UCSC Knocks 4 Seconds Off Canadian Age Group Relay Record

2023 SPEEDO CANADIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• August 1-6, 2023
• Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TPASC)
• LCM (50 meters)
• Meet Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Stream

The University of Calgary Swim Club has built an age group super team of sorts, taking an already record-worthy group and adding one of the country’s best age groupers ever Laon Kim to the mix.

The result on Wednesday at the Speedo Canadian Swimming Championships was the demolition of a National Age Group Record that almost can’t be hyperbolized.

The team of Kim (15), Aiden Norman (17), Lorne Wigginton (17), and Paul Dardis (17) combined for a 3:22.67 in the 400 meter free relay. That smashed almost four seconds off the old 15-17 National Age Group Record in the event which was done by the North York Aquatic Club in 2019. That former relay included World Championship medalist Josh Liendo.

Splits Comparison:

Without Kim, the UCSC relay was still in position to break the National Age Group Record in the event by a couple of tenths – they have broken several others in the last year. But the addition of Kim to the squad pushed them well through the barrier.

Kim, the youngest of the group, just turned 15 earlier this year. He rewrote the national record books in the 13-14 age group while training with his former club the Hyack Swim Club.

Besides Kim, the relay included World Championship team member Lorne Wigginton and his Junior World Championship teammate Aiden Norman. They were all outsplit, though, by Paul Dardis, another relatively-recent transplant to the group.

The team finished 2nd behind only CAMO from Montreal, which posted a 3:21.60.

Notable Individual Winners

19-year-old Benjamin Loewen from Crest Swimming in Ontario swam 1:57.98 to win the open division of the 200 fly. Prior to this meet, his best time was a 2:00.22 from Junior Pan Pacs last year.

That time creeps him closer to the Olympic standards that he would need to make the Canadian team for Paris next year in an event where Canadian Record holder Ilya Kharun was Canada’s only entrant at Worlds this year. Loewen would need a 1:55.78 to be eligible for selection for Paris alongside Kharun, which seems attainable after his big drop on Wednesday.

Not only is Loewen now easily the #2 Canadian in the event this year, he moves up to 6th all-time in Canadian history:

Top 6 All-Time, Canadian History, Men’s 200 LCM Fly

1. Ilya Kharun, 2023 – 1:53.82
2. Mack Darragh, 2018 – 1:56.27
3. Zack Chetrat, 2015 – 1:56.90
4. Stefan Hirniak, 2010 – 1:57.01
5. Adam Sioui, 2008 – 1:57.45
6. Ben Loewen, 2023 – 1:57.98

As Canada continues to search for new women’s breaststroke talent to round out its medley relay, two of the leading candidates had strong swims on Wednesday. 17-year-old Alexanne Lepage won the 15-17 age group in 1:09.07, which ranks her 10th all-time among her peers in Canada.

That’s one spot behind Rachel Nicol, who won the open age race in 1:07.36, which is her best time since the 2021 Canadian Olympic Trials.

None of that is enough to beat-out Sophie Angus, who had a breakthrough 1:06.21 split on the bronze medal finals relay for Canada at the World Championships, but it might be enough to give Canada options to keep Angus from having to pull prelims/finals double duty in Paris.

Another exciting result from UCSC came via Kamryn Cannings in the 15-17 girls’ 200 fly. She won in 2:11.84, knocking almost a full second off her personal best done earlier this year and a second-and-a-half in total across 2023.

While it’s going to take a lot to catch Summer McIntosh’s age group record int hat event, the swim does climb Cannings to 11th place all-time in Canadian history among 15-17s.

Cannings is committed to swim in the United States at Liberty University next fall.

Only Katie Forrester, winner of the 18+ age group, was faster.

Other Day 2 Highlights:

• Jacob Brayshaw broke the Canadian Para Record in the S2 50 breaststroke both in prelims (1:47.99) and again in finals (1:46.92).
• 15-year-old Oliver Dawson won the 14-15 boys’ 100 breaststroke in 1:03.17, a second-and-a-half clear of the field. That shaves three-quarters of a second off his personal best and jumps him to #2 all-time among 15-year-olds in Canada.
• Justice Migneault exacted a bit of revenge in the men’s 100 breaststroke final. He won in 1:01.53, beating out Gabe Mastromatteo for gold. The pair finished in the opposite order in February at the Canadian USports Championships. Both swimmers beat-out James Dergousoff, who is on a quick turnaround after racing the 100 breast at the World Championships, where he finished 28th in 1:01.19.
• PCSC went 1-2 in the 18+ women’s 1500 freestyle, with Megan Willar winning comfortably in 16:48.40 and Megan Frost finishing 2nd in 17:24.89. The next-fastest times overall in the event actually came from the 15-17 age group, led by Julia Strojnowska in 17:03.62.
• The UCSC women dominated their 400 free relay, finishing in 3:47.59, more than three seconds clear of the runner-up Etobicoke squad.
• Henri Vaillancourt from CAMO finished 3rd in the 14-15 boys’ 200 fly in 2:07.85, which set a new Quebec age record from 13-14s. Zach McLeod won that race in 2:04.58.

Team Scoring

Using Canada’s unique scoring system, which heavily weights winners and top three finishers, UCSC has jumped out to a big lead after two days. They have 1,177 points, which puts them ahead of Etobicoke’s 793.5.

Top 5 Canadian Team Banner (Through 26 of 78 Events)

1. University of Calgary Swim Club – 1,177
2. Etobicoke Swimming – 793.50
3. Ponte-Claire Swim Club – 781
4. Langley & Abbotsford Olympians – 578
5. Club Aquatique Montreal – 566

Top 5 Canadian Junior Team Banner (Through 26 of 78 Events)

1. University of Calgary Swim Club – 987
2. Etobicoke Swimming – 634.50
3. Pointe-Claire Swim Club – 519
4. Langley & Abbotsford Olympians – 516
5. Club Aquatique Montreal – 442