![\"USC](\"\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/media\/298.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLOS ANGELES, California, August 11. WITH the top-ranked University of Southern California football team taking snaps just yards away, the inaugural North American Challenge Cup kicked off at McDonalds' Swim Stadium on the campus of USC, home of the 1984 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n
The North American Challenge Cup is a cooperative venture of Canada, Mexico and Southern California Swimming designed to introduce age group swimmers to international competition.<\/p>\n
The meet began with the USC Marching band playing "Conquest" as the athletes marched in behind their national flags. All three National anthems were performed by the band with athletes singing along loud and proud.<\/p>\n
"It's a lot of fun sharing the dorms with all of the competing teams," Southern California swimmer Stephanie Cobau, 17, said. "It's like an Olympic village atmosphere." <\/p>\n
After all the pre-meet festivities settled down, Canada started the meet with a top-four sweep of the girls 17-18 200 free. Caroline Murray won in 2:01.73, while Breanna Hendriks (2:03.48), Samantha Cheverton (2:04.63) and Hayley Nell (2:05.56) comprised the rest of the 1-2-3-4 showing. <\/p>\n
In the boys 17-18 200 free, Mexico's Jaime Mendiola Figueroa captured gold in 1:53.87 to lead a Mexican 1-2 when compatriot Gerardo Banuelos Sandoval touched second in 1:54.54. Canada's Dominic Massie-Martel rounded out the top three in 1:55.26.<\/p>\n
"My strategy was to go out fast and get faster," Mendiola Figueroa, 17, said. "This is a very good pool for racing."<\/p>\n
Alberta's Lindsay Morton claimed the girls 17-18 400 IM title in 5:04.55, while Southern California swimmer Brittany Borowitz placed second in 5:06.00. Canada's Amy Xu completed the rest of the medal-winners with a third-place 5:10.57.<\/p>\n
Canada put together a 1-2 finish in the boys 17-18 400 IM when Andrew Ford claimed first touch in 4:30.52, while teammate Steven Bielby finished second in 4:34.76. Alberta's Jason Block picked up third in 4:43.23.<\/p>\n
"I enjoy swimming outdoors in the summer and achieved my goal of 800+ FINA points tonight," Ford said.<\/p>\n
After taking third in the 200 free, Canada's Cheverton won the girls 17-18 100 fly in 1:02.30. Alberta's Kirsten Weevers finished second in 1:05.77, while Mexico's Janne Morales Medina placed third in 1:06.14.<\/p>\n
In the boys 17-18 100 fly, Mexico's Ramon Navarrette Hinojosa hit the wall first in 56.20, while Canada's Greg Gerum (56.50) and Zack Chetrat (56.79) took second and third, respectively.<\/p>\n
Canada's Sarah-Lee Hevey topped the girls 17-18 200 breast with a time of 2:41.47, while Southern California swimmers Borowitz (2:47.94) and Jeanette Butler (2:53.53) grabbed silver and bronze.<\/p>\n
On the boys side of the 17-18 200 breast, Canada's Julian Monks snagged the title in 2:24.82, while Alberta's Bryan Iliscupidez picked up second in 2:25.51. Mexico's Ricardo Alvarado Jimenez pocketed bronze in 2:27.22.<\/p>\n
Canada's Karah Stanworth-Belleville won the girls 17-18 100 back title in 1:04.06 to open her first international competition. Mexico's Gabrielle Alzaga Escalona took second in 1:07.80, while Southern California swimmer Lara Stouffer finished third in 1:08.17.<\/p>\n
"I like this venue even though outdoors in the sun is a little tough for backstrokers," Stanworth-Belleville, 17, said.<\/p>\n
In the 800 free relays, the Canadian girls team of Murray, Hendricks, Nell and Cheverton won the 17-18 crown in 8:19.83, while Mexico's team of Mendiola Figueroa, Pablo Villalvazo Hernandez, Carlos Corpi Arnaud and Banuelos Sandoval claimed the boys 17-18 title in 7:46.46.<\/p>\n
Special thanks to Jeremy Anderson and Mary Jo Swalley for contributing to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"North](\"\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/media\/406.jpg\")
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LOS ANGELES, California, August 11. WITH the top-ranked University of Southern California football team taking snaps just yards away, the inaugural North American Challenge Cup kicked off at McDonalds' Swim<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80898,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15428","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n