by Duncan Forbes
(Halifax, N.S.) The 2015 Subway AUS Swimming Championship will get underway this Friday at the Dalplex. The Dalhousie Tigers will host the event that will feature the best collegiate swimmers in Atlantic Canada who will be vying to compete in the 2015 CIS Swimming Championship in Victoria, B.C., on February 19-21.
The three-day event will feature swim teams from Acadia University, Memorial University, Mount Allison University, University of New Brunswick, University of Prince Edward Island and the host Dalhousie University.
Daily preliminary races will get underway each day at 10:00 a.m., while the finals will get started at 6:00 p.m.
Let's take a look at the teams competing this weekend:
Acadia Axemen/Axewomen
The Axemen and Axewomen will look to end their 2014-2015 with their best team finish since they returned to competition in 2010. Now under the leadership of former Tigers swim coach David Fry, Acadia has finished second only to Dalhousie in combined points in AUS swim meets.
The November 23 meet at Dalhousie was an historic one for Acadia, who for the first time qualified both male and female relay teams to compete at this year's CIS championship. After having one male and one female CIS qualifier last year, Acadia now boasts three of each leading up to this weekend’s championships.
Rebecca MacPherson has had a strong season, posting CIS qualifying times in the 100m and 200m backstroke and freestyle events. She also posted a new Nova Scotian record in the 200m freestyle. First-year swimmer Laura Beck posted qualifying times in the 50m and 100m backstroke and senior Elizabeth Skuriat qualified in the 400m freestyle.
Luc Boudreau has led the way for the Axemen this year, with qualifying times in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events.
The Axemen finished in second place overall in the three AUS meets with a combined 591 points, behind only Dalhousie. The Axewomen on the other hand, finished third after trailing the second-place Mount Allison Mounties by 11 points.
Dalhousie Tigers
The pre-emptive favourites have held the crown as AUS championships on both the men's (16 consecutive) and women's (13 consecutive) side for over a decade, establishing themselves as powerhouses that are forces to be reckoned with.
The men's and women's teams enter the AUS championship ranked sixth and seventh in the CIS, respectively. They've gone undefeated so far in the AUS meets this season, and have an impressive 20 swimmers (12 women and eight men) that have posted CIS qualifying times thus far.
On the women's side, keep an eye out for England native Phoebe Lenderyou in the backstroke and butterfly events. In just her first meet of the season, Lenderyou broke four AUS and Dalhousie records in January. Rachel Shin (butterfly and IM) and distance swimmer Meagan Bernier will be big scorers this weekend as they have both posted multiple CIS qualifying times. Kyle Watson, Gavin Dyke and Tony Liew look to lead the way on the men's side times and should make some serious noise this weekend.
Third-year head coach Lance Cansdale says that in an event like this, there are bound to be surprises.
“In a meet like this, who knows where the star will come from,” explains Cansdale. “Someone always surprises and pops out to realize untapped potential. That can be said for all the schools competing.”
The Tigers ran away with first-place in the AUS in both the men' and women's competitions this year in three AUS meets, with the women posting more than double the points of their closest competitors.
Memorial Sea-Hawks
The Sea-Hawks have experienced a year of transition under new head coach Lucie Henderson. Owen Daly has burst onto the scene as a rookie for the Sea-Hawks and registered a CIS-qualifying time in the 200m IM in his first meet of the season. Veteran Sam Leawood has also stood out for the Sea-Hawks, and he's found himself on the podium twice in the 50m butterfly and 100m freestyle events this year.
On the women's side, it's been a learning period for the team as they look to make more and more top eight finishes.
The men's team finished fifth through the three AUS invitational meets this year, while the women's team finished sixth.
Mount Allison Mounties
The Mounties enter the AUS championships with the goal of qualifying five swimmers for the CIS championships. They have a strong group of first-year swimmers that are complimented by their returning swimmers, who are aiming for a top-two finish this weekend.
Marya Peters, a three-time AUS all-star and CIS qualifier will look to lead the Mountie's women's team along with Allison Loewen, who was also an AUS all-star and CIS qualifier last year.
A trio of rookies that includes Olivia Feschuk, Geraint Berger and Martin Peters will look to make big impacts in their first career AUS championships. Feschuk posted a CIS qualifying time in the 200m backstroke earlier this season, while Berger and Peters look to post qualifying times in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and the 200m butterfly, respectively.
The women's side finished second in the AUS through three meets this year, while the men's side finished just ahead of UNB for third place.
University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds
The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds enter the AUS championship this weekend with three CIS qualifiers: Charli LeBlanc, Cassey Mooney and Kaitlyn Young. The Varsity Reds have a large contingent of graduating student-athletes, but they also possess a promising group of first-years who are ready to take the next step under the leadership of the older swimmers.
The women's team finished second at home in the Amby Legere Invitational this season, and they finished just 0.5 points out of second place at the Jack Scholz Invitational to begin the season. They finished fourth in the AUS this season, just 0.5 points back of Acadia for third and just 11.5 points back of Mount Allison for second.
On the men's side, the Varsity Reds finished fourth in all three AUS meets this year.
University of Prince Edward Island Panthers
The relatively small UPEI Panthers swimming team comes into the AUS championship with just nine swimmers on their roster. They'll be focusing on making multiple finals appearances this weekend
They'll aim to swim away from the AUS championships with at least a few CIS-qualifying times. The men's team had a season-best 21 points in the first meet of the season, while the women's team posted a season-best 20 point performance back in January at home. The women's team finished in fifth this year through three AUS meets, while the men's team finished sixth.
The weekend is sure to be jam-packed full of exciting AUS swimming action, with action getting underway Friday morning at 10:00am. Admission for fans is free all weekend and the entire championship will be broadcast live online at www.AUStv.ca. For live results, check http://www.swimnovascotia.com/online
Keep up-to-date with daily recaps that will highlight the action! They can be found at www.daltigers.ca and www.atlanticuniversitysport.com at the end of each day of competition.