Lauren Van Oosten Breaks National Record At Canadian Open

QUEBEC CITY, Canada, November 30. LAUREN Van Oosten of Calgary broke a 10-year-old national record in the women’s 200-meter breaststroke Saturday to highlight the third day of competition at the Canadian Open and short course swimming nationals.

Van Oosten clocked two minutes 25.47 seconds to eclipse the mark of 2:25.69 set by Nancy Sweetnam of Lindsay, Ont., at the Canadian university championships in 1993. Rhiannon Leier of Winnipeg was second in 2:27.43 and Lisa Blackburn of Waterloo, Ont., third in 2:28.02.

Van Oosten’s story is one of great perseverance. Prior to this year she was in a nasty slump and was fading out of the Canadian swimming picture. She didn’t make the Olympic team in 2000, the world team in 2001 and the Commonwealth team in 2002.

However the tide turned in 2003 and she achieved a major goal by competing at the World Championships this past summer. Now a berth on the Olympic team next summer is in her focus.

"I have a completely different attitude when I swim now, I’m not scared anymore," said Van Oosten, 25, a bronze medalist in the 100 breaststroke at the 1998 World Championships. "I was confident I could get the record tonight. My training times showed it could happen."

In the men’s 200 breaststroke, Morgan Knabe of Calgary, who wasn’t sure he would compete this weekend, won the gold in 2:10.29. Scott Dickens of Vancouver and Michel Boulianne of Montreal tied for second in 2:12.86.

Knabe has been bothered by swelling in both knees and was out of the water for a two week period earlier this month.

"It was a pretty decent swim tonight," said Knabe,whose injury was caused by the wear and tear of hours of training in and out of the pool. "The knees didn’t affect me and I actually surprised myself."

Other winners Saturday in men’s competition were Brian Johns of Vancouver in the 200 butterfly, Brent Hayden of Vancouver in the 100 freestyle and Keith Beavers of Waterloo, Ont. in the 200 backstroke. The other women winners were Jennifer Button in the 200 butterfly, Laura Nicholls of Toronto in the 100 freestyle and Jennifer Fratesi of Victoria in the 200 backstroke.

For the third straight day the UBC Dolphins from Vancouver and Toronto All Stars won the relay races placing first in the men’s and women’s 4X100 medley relay respectively.

Canadian Open SC Championships
Day 2

MEN
100 METER FREESTYLE
1 48.66 Hayden Brent,20,UBCD
2 49.08 Mintenko Michael,28,UBCD
3 49.26 Say Rick,24,UCSC
4 49.47 Hutchison Craig,28,TO
5 49.66 Janes Riley,23,NRST
6 50.11 Pichette Alexandre,26,CAMO
7 50.16 Hankewich Chad,22,GOLD
8 51.20 Miller Kurtis,18,SCAR

200 METER BACKSTROKE
1 1:54.67 Beavers Keith,20,ROW
2 1:58.31 Johns Brian,21,UBCD
3 1:58.42 Sepulis Sean,26,IS
4 1:59.48 Strelzow Desmond,18,UBCD
5 2:00.09 Banville-Auger Benoit,20,MEGO
6 2:01.85 Power Michael,23,UCSC
7 2:02.84 Hawes Matt,17,ROW
8 2:03.91 McMillan Bryan,21,GMAC

200 METER BREASTSTROKE
1 2:10.29 Knabe Morgan,22,UCSA
2 2:12.86 Dickens Scott,19,UBCD
3 2:12.86 Boulianne Michel,25,CAMO
4 2:14.04 Mains Matthew,22,ROW
5 2:15.51 Brown Michael,19,PERTH
6 2:15.52 Thomsen Chad,20,UASC
7 2:15.69 Huang Matthew,19,UBCD
8 2:17.51 Monaco Marco,17,TO

200 METER BUTTERFLY
1 1:55.84 Johns Brian,21,UBCD
2 2:01.45 Pelechytik Jan,23,ROD
3 2:01.53 Murray Chad,22,UCSC
4 2:02.06 Schjott Jonathan,22,UCSC
5 2:02.21 Rudolf Darryl,19,UBCD
6 2:03.82 Terauds Matthew,20,UDAL
7 2:06.05 Senecal Thomas,19,NEW
8 2:06.50 Castonguay Francois,21,CAMO

4X100 MEDLEY RELAY
1 3:36.41 UBC Dolphins,UBCD
2 3:40.67 Univ.of Calgary SC,UCSC
3 3:42.60 CAMO Montreal,CAMO
4 3:43.02 UBC Dolphins B,UBCD
5 3:44.86 Region of Waterloo,ROW
6 3:45.68 Univ.Laval Rouge & Or,UL
7 3:47.39 CAMO Montreal B,CAMO
8 3:47.98 Univ.Alberta SC,UASC

WOMEN
100 METER FREESTYLE
1 55.29 Nicholls Laura,25,TO
2 55.66 Simard Sophie,25,UL
3 55.69 Porenta Jennifer,18,TO
4 55.92 Lydall Anna,23,TO
5 55.96 Kardash Erin,18,MM
6 56.15 Reimer Brittany,15,SKSC
7 56.58 Rolland Nadine,29,SAMAK
8 57.09 Lacroix Audrey,20,CAMO

200 METER BACKSTROKE
1 2:09.26 Fratesi Jennifer,19,ROW
2 2:09.49 Warden Elizabeth,25,TO
3 2:10.00 Stefanyshyn Kelly,21,UBCD
4 2:12.09 Meredith Caitlin,19,UBCD
5 2:12.84 Malar Joanne,28,UCSC
6 2:14.44 Leroy Andree-Ann,21,HAC
7 2:15.66 Carroll Jennifer,22,MEGO
8 2:16.44 Hoekstra Mallory,16,UASC

200 METER BREASTSTROKE
1 2:25.47* van Oosten Lauren,25,UCSC
2 2:27.43 Leier Rhiannon,26,MM
3 2:28.02 Blackburn Lisa,32,ROW
4 2:28.56 Stoody Kathleen,20,SFA
5 2:30.21 Mange Michelle,16,UBCD
6 2:31.25 Noddle Jennifer,24,TO
7 2:32.78 Pierse Annamay,19,UBCD
8 2:33.27 Hober Renee,18,ROW

200 METER BUTTERFLY
1 2:08.38 Button Jennifer,26,TO
2 2:08.98 Lacroix Audrey,20,CAMO
3 2:12.72 Gravelle Julie,24,UL
4 2:15.12 Bernier Joan,19,CNCB
5 2:15.47 Lachance-Fortin Alex,18,UL
6 2:16.31 Malar Joanne,28,UCSC
7 2:17.20 Roy-l'Ecuyer Chrystele,19,CNB
8 2:17.90 Alroubaie Sara,22,MM

4X100 MEDLEY RELAY
1 4:06.20 Toronto All Stars,TO
2 4:08.04 Univ.of Calgary SC,UCSC
3 4:08.62 Manitoba Marlins,MM
4 4:08.78 UBC Dolphins,UBCD
5 4:09.59 CAMO Montreal,CAMO
6 4:12.73 UBC Dolphins B,UBCD
7 4:13.76 Region of Waterloo,ROW
8 4:14.26 Univ.of Calgary SC B,UCSC

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