swimming Championships hosted by the University of Guelph at the W.F. Mitchell Athletic Centre.
The Varsity Blues won their eighth straight OUA men's title and tenth in the past 11 years with 793.5 total points. The Mustangs finished second with 652 points while McMaster was third with 618.5. On the women's side, the Mustangs won their third consecutive title with 781.5 points while Toronto was second at 734.5 and McMaster third with 602 total points.
Toronto coaches Byron MacDonald and Linda Keifer were named OUA men's team coaches of the year, while Paul Midgley of Western was named the women's team coach of the year. Winning the female swimmer of the meet was Andrea Jurenovskis of Toronto while Matt Hawes of Ottawa was named the male swimmer of the meet.
The opening event of the night was the women's 200m medley relay. Capturing the gold medal were the Western Mustangs comprised of Jennifer Trung (Maple,ON), Katie Bell (West Vancouver, BC), Shannon Nell (London, ON), and Amber Hutchinson (Brampton, ON). The Mustangs finished well ahead of the competition with a time of 1.55.91. The McMaster Marauder's finished second with a time of 1.57.58 followed by the Toronto Varsity Blues with a time of 2.00.73.
Host Guelph Gryphons yet again show the competition their ability to take swimming to another level. With the entire crowd holding their breath, the Gryphons out touched the Western Mustangs to win the gold medal in the men's 200m medley relay, erupting the crowd. Starting off for the Gryphons was Ben Roberts (Kingston, ON), a sprint backstroke specialist, who took the lead for the host team. Matthew Stephenson (Brantford, ON) held on in the breaststroke leg, but the Western Mustangs proved that the race wasn't over. Wil Wright (Mississauge, ON), a key component for the Gryphons, took the lead in the butterfly, and David Nowicki (Etobicoke, ON) finished off with a stellar 22.93 in the freestyle leg. The Gryphons finished in 1.41.67, just shy of the OUA record, an improvement from their bronze medal performance from last season. The Western Mustangs finished second with a time of 1.41.73 followed by Toronto with a time of 1.44.49.
In the women's 200m freestyle, Hayley Nell (London, ON) of Western defended her gold medal title in a time of 2.01.38. Paige Shultz (Toronto, ON) of Toronto gave Nell a great race to the finish second in a time of 2.01.43. Teammate Pamela Ruksys (Kingston, ON) finished third in a time of 2.02.13. Last year's medalist Heather Maitland (Toronto, ON) of Toronto finished fourth (2.03.40).
In the men's 200m freestyle, McMaster's Cameron Bailey (Hamilton.ON) finished strong with a time of 1.49.90 out-touching Frank Despond (Hamilton, ON) of Toronto by one one-hundredth of a second (1.49.91). McMaster's Michael McDonald (Kingston, ON) finished third in a time of 1.52.31.
Katie Bell of Western took the gold medal in the women's 50m breaststroke in a time of 33.08. Finishing second was Laurier's Whitney Rich (Dorchester, ON) defending her silver medal from last year. In third was Alexandra Vanommen (Barrie,ON) of McMaster with a time of 33.46. The bronze medalist from last year Katie Fox (Oakville, ON) of Western finished fifth.
The Western Mustangs swept the podium in the men's 50m breaststroke final. Fourth-year Jake Armstrong (Denfield, ON) took the gold with a time 28.59. Bryn Jones (Newmarket, ON) won the silver followed by teammate Trevor Nicholas (Brampton,ON) for the bronze.
Breaking the OUA record and capturing the gold medal in the women's 50m backstroke was Toronto's Andrea Jurenovskis (Timmins, ON) in a time of 28.71. Last year's winner Jennnifer Trung of Western finished behind Jurenovskis in a time of 29.37. Natasha Strass-Hundal (Markham, ON) of McMaster took the bronze.
Guelph captain Ben Roberts took down Matt Hawes (Ottawa, ON) of the Ottawa Gee-Gees in the men's 50m backstroke. Roberts was thirsty for a gold medal after finishing behind Hawes in the 100m. The 50m is Roberts' better race and dominated from the start to finish, sealing the deal with an outstanding kickout. Finishing third was Adam Best (Ottawa, ON) of the Gee-Gees who also captured the bronze in the 200m earlier this weekend.
In the 100m butterfly, Guelph's Chantique Payne (Brantford, ON) captured the gold medal defending her title for a fourth year in a row with a time of 1.00.87. Payne crushed the OUA record in the event previously held by Sasha Theron of Toronto at 1.01.61. Finishing second was Shannon Nell of Western followed by Alisha Harricharan of the Guelph Gryphons. Both Nell and Harricharan are rookies to the OUA and have made quite the splash at this year's championship.
In the men's 100m butterfly, Zack Chetrat (Oakville, ON) of Toronto broke the OUA record with a time of 53.86. The record was previously held by Brad Vanderkan of Western. Not far behind was Wil Wright of the Guelph Gryphons with a time of 54.51. Wright did not medal in this event last year, and has added another medal to his belt this weekend. In third was Mike Smerek (St. Catherines, ON) of Toronto with a time of 54.80.
In the women's 400 individual medley, Pamela Ruksys (Kingston, ON) of Toronto displayed her talent and speed in one of the most difficult races this weekend. Ruksys improved her standing from last year's bronze medal performance. Ruksys finished with a time of 4.49.65, ahead of rookie teammate Vanessa Treasure (Missisauga, ON) (4.51.20). Shannon Nell of Western finished third 4.54.59. Last year's silver medalist Pauline Kilty (Newmarket, ON) of Western finished fifth.
In the men's 400m individual medley, Matt Hawes won gold with a time of 4.22.95, finishing off an outstanding performance at this year's OUA championship. Jeremie Holdom (Toronto, ON) of Toronto finished second with a time of 4.24.84 followed by McMAster's Ben Stubbs (Markham, ON) in a time of 4.28.84. Curtis Samuel (Oakville, ON) of Toronto, last year's bronze medalist, finished fourth.
In the final event of the meet, the Western Mustangs women's team destroyed the final heat of the 400m freestyle relay in a time of 3:49.52. The Mustangs defended their title from last year, but had a new relay team line up consisting of Ashleigh Dunnington (Prescott,ON), Amber Hutchinson (Brampton, ON), Melissa Loyzer (Hamilton, ON) and Hayley Nell. The battle for second was between the Ottawa Gee-Gees and the Toronto Varsity Blues. Corrine Barrette (Ottawa, ON) of the Gee-Gees had a strong finish, capturing the silver medal finishing in a time of 3.54.17. The Gees won the bronze last year behind Toronto, who took the bronze this year in a time of 3.54.34.
To cap off the night with a new OUA record, the McMaster Marauders men's team took the gold in the 400m free relay with a time of 3.24.65. The record was previously held by the Toronto Varsity Blues from 1999. Team members included David Landry, Michael McDonald, Matthew Vogelzang and Cameron Bailey. Toronto captured the silver with a time of 3.26.44, followed by the Ottawa Gee-Gees with a time of 3.27.29.
Team Standings – Day 3
Women
1. Western – 781.5
2. Toronto – 734.5
3. McMaster - 602
4. Ottawa - 469
5. Guelph - 281
6. Brock - 242
7. Laurier - 209
8. Laurentian - 189
9. Waterloo - 124
10. Queens - 117
11. Trent - 72
12. Carleton – 46
13. York - 20
Men
1. Toronto – 793.5
2. Western – 652
3. McMaster – 618.5
4. Ottawa – 565.5
5. Guelph - 479
6. Waterloo – 257.5
7. Laurentian - 145
8. York - 139
9. Laurier - 61
10. Brock - 50
11. Queens - 49
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
OUA Swimmers of the Year:
Female - Andrea Jurenovskis, Toronto
Male – Matt Hawes, Ottawa
Rookies of the Year:
Female – Shannon Nell, Western
Male – Rob Wise, Western
Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Awards for Individual Medley Excellence:
Female - Shannon Nell, Western
Male – Cameron Bailey, McMaster
OUA Awards of Distinction:
Brooke Buckland, McMaster
Bryn Jones, Western
Hayley Nell, Western
Whitney Rich, Laurier
RESULTS – DAY 3
Women's 200m Medley Relay
1. Western – 1:55.91 (Jennifer Trung, Katie Bell, Shannon
Nell, Amber Hutchinson)
2. McMaster – 1:57.58 (Brooke Buckland, Alexandra Vanommen,
Sarah Taylor, Natasha Strass-Hundal)
3. Toronto – 2:00.73 (Samantha Bancescu, Vanessa Treasure,
Alexandra Augello, Joyce Guo
Men's 200m Medley Relay
1. Guelph – 1:41.67 (Ben Roberts, Matthew Stephenson, Wil
Wright, David Nowicki)
2. Western – 1:41.73 (Trevor Nicholas, Jake Armstrong, Bryn
Jones, Brandon Loshusan)
3. Toronto – 1:44.49 (Andrew Kennedy, Luke Hall, Mike Smerek,
George Soules)
Women's 200m Freestyle
1. Hayley Nell, Western – 2:01.38
2. Paige Schultz, Toronto – 2:01.43
3. Pamela Ruksys, Toronto – 2:02.13
Men's 200m Freestyle
1. Cameron Bailey, McMaster – 1:49.90
2. Frank Despond, Toronto – 1:49.91
3. Michael McDonald, McMaster – 1:52.31
Women's 50m Breaststroke
1. Katie Bell, Western – 33.08
2. Whitney Rich, Laurier – 33.45
3. Alexandra Vanommen, McMaster – 33.46
Men's 50m Breaststroke
1. Jake Armstrong, Western – 28.59
2. Bryn Jones, Western – 28.75
3. Trevor Nicholas, Western – 29.24
Women's 50m Backstroke
1. Andrea Jurenovskis, Toronto – 28.71 - MEET RECORD
2. Jennifer Trung, Western – 29.52
3. Natasha Strass-Hundal – 29.46
Men's 50m Backstroke
1. Ben Roberts, Guelph – 25.38
2. Matt Hawes, Ottawa – 25.70
3. Adam Best, Ottawa – 26.53
Women's 100m Butterfly
1. Chantique Payne, Guelph – 1:00.87
2. Shannon Nell, Western – 1:01.20
3. Alisha Harricharan, Guelph – 1:01.66
Men's 100m Butterfly
1. Zach Chetrat, Toronto – 53.86 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Brad Vanderkam, Western – 53.89 –
2004)
2. Wil Wright, Guelph – 54.81
3. Mike Smerek, Toronto – 54.80
Women's 400m Individual Medley
1. Pamela Ruksys, Toronto - 4:49.65
2. Vanessa Treasure, Toronto – 4:51.20
3. Shannon Nell, Western – 4:54.59
Men's 400m Individual Medley
1. Matt Hawes, Ottawa – 4:22.95
2. Jeremie Holdom – Toronto – 4:24.84
3. Ben Stubbs, McMaster – McMaster – 4:28.84
Women's 400m Freestyle Relay
1. Western – 3:49.52 (Ashleigh Dunnington, Amber Hutchinson,
Melissa Loyzer, Hayley Nell)
2. Ottawa – 3:54.17 (Tori Temple, Nicole Lachance, Kara
Demers, Corinne Barrette)
3. Toronto – 3:54.34 (Molly Grov, Pamela Ruksys, Julia Boron,
Heather Maitland)
Men's 400m Freestyle Relay
1. McMaster – 3:24.65 – MEET RECORD (David Landry,
Michael McDonald, Matthew Vogelzang,
Cameron Bailey) (Previous Record, Toronto – 3:24.70 –
1999)
2. Toronto – 3:26.44 (Steven Hibberd, Taylor Bond, Emily
Horvath, Andy Townsend)
3. Ottawa – 3:27.29 (Adam Best, Daniel Hernandez Aldaco,
Scott McAuley, Matt Harding)
RESULTS – DAY 2
Women's 200m IM
1. Shannon Nell, Western – 2:16.73
2. Paige Schultz, Toronto – 2:16.88
3. Eryn Weldon, Ottawa – 2:18.27
Men's 200m IM
1. Cameron Bailey, McMaster – 2:02.99
2. Zach Summerhayes, Toronto – 2:04.22
3. Jeremie Holdom, Toronto – 2:04.91
Women's 100m Freestyle
1. Hayley Nell, Western – 55.71
2. Chantique Payne, Guelph – 56.80
3. Jen Piper, Laurentian – 57.08
Men's 100m Freestyle
1. Wil Wright, Guelph – 50.46
2. Taylor Bond, Toronto – 51.59
3. Michael McDonald, McMaster – 51.65
Men's 1500m Freestyle
1. Robert Wise, Western – 15:31.98
2. David Hatch, Western – 15:50.18
3. Eric Dolan, Western – 15:56.96
Women's 200m Backstroke
1. Andrea Jurenovskis, Toronto – 2:13.41
2. Rebecca Sharpe, Toronto – 2:15.12
3. Heather Martin, Western – 2:15.58
Men's 200m Backstroke
1. Matt Hawes, Ottawa – 1:54.89 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Sean Sepulis, Guelph – 1:58.53 –
2001)
2. Adam Best, Ottawa – 2:00.00
3. Ben Stubbs, McMaster – 2:00.70
Women's 100m Breaststroke
1. Whitney Rich, Laurier – 1:11.63
2. Vanessa Treasure, Toronto – 1:12.19
3. Erin Macfadyen, McMaster – 1:12.23
Men's 100m Breaststroke
1. Bryn Jones, Western – 1:01.17 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Brad Creelman, Western – 1:01.71 –
1992)
2. Jake Armstrong, Western – 1:01.87
3. Wesley Greig, Waterloo – 1:02.88
Women's 50m Butterfly
1. Chantique Payne, Guelph – 27.79
2. Andrea Jurenovskis, Toronto – 28.17
3. Sarah Taylor, McMaster – 28.25
Men's 50m Butterfly
1. Mike Smerek, Toronto – 24.78 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Brad Vanderkam, Western – 24.83 –
2004)
2. Wil Wright, Guelph – 24.89
3. Philippe Bastien, Ottawa – 25.13
Women's 800m Freestyle Relay
1. Pamela Ruksys, Toronto – 8:44.13 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Julie Gravelle, Toronto – 8:44.50 –
2000)
2. Heather Maitland, Toronto – 8:45.60
3. Molly Grove, Toronto – 8:54.33
Women's 400m Medley Relay – MEET RECORD
1. Toronto – 4:12.59 (Andrea Jurenovskis, Vanessa Treasure,
Paige Schultz, Julia Boron)
(Previous Record: Western – 4:15.87 – 2010)
2. Western – 4:12.78 (Heather Martin, Katie Bell, Shannon
Nell, Hayley Nell)
3. McMaster – 4:16.28 (Natasha Strass-Hundal, Alexandra
Vanommen, Sara Thompson, Meg Sloan)
Men's 400m Medley Relay
1. Guelph – 3:42.67 – MEET RECORD (Ben Roberts, Matt
Stephenson, Wil Wright, Troy Baxter) (Previous Record, Toronto,
3:44.81 – 2010)
2. Western – 3:42.85 (Trevor Nicholas, Jake Armstrong, Bryn
Jones, Miguel Lozano)
3. Ottawa – 3:45.77 (Matt Hawes, Bernard Joosten, Philippe
Bastien, Matt Harding)
RESULTS – DAY 1
Women's 200m Freestyle Relay
1. McMaster – 1:46.54 – (Brooke Buckland, Sarah Taylor,
Meg Sloan, Natasha Strass-Hundal)
2. Toronto – 1:46.75 – (Joyce Guo, Samantha Poon,
Andrea Jurenovskis, Paige Schultz)
3. Western – 1:47.15 (Katie Fox, Ashleigh Dunnington, Amber
Hutchinson, Melissa Loyzar)
Men's 200m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto – 1:33.88 – (Steven Hibberd, Peter Kruzyk,
George Soules, Luke Hall)
2. McMaster – 1:34.02 (Matthew Vogelzang, David Landry,
Cameron Bailey, Jeff Braches)
3. Guelph – 1:34.30 (Chad Johnson, Troy Baxter, Chris Miller,
Jordan Duggan)
Women's 400m Freestyle
1. Pamela Ruksys, Toronto – 4:15.46
2. Hayley Nell, Western – 4:18.92
3. Molly Grove, Toronto – 4:19.46
Men's 400m Freestyle
1. Zack Chetrat, Toronto – 3:51.59 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: David Shemilt, Brock, 3:53.22 – 1985)
2. Frank Despond, Toronto – 3:55.01
3. Robert Wise, Western – 3:55.63
Women's 100m Backstroke
1. Andrea Jurenovskis, Toronto – 1:00.63 – MEET
RECORD
(Previous Record: Julie Howard, Toronto, 1:01.90 – 2001)
2. Jennifer Trung, Western – 1:02.87
3. Heather Martin, Western – 1:03.01
Men's 100m Backstroke
1. Matt Hawes, Ottawa – 54.16
2. Benjamin Roberts, Guelph – 55.40
3. Adam Best, Ottawa – 55.93
Women's 200m Breaststroke
1. Erin Macfadyen, McMaster – 2:33.51
2. Paulyne Kilty, Western – 2:34.89
3. Margo Bacher, Queens – 2:35.32
Men's 200m Breaststroke
1. Bryn Jones, Western – 2:13.44 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Matt Mains, Waterloo, 2:13.72 – 2004)
2. Wesley Greig, Waterloo – 2:15.15
3. Jake Armstrong, Western – 2:15.77
Women's 200m Butterfly
1. Shannon Nell, Western – 2:14.33
2. Vanessa Treasure, Toronto – 2:14.93
3. Alysia Harricharan, Guelph – 2:17.90
Men's 200m Butterfly
1. Zack Chetrat, Toronto – 1:59.25 – MEET RECORD
(Previous Record: Zack Chetrat, Toronto, 2:00.27 – 2009)
2. Curtis Samuel, Toronto – 2:01.43
3. Ben Stubbs, McMaster – 2:02.68
Women's 50m Freestyle
1. Hayley Nell, Western – 25.88
2. Sarah Taylor, McMaster – 26.24
3. Chantique Payne, Guelph – 26.34
Men's 50m Freestyle
1. Matt Vogelzang, McMaster – 23.43
2. Cameron Bailey, McMaster – 23.64
3. Wil Wright, Guelph – 23.65
Women's 800m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto – 8:18.62 (Heather Maitland, Molly Grove, Melanie
Davis, Pamela Ruksys)
2. Ottawa – 8:22.00 (Eryn Weldon, Nicole Lachance, Kara
Demers, Chantelle Boduel)
3. Western – 8:33.94 (Heather Martin, Paulyne Kilty, Elisa
Colantonio, Jasmin Gow)
Men's 8000m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto – 7:27.15 (Curtis Samuel, Frank Despond, Andy
Townsend, Zack Chetrat)
*MEET RECORD (Previous Record: 7:29.57, McMaster – 1991)*
2. Ottawa – 7:31.93 (Matt Hawes, Adam Best, Stefan Ruksys,
Sean Dawson)
3. McMaster – 7:34.15 (Michael McDonald, Glendon Brown,
Cameron Bailey, Nathan Cox)
Complete real-time results: http://www.guelphmarlins.ca/liveresults/
LIVE webcast at www.ssncanada.ca