The Week That Was: World University Games Begin With A Bang In Taipei

Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

The World University Games started in Taipei, Taiwan, over the weekend, with several records coming down in the first two days of competition. Check in on the results from WUGs and the biggest news of the week in The Week That Was!

The Week That Was #5 – Ledecky, Meyers and Steffens All Finalists For WSF Sportswoman of the Year

katie-ledecky-happy-victory-2017-world-champs

Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

Three greats from the aquatics world, Katie Ledecky, Becca Meyers and Maggie Steffens, were all announced as finalists for the Women’s Sport Foundation (WSF) Sportswoman of the Year Award. Ledecky and Meyers are both accomplished in the pool, with Ledecky most recently winning six medals at the FINA World Championships in Budapest, bringing her total of World titles to 14. That is the most gold medals of any female athlete in World Championships history. Meyers most recently won the ESPY Award for the Best Athlete with a Disability in July and broke three S13 world records at the Paralympics in Rio last summer. Steffens, who is nominated under the team sports category, most recently won her second consecutive water polo world championship title with Team USA. You can cast your vote for the award by clicking here.

The Week That Was #4 – George Kennedy Returns To Coaching At Loyola

Photo Courtesy: Johns Hopkins Athletics

Long-time Johns Hopkins head coach George Kennedy will return to coaching after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2015-2016 season. Kennedy will be joining Division I Loyola University Maryland as an assistant coach for this season, working under head coach Brian Loeffler. Kennedy’s coaching career included many notable accomplishments, including being named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Year seven times and receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the CSCAA upon his retirement in 2016. During his time at Johns Hopkins Kennedy coached 31 National Champions and more than 1500 All-Americans in addition to winning 24 conference championship titles.

The Week That Was #3 – Records Tumble Down At 2017 FINA World Masters Championships

Photo Courtesy: Takahisa Ide

World and championship records came crashing down at the 2017 FINA World Masters Championships. The competition was held in Budapest, Hungary, in the same pool as the recent FINA World Championships, with more than 9000 masters athletes coming to compete in the event. Some notable performers included masters legend Laura Val from the United States, who added three new world records to her name in the 65-69 age group in addition to numerous championship titles. Val set new marks in the women’s 100 free (1:05.00), 100 backstroke (1:15.66) and 50 backstroke (34.45). Val also helped the United States to a new world record in the mixed 200 free relay for the 280-319 age group. You can see recaps of the records from the competition over in our Masters news section.

The Week That Was #2 – Todd DeSorbo Adds To New Virginia Staff

Photo Courtesy: Tyler Fenwick

New head coach Todd DeSorbo has wasted no time starting to fill out his coaching staff at the University of Virginia, with three new hires this week. Tyler Fenwick, Wes Foltz and Blaire Bachman were all announced as new hires this week, with Fenwick coming in with the title Associate Head Coach and Foltz and Bachman joining as Assistants. Fenwick is coming to UVA after serving as Associate Coach at Tennessee for the last five seasons, while Foltz will be moving with DeSorbo after working with him at NC State. Bachman will come to UVA from Indiana, where she was the assistant coach and worked with Olympic Team members Lilly King, Cody Miller and Blake Pieroni. You can read more about all three hires in Virginia’s official press release.

The Week That Was #1 – 2017 World University Games Begin With A Bang In Taipei

Photo Courtesy: SIPA USA

The first two days of the World University Games in Taipei took place this Sunday and Monday, with several University Games records coming down in the first two finals sessions. Ukraine’s Mykhailo Romanchuk started the first night of finals with a new meet record in the men’s 400 free, erasing the old record with his 3:45.96. Japan’s Yui Ohashi followed that performance by breaking a record of her own in the first medal event for the women, breaking the previous record by three seconds with her time of 4:34.40. The lone meet record of the second day of finals belonged to Ukraine’s Andrii Govorov in the 50 fly (22.90), while American Andrew Wilson tied Belarus’ Ilya Shymanovich for gold in the 100 breast (1:00.15). Justin Ress, meanwhile, took gold for the U.S. in the 100 back with a quick time of 53.29. You can follow all of the results from the 2017 World University Games on our Event Landing Page.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use