British Columbia Takes 6th-Straight Men’s and Women’s Canadian Universities Titles; Johns, Warden Are Swimmers of the Year

VICTORIA, B.C., Feb. 23. THE University of British Columbia swept their sixth straight men's and women's team titles today, the final day of the 2003 Canadian Interuniversity Sport Swimming Championship (CIS) held at the Saanich Commonwealth Place pool in Victoria, B.C.

On the men’s side, the current Thunderbird dynasty equals the six consecutive CIS banners claimed by University of Toronto from 1966 to 1971, while the Thunderbird women will have a shot next season at Toronto’s seven straight CIS titles (1987-1993).

If there was no movement at the top of the women’s team standings with Calgary and Laval finishing second and third just as in 2002, the McGill Redmen replaced Victoria as the men’s bronze medalist with a third-place finish behind UBC and Calgary.

Individually, in spite of numerous spectacular performances by other athletes, UBC’s Brian Johns (Richmond, BC) has to be the premiere headline for a third consecutive day. The 2001-2002 CIS Male Athlete and Swimmer of the Year, already the author of a world record on Friday and four CIS records in as many races this weekend, repeated his exploit of the 2002 Championship with three more wins today that brought his 2003 total to seven victories in as many events.

On Sunday night, Johns earned gold medals in the 200-meter Backstroke, 200 Individual Medley, and in the 4 X 100 Medley Relay, breaking his own Canadian and CIS records in the 200 IM with a time of 1:56.23 (previous Canadian record: 1:57.53, 2002; previous CIS record 1:57.55, 2002), and establishing a new CIS mark with his teammates in the relay event.

Johns’ fantastic numbers for the weekend: seven wins in seven events, one World Record, two Canadian Records, six CIS Records… and a second consecutive CIS Swimmer of the Year title. In three appearances at the CIS Championship, the 19-year old Thunderbird now has 20 medals, including 19 Golds.

Two of Johns’ teammates also enjoyed magic weekends. Mark Johnston (St. Catharines, ON), a fifth year veteran, was on fire tonight and completed his university career with wins in the 1500 Freestyle and the record-breaking 4 X 100 Medley Relay, in addition to a second-place finish in the 100 Freestyle. His 2003 Championship total shows five gold medals, one silver, and three CIS records in the relays, boosting his career total at CIS Championships to 23 medals (16 golds).

For his part, Brent Hayden’s (Mission, BC) wins in the 100 Freestyle combined to a third record-breaking relay event also brought his weekend total to five golds and one silver.

On the women’s side tonight, University of New Brunswick’s Carla Geurts (Netherlands) started the night with a bang, breaking her own CIS record in the 800-meter Freestyle with a time of 8:30.39 (previous: 8:31.82, Geurts, 2002). With the victory, she leaves the Championship with the 50, 400 and 800 Freestyle titles for the second year in a row. The Fredericton resident now has ten medals, including seven golds, in three appearances at the Nationals.

The 2001-2002 CIS Female Athlete and Swimmer of the Year, University of Toronto’s Liz Warden (Scarborough, ON), added two gold medals to her collection winning the 200 Backstroke for a second straight year (third in career) and the 200 Individual Medley for the third straight time. Her 2003 medal total shows three golds, one silver and one bronze, bringing her career total at the CIS Championship to 22 medals (10 golds).

Second to Carla Geurts in the 800 Free, Université Laval’s Sophie Simard (Chicoutimi, QC) was victorious minutes later in the 100-meter Freestyle, making her a three-time CIS champion on the distance and giving her the 100-200 Freestyle double for a third consecutive season. In the last three years, the 2000-2001 CIS Female Swimmer of the Year and 1996 Olympian has collected 15 medals at the Nationals, seven of them golds.

Finally, this final night of swimming allowed two female swimmers to reach the amazing seven-medal plateau for this 2003 Championship: UBC teammates Kelly Stefanyshyn (Winnipeg, MB) and Elizabeth Collins (Regina, SK) respectively earned three golds and four silvers, and three golds, two silvers and two bronzes. Stefanyshyn’s career total is now of 18 CIS medals (eight golds).

The 2003 Championship also marked the end of the university career of one of the greatest swimmers in CIS history. UBC’s Jessica Deglau, who won her last CIS medal tonight, a silver in the 4 X 100 Medley Relay, ends her brilliant career with a total of 29 medals, the highest total in the history of the prestigious Thunderbirds program. A member of the National Team since 1996, Deglau was chosen CIS Female Swimmer of the Year in 1998-1999 and 1999-2000, and participated in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.

TEAM RANKINGS: FINAL (Top 10)

WOMEN

1- UBC Thunderbirds, 666.5 points
2- Calgary Dinos, 616.5
3- Rouge et Or de Laval, 327
4- Dalhousie Tigers, 300.5
5- Toronto Varsity Blues, 266
6- McGill Martlets, 233
7- Victoria Vikes, 202
8- UNB Varsity Reds, 191
9- Alberta Pandas, 155
10- Manitoba Bisons, 133

MEN

1- UBC Thunderbirds, 618.5 points
2- Calgary Dinos, 428
3- McGill Redmen, 312
4- Victoria Vikes, 222
5- Carabins de Montréal, 216
6- Toronto Varsity Blues, 204
7- Regina Cougars, 193
8- Dalhousie Tigers, 179.5
9- Rouge et Or de Laval, 166.5
10- Alberta Golden Bears, 141.5

2002-2003 CIS INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
OUTSTANDING FEMALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
– Liz Warden, University of Toronto Varsity Blues

OUTSTANDING MALE SWIMMER OF THE YEAR
– Brian Johns, UBC Thunderbirds

COACH OF THE YEAR (WOMEN)
– David Fry, Dalhousie University Tigers

COACH OF THE YEAR (MEN)
– Tom Johnson, UBC Thunderbirds

FEMALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
– Caitlin Meredith, UBC Thunderbirds

MALE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
– Matthew Huang, UBC Thunderbirds

RESULTS: SUNDAY FINALS

WOMEN 800 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Carla Geurts, UNB Varsity Reds, 8:30.39 (CIS and Canadian RECORDS)
– Silver: Sophie Simard, Rouge et Or de Laval, 8:37.71
– Bronze: Julie Gravelle, Toronto Varsity Blues, 8:39.11

WOMEN 50 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Michele LaPrade, McGill Martlets, 32.51
– Silver: Emma Spooner, Calgary Dinos, 32.93
– Bronze: serena McGibbon, UBC Thunderbirds, 33.76

MEN 50 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Michel Boulianne, Carabins de Montréal, 28.68
– Silver: Matt Mains, Waterloo Warriors, 28.77
– Bronze: Matthew Huang, UBC Thunderbirds, 28.92

WOMEN 200 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Liz Warden, Toronto Varsity Blues, 2:09.14
– Silver: Kelly Stefanyshyn, UBC Thunderbirds, 2:10.23
– Bronze: Caitlin Meredith, UBC Thunderbirds, 2:12.32

MEN 200 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Brian Johns, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:56.89
– Silver: Steve Preston, Rouge et Or de Laval, 1:58.71
– Bronze: Roland Bauhart, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:59.48

WOMEN 100 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Sophie Simard, Rouge et Or de Laval, 56.43
– Silver: Alexandra Lys, Calgary Dinos, 56.61
– Silver: Elizabeth Collins, UBC Thunderbirds, 56.61

MEN 100 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Brent Hayden, UBC Thunderbirds, 49.18
– Silver: Mark Johnston, UBC Thunderbirds, 49.88
– Bronze: Chad Hankewich, Regina Cougars, 50.15

WOMEN 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
– Gold: Liz Warden, Toronto Varsity Blues, 2:11.99
– Silver: Kristy Cameron, Calgary Dinos, 2:16.33
– Bronze: Michelle Landry, UBC Thunderbirds, 2:17.91

MEN 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
– Gold: Brian Johns, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:56.23 (CIS and Canadian RECORDS)
– Silver: Chad Murray, Calgary Dinos, 2:02.17
– Bronze: Philip Weiss, Victoria Vikes, 2:03.53

MEN 1500 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Mark Johnston, UBC Thunderbirds, 15:15.84
– Silver: Jesse Jacks, Victoria Vikes, 15:33.85
– Bronze: Jarrod Ballem, Calgary Dinos, 15:36.59

WOMEN 4 X 100 MEDLEY RELAY
– Gold: Calgary Dinos (Erin Gammell, Emma Spooner,
Laura Grant, Alexandra Lys), 4:08.66
(CIS RECORD / previous: 4:09.52, UBC, 2001)
– Silver: UBC Thunderbirds (Kelly Stefanyshyn,
Serena McGibbon, Elizabeth Collins, Jessica Deglau), 4:10.47
– Bronze: Dalhousie Tigers (Keira Aitken, Sandi McLean,
Melissa Hubley, Gail Whittaker), 4:12.19

MEN 4 X 100 MEDLEY RELAY
– Gold: UBC Thunderbirds (Roland Bauhart, Matthew Huang,
Brian Johns, Brent Hayden), 3:39.03
(CIS RECORD / previous: 3:40.34, UBC, 2001)
– Silver: Rouge et Or de Laval (Steven Preston,
Guillaume Blais, Jean-François Langlais, Frédéric Gobeil),
3:45.58
– Bronze: Carabins de Montréal (Mathieu Héroux,
Michel Boulianne, Sébastien Poulin, Greg Arkhurst), 3:45.74

RESULTS: SATURDAY FINALS

WOMEN 100 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Erin Gammell, Calgary Dinos, 1:00.60 (EQUALS CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Kelly Stefanyshyn, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:01.29
– Bronze: Caitlin Meredith, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:02.59

MEN 100 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Alexandre Pichette, McGill Redmen, 54.67
– Silver: Steve Preston, Rouge et Or de Laval, 54.91
– Bronze: Roland Bauhart, UBC Thunderbirds, 56.07

WOMEN 50 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Elizabeth Collins, UBC Thunderbirds, 27.93
– Silver: Sara Alroubaie, Manitoba Bisons, 28.26
– Bronze: Laura Grant, Calgary Dinos, 28.52

MEN 50 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Chad Hankewich, Regina Cougars, 24.35 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Jean-François Langlais, Rouge et Or de Laval, 24.78
– Bronze: Ian MacLeod, Toronto Varsity Blues, 24.91

WOMEN 400 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Carla Geurts, UNB Varsity Reds, 4:07.94
– Silver: Sophie Simard, Rouge et Or de Laval, 4:10.41
– Bronze: Julie Gravelle, Toronto Varsity Blues, 4:13.01

MEN 400 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Mark Johnston, UBC Thunderbirds, 3:44.99
– Silver: David Creel, Victoria Vikes, 3:54.88
– Bronze: Jarrod Ballem, Calgary Dinos, 3:54.95

WOMEN 200 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Kristy Cameron, Calgary Dinos, 2:29.11
– Silver: Liz Warden, Toronto Varsity Blues, 2:29.18
– Bronze: Emma Spooner, Calgary Dinos, 2:32.07

MEN 200 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Matt Mains, Waterloo Warriors, 2:12.28
– Silver: Michel Boulianne, Carabins de Montréal, 2:13.06
– Bronze: Matthew Huang, UBC Thunderbirds, 2:13.38

WOMEN 50 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Carla Geurts, UNB Varsity Reds, 26.04
– Silver: Anna Lydall, UBC Thunderbirds, 26.17
– Bronze: Caroline Clapham, UBC Thunderbirds, 26.28

MEN 50 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Brent Hayden, UBC Thunderbirds, 22.58
– Silver: Daniel Monid, UNB Varsity Reds, 22.87
– Bronze: Ryan Tominic, McGill Redmen, 22.98

WOMEN 200 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Julie Gravelle, Toronto Varsity Blues, 2:12.27
– Silver: Jessica Deglau, UBC Thunderbirds, 2:13.06
– Bronze: Melissa Hubley, Dalhousie Tigers, 2:13.92

MEN 200 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Brian Johns, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:54.76 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Jesse Jacks, Victoria Vikes, 1:58.80
– Bronze: Chad Murray, Calgary Dinos, 1:58.83

WOMEN 4 X 200 FREESTYLE RELAY
– Gold: UBC Thunderbirds (Elizabeth Collins,
Kelly Stefanyshyn, Deanna Stefanyshyn, Jessica Deglau),
8:04.71
– Silver: Calgary Dinos (Alexandra Lys, Kristy Cameron,
Carrie Burgoyne, Gail Findlay-Shirras), 8:13.62
– Bronze: Toronto Varsity Blues (Liz Warden,
Julie Gravelle, Mia Baumeister, Marci Bryon), 8:14.51

MEN 4 X 200 FREESTYLE RELAY
– Gold: UBC Thunderbirds (Brian Johns, Mark Johnston,
Brent Hayden, Justin Tindall), 7:10.95
(NEW CIS RECORD / previous: 7:13.16, UBC, 2002)
– Silver: Calgary Dinos (Cameron Hyder, Jarrod Ballem,
Chad Murray, Michael Power), 7:24.38
– Bronze: McGill Redmen (David Allard, Ryan Tominic,
Alexandre Boulanger, Sylvain Lemieux), 7:35.66

RESULTS: FRIDAY FINALS

WOMEN 200 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Sophie Simard, Rouge et Or de Laval, 1:58.25
– Silver: Carla Geurts, UNB Varsity Reds, 1:58.60
– Bronze: Elizabeth Collins, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:59.68

MEN 200 FREESTYLE
– Gold: Mark Johnston, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:46.16
– Silver: Brent Hayden, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:47.32
– Bronze: Chad Hankewich, Regina Cougars, 1:47.84

WOMEN 50 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Erin Gammell, Calgary Dinos, 28.44 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Kelly Stefanyshyn, UBC Thunderbirds, 29.13
– Bronze: Caitlin Meredith, UBC Thunderbirds, 29.35

MEN 50 BACKSTROKE
– Gold: Alexandre Pichette, McGill Redmen, 25.41
– Silver: Jean-François Langlais, Rouge et Or de Laval, 25.57
– Bronze: Steve Preston, Rouge et Or de Laval, 25.78

WOMEN 100 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Emma Spooner, Calgary Dinos, 1:10.35
– Silver: Kristy Cameron, Calgary Dinos, 1:11.19
– Bronze: Shannon Frey, Alberta Pandas, 1:11.29

MEN 100 BREASTSTROKE
– Gold: Matt Mains, Waterloo Warriors, 1:01.52
– Silver: Gerard Hunter, Lethbridge Pronghorns, 1:01.98
– Bronze: Matthew Huang, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:02.12

WOMEN 100 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Kelly Stefanyshyn, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:01.01
– Silver: Sara Alroubaie, Manitoba Bisons, 1:01.15
– Bronze: Elizabeth Collins, UBC Thunderbirds, 1:01.21

MEN 100 BUTTERFLY
– Gold: Chad Murray, Calgary Dinos, 53.60
– Silver: Jean-François Langlais, Rouge et Or de Laval, 54.45
– Bronze: Jesse Jacks, Victoria Vikes, 54.54

WOMEN 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
– Gold: Liz Warden, Toronto Varsity Blues, 4:38.21 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Carrie Burgoyne, Calgary Dinos, 4:43.91
– Bronze: Mélanie Bouchard, Rouge et Or de Laval, 4:50.15

MEN 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
– Gold: Brian Johns, UBC Thunderbirds, 4:02.72 (NEW WORLD RECORD)
– Silver: Cameron Hyder, Calgary Dinos, 4:22.72
– Bronze: Roland Bauhart, UBC Thunderbirds, 4:26.19

WOMEN 4 X 100 FREESTYLE RELAY
– Gold: UBC Thunderbirds (Kelly Stefanyshyn,
Caitlin Meredith, Elizabeth Collins, Jessica Deglau),
3:44.01 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: Calgary Dinos (Alexandra Lys, Laura Grant,
Andrea Baker, Kristy Cameron), 3:49.76
– Bronze: Rouge et Or de Laval (Marielle Ménard,
Mélanie Bouchard, Mélissa Laflamme, Sophie Simard), 3:50.75

MEN 4 X 100 FREESTYLE RELAY
– Gold: UBC Thunderbirds (Brent Hayden, Mark Johnston,
Justin Tisdall, Brian Johns), 3:17.53 (NEW CIS RECORD)
– Silver: McGill Redmen (David Allard, Ryan Tominic,
Doug McCarthy, Alexandre Pichette), 3:24.08
– Bronze: Dalhousie Tigers (Chris Stewart, Michael Terauds,
Rob Coleman, Matthew Tarauds), 3:24.66

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