January 21, 2009

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2009 Canada West championship preview

by Canada West Sports Information Offices

Archive photo courtesy UBC Athletics: Scott Dickens (pictured) and Callum Ng are expected to be leaders for the T-Birds this weekend

Click Here for 2009 Canada West Swimming Schedule

Men

Led by breaststroke specialist, Olympian Mike Brown, the Calgary Dinos look to repeat at men's champions. Gone is CIS multi-gold medalist Chad Hankewich, replaced by sophomore Colin Miazga and a host of other notables. The UBC Thunderbirds placed a distant second to Calgary at the 2008 conference event in Edmonton, but narrowed the margin in a silver medal performance at Nationals. Seniors Callum Ng and 2004 Olympian Scott Dickens, along with Matt Hawkes form the base of a another strong team, though several freshman will be looked upon for top-notch efforts and the hope of continued success for years to come.

The Alberta Golden Bears are a team on the rise under head coach Bill Humby. After placing third at CWs, the Bears were an impressive sixth at the CIS meet in Vancouver. Freestyle specialist Brian Yakiwchuk and breaststroker Winston Leap have emerged as top threats to medal at both the Canada West and CIS meets this winter. The host Victoria Vikes narrowly edged Manitoba for a team conference bronze medal in '08, and it will be challenge to hold that spot again this year. Cody Flegel, who broke a 26-year-old school mark in the 50m freestyle earlier this season, and butterfly specialist Jeff Saganski, are top medal threats.

Braeden Taylor is the star for Manitoba and has the ability to help the Bisons surge into third spot in team points after falling just two points short a year ago (187 to 185). Taylor is defending champion in the 200m breaststroke and ranks among the best nationally in the 50m and 100m. The difficulty for U of M is that the remaining men's team may struggle to even make finals and rack up other team points.

Breaststroker Jeffrey Nicol leads a very small Lethbridge team into battle with hopes of establishing a new school record in the 200m. Sprint star Andrew Malawski is the lone Regina Cougar men's swimmer at the 2009 conference event. Canada West bronze medal last year in the 50m breaststroke.


Women

By a slim margin, Calgary is also the defending women's Canada West champion, but they fell to second behind UBC at Nationals last year. Expect the two to battle for top spot once again, well ahead of even a hard-charging Alberta roster. Calgary's Erica Morningstar and UBC's Annamay Pierse are likely to battle for Swimmer of the Year honours.

Olympian and Calgary native Erica Morningstar is the Dinos' clear leader in 100m and 200m freestyle events and is expected to go on to win gold at the CIS event in February. The return of National team member Seanna Mtchell, together with sisters Kevyn and Taylor Peterson, Liz Hendrick, Katy Murdoch and 2008 CIS Rookie of the Year Breanna Hendriks make the southern Alberta school tough to beat. The Thunderbirds' Annamay Pierse is simply a world-class student-athlete who can win gold and break records at any given swim meet. The 2008 Olympian holds conference and Canadian records in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. Fifth-year T-Birds, breaststroker Haylee Johnson and backstroker Lauren Kimak, along with Pierse sisters Hanna and Grainne, may help UBC start a new string of titles after having their four-year conference reign end in 2008.

The Alberta Pandas edged the Victoria Vikes for a team bronze medal when they hosted the CWUAA event last year, but UVic went on to place two spots higher at Nationals. Freshman Kayla Voytechek already ranks second to Pierse in the 50m breaststroke. Lauren Gillespie set a new U of A record in the 200m backstroke in December and ranks fourth in CIS. Lindsay Morton may challenge for medals in the 400m individual medley, 200m butterfly and 200m backstroke. Mackenzie Downing makes her final home appearance for the Vikes. The 2007-08 CIS 100m and 200m butterfly champion and 19-time Canada West medalist looks forward to another solid performance before the hometown crowd. sophomore Whitney Buczkowski could make waves in the 50m and 100m backstroke.

After a year off from varsity competition, Landice Yestrau is back and ready to help the Manitoba Bisons make a move in the standings. The 2005-06 Bison Sports Female Athlete of the Year and Team Canada member at the 2006 Commonwealth Games will bolster a young squad that looks to rebound from a sixth place finish in the conference championship.

Five-time CIS qualifier Vicki Chugg has graduated from the Lethbridge Pronghorns program, leaving Kristy Gabruck and Sarah Galesloot to lead the charge. Linda Duarte heads up a small contingent for the Regina Cougars. Duarte has met the CIS standard in six events already.

Alberta Golden Bears & Pandas
Men
2007-08 CW event: 3rd
2007-08 CIS event: 6th
Last CW title: 1995-96
Last CIS title: none

Women
2007-08 CW event: 3rd
2007-08 CIS event: 6th
Last CW title: 1992-93
Last CIS title: 1973-74

For the Alberta swimming teams, up is the only direction they want to go. Both the Golden Bears and Pandas have seen marked improvement since Bill Humby took over the head coaching duties three seasons ago and progress seems to continue.

Last season both teams won bronze medals at the Canada West championship and both knocked on the door of the CIS contenders by finishing in sixth place overall, just points away from being a top-five program in the country.

This season the program has already qualified 23 swimmers for the CIS championship and the coach hopes for all 30 athletes to be booking tickets to Vancouver on February 19th. UBC will once again act as the host for CIS national championship, February 19-21, 2009.

Before the swimmers can entertain thoughts of CIS medals and FISU selections, the Canada West meet comes first, and with traditional powers UBC and Calgary still strong, Alberta hopes to pick up at least another team bronze medal on both sides at the conference finals in Victoria.

Returning athletes, as always, form the backbone of the program as Lauren Gillespie and Lindsay Morton lead the Pandas, while Brian Yakiwchuk and Winston Leap are out in front for the Bears. Gillespie set a new U of A record in the 200m backstroke in December of 2008 and is fourth in the CIS in that event. Humby believes Morton can challenge for medals in the 400m individual medley as well as 200m fly and backstroke competitions. Yakiwchuk swam to a CIS bronze last season in the 1500m freestyle and is now also a podium threat in the 400m IM and freestyle. Yeap is currently ranked ninth in the CIS in the 50m breaststroke and seventh in the 100m breaststroke.

Rookie swimmer Kayla Voytechek, from Lethbridge, has already turned some heads this season, beating CIS champions at a meet in Calgary earlier this season and placing herself second in the country in the 50m breaststroke behind Olympian, Edmontonian and Thunderbird Annamay Pierse. Voytechek is also fourth in the 100m breaststroke behind three UBC swimmers. Edmonton rookie Dana Armstrong already has a school record in her name in the 800m freestyle and is sixth in Canada in that event.

Josh Au, who previously swam with the Canadian Junior Team at the Pan Pacific Championship, along with Edmontonian Callum Lovie and Calgary native Robert McKinnon, are the first-year Golden Bears to watch.

UBC Thunderbirds
Men
2007-08 CW event: 2nd
2007-08 CIS event: 2nd
Last CW title: 2005-06
Last CIS title: 2006-07

Women
2007-08 CW event: 2nd
2007-08 CIS event: 1st
Last CW title: 2006-07
Last CIS title: 2007-08

The UBC Thunderbirds men's and women's swim teams will be looking to exact a little revenge this weekend as they try and reclaim the conference crowns from their rivals, the Calgary Dinos.

Both UBC squads will be relying on a number of rookies to help the T-Birds climb back to top spot at the CW championship with some of the best swimmers in CIS leading the way.

On the women's side, Annamay Pierse looks to add another impressive conference championship title to her resume. The fifth-year star, who finished sixth at the 2008 Olympics in the 200m breaststroke, will look to chase down the trio of CWUAA records she set in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststrokes last year in Edmonton. Already this year, Pierse has set Canadian records in those three events and should be able to give her Canada West standards a good run.

The T-Birds have two other fifth-years in breaststroker Haylee Johnson and backstroker Lauren Kimak, both of whom should figure prominently in their final conference event. Pierse has two sisters, Hanna and Grainne, who also swim for the T-Birds. Hanna is a medley and breaststroker who has medaled at the CIS championship, while Grainne is a rookie on the squad.

In the men's competition, fifth-years Callum Ng and Scott Dickens lead the 17-man squad. Ng is the reigning CIS and CW Swimmer of the Year and set three CW records in the backstroke events last year. Dickens, a 2004 Olympian, did not swim with the varsity team last year, but holds CIS records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, and was the 2004-05 CIS Swimmer of the Year. Also returning to the team this season is Matt Hawes, the 2006-07 CIS Male Rookie of the Year and one of the top backstrokers in the country.

The T-Birds have just one other senior in fourth-year Erich Schmitt and will rely on a talented group of first-, second- and third-years that include sophomore Rory Biskupski, a 2007-08 CIS individual gold medalist, junior Jordan Hartney, who won one gold, two silvers, and a bronze at last year's CIS meet, and rookie standout Alex Johnson.

Calgary Dinos
Men
2007-08 CW event: 1st
2007-08 CIS event: 1st
Last CW title: 2007-08
Last CIS title: 2007-08

Women
2007-08 CW event: 1st
2007-08 CIS event: 2nd
Last CW title: 2007-08
Last CIS title: none

It used to be old hat around Calgary. year after year the Dinos men would head into a new varsity swimming season with a giant target on their Speedos after winning another national title. And with 12 championships during a 16-year span from 1982 through 1997, they backed up their claims in the water.

Fast forward to today and it's back to front-runner status for a new group of swimmers who hope to start a Dino-sty of their own. The Dinos ended the 10-year reign of the UBC Thunderbirds in the CIS pool last season, winning Calgary's 13th men's swimming banner, and they will head back to Vancouver this year in search of the repeat.

Up first, however, is the Canada West meet in Victoria, a key step on the road to not just national glory, but international success as well.

"This is a big year for us," he went on. "We have the Universiade this summer, and then there are world championships. Our goal is not only to win the CIS, but a more long-term outcome is to see how many of these athletes we can place on a national team."

After winning the last two Canada West titles, the Dinos men seem to be poised to three-peat despite the loss of several key members of the 2008 championship team, most notably freestyler Chad Hankewich. In a glittering finish to his varsity career, Hankewich hauled in six gold and one silver last year. His departure leaves a significant hole, but one that has seemingly been filled by sophomore Colin Miazga, who sits in the top two in the national rankings in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle events.

The Dinos were active on the recruiting front in the off-season, making a significant splash with the addition of Mike Brown - the Olympian who missed the podium in the 200m breaststroke by less than the blink of an eye.

Brown, however, has been battling a knee injury since Beijing, and the Canada West meet will be his first competition with the Dinos after sitting most of the fall term. A healthy Brown would be an ace in the hole for Calgary, but he remains a wild card as the championship approaches.

Kelly Aspinall, Chris Tobin, Max Moore and Dan Langlois are other names to watch at the CW championship on the men's side.

While the Dinos men have all the championships, it would seem that their female counterparts are poised to nab their first ever. The Calgary women lead the national team rankings by more than 300 points over 11-time defending champion UBC, and virtually the entire team returns from a tight second-place finish a year ago.

The women also feature an Olympian in Calgary native Erica Morningstar, who elected to swim for the Dinos in the fall. The 19-year-old freestyler leads the national rankings by more than two seconds in both the 100m and 200m freestyle events, and she could very well be the final piece of the puzzle that finally puts the Dinos over the top.

The Dinos women also won the Canada West title last season, largely on the strength of sisters Kevyn and Taylor Peterson, Liz Hendrick, Katy Murdoch, and CIS Rookie of the Year Breanna Hendriks. All of them are back in 2009, joined by Morningstar and fellow national teamer Seanna Mitchell, who took the 2008 season off after swimming for Calgary in 2007.

With the pieces in place to make a run at two more conference championships, Blondal still isn't taking anything for granted.

UBC is certainly the number one competition, but U of A is coming up in the rankings and there are some really good swimmers throughout the conference.

Lethbridge Pronghorns
Men
2007-08 CW event: 6th
2007-08 CIS event: none
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Women
2007-08 CW event: 5th
2007-08 CIS event: 16th
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

While still a small team in terms of numbers, the Lethbridge Pronghorn swim team continues to improve and increase their conference qualifiers. The Horns have qualified 23 swimmers to date for the conference meet, up six from last season, but will only have 18 on hand in Victoria due to variety of ailments.

Last year the women's team finished fifth, one place up from the previous season, while the men finished sixth at the Canada West championship. It is still unrealistic to expect the Horns to challenge for the conference title with such a small squad, but the team goal is to improve on last year's team standings and continue to achieve personal best times.

"For the 2008-2009 squad it's going to take a full team effort to move up in rankings. With a couple key swimmers out with injuries the team will be looking for the rookies and seniors alike to step up with big individual swims," commented head coach Brad Mori.

Of the 23 qualifiers, nine are freshmen and will be making their first appearance at the conference meet.

Highest-ranked entering this weekend's competition is rookie breaststroke specialist Jeffrey Nicol. Nicol is ranked fourth in the 200m and will be up against some stiff competition in Canadian Olympic Team Members Scott Dickens and Mike Brown. Nicol has prequalified for the CIS championship and hopes to mow down Shawn Pinder's 1995 school record of 2:18.0.

Kristy Gabruck and Sarah Galesloot are also prequalified for the CIS championship and should add some key points in the breaststroke events.

Looking to make CIS qualifying times will be Dwight Holmen, Adam Krysiak, and Heather Dutton.

It will be very important for the team to swim well head to head in the relays. This season The Horns do not have the luxury of five-time CIS qualifier Vicki Chugg leading out the women's medley relay.

Manitoba Bisons
Men
2007-08 CW event: 5th
2007-08 CIS event: 15th
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Women
2007-08 CW event: 6th
2007-08 CIS event: t20th
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Heading into the Canada West championship in Victoria both Bison teams look to improve on the results from last season's conference event. The women's squad is currently ranked 10th in the CIS and fifth highest for Canada West schools while the men's side is ranked 11th in the CIS and fifth-highest for Canada West schools.

This season for the women's side the big news is the return of Landice Yestrau. Yestrau, 21, is swimming with the Bisons after a year break when she focused on her university studies. The 2005-06 Bison Sports Female Athlete of the Year and Team Canada member at the 2006 Commonwealth Games will bolster a young squad that looks to rebound from a sixth place finish in the conference championship.

This season the women's side already has five swimmers qualified for the 2009 CIS Nationals. Medal potentials and making final swims at the Canada West championship start with third-year Yestrau who is currently ranked sixth in CIS and CWUAA in the 200m backstroke, seventh in CIS (fifth in CW) in the 100m backstroke and eighth in CIS (sixth in CW) in the 50m backstroke; rookie Emma Gaudet is seventh in CIS (fifth in CW) in the 50m backstroke, 10th in CIS (eighth in CW) in the 200m breaststroke and 13th in CIS (11th in CW) in the 100m backstroke. Fifth-year Jenna Houssin is 11th in CIS (eighth in CW) in the 50m breaststroke and 13th in CIS (11th in CW) in the 100m backstroke, while second-year Kerri-Ann Bochen is 12th in CIS (ninth in CW) in the 200m breaststroke, is 18th in CIS (10th in CW) in 400m IM and second-year Rita Laszlo is 17th in CIS (eighth in CW) in the 50m freestyle.

On the men's side, Braeden Taylor is looking to reach the podium again in his fourth season with Manitoba. He has already qualified for the 2009 CIS Nationals along with two other Bison men swimmers. At the conference championship, Taylor seeks to defend his 200m breaststroke title, which earned him Canada West First Team All-Star recognition. He is currently ranked first in CIS in 200m breaststroke, third in CIS (third in CW) in the 50m breaststroke and sixth in CIS (third in CW) in the 100m breaststroke. Other Bison male swimmers with medal or point scoring potential are: third-year Casey Gergely, 16th in CIS (ninth in CW) in the 100m butterfly; rookie Brett Goldhawk, who is 19th in CIS (ninth in CW) in the 800m freestyle and 22nd in CIS (10th in CW) in the 200m butterfly and fifth-year Willie Wellborn is 22nd in CIS (eighth in CW) in the 50m backstroke.

Head coach Vlastimil Cerny is looking for the men to qualify four swimmers, which would help in competing in relay events, and offer more opportunities to score points and move up the rankings at the CIS Nationals. He feels the goal for the women's team is to achieve Top 10 at the CIS level and there is a good chance to qualify at least six and possibly eight swimmers from the 13 member squad. Cerny reiterated the strength of depth of the women team compared to last season and the rookies will be even better in their sophomore season.

Regina Cougars
Men
2007-08 CW event: 7th
2007-08 CIS event: 21st
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Women
2007-08 CW event: 7th
2007-08 CIS event: 17th
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Regina's women's swimming team will feature three athletes at the conference championship in Victoria. The Cougars will be headlined by fourth-year butterfly specialist Linda Duarte, who holds CIS standards in both the 100m (1:04.00) and 200m (2:21.59) 'fly. Duarte also hit Canada West standards this season in the 200m freestyle (2:12.94), 50m butterfly (30.72 s), 50m backstroke (32.69 s) and 200m individual medley (2:26.86).

Maggi Pettit, a third-year swimmer, hit conference standards this season in the 50m (27.32 s) and 100m (1:00.03) freestyle, as well as the 50m backstroke (33.41 s). The women's team will be rounded out by Mya Demchuk, who made the Canada West standard in both the 100m (1:06.27) and 200m (2:28.40) butterfly.

"Up to this point, both Maggi and Mya have been training better at this point than they have at any point in their careers," U of R head coach Jeff Toth said. "And Linda has looked fantastic all season. I'm looking forward to a strong weekend from all three of them."

The men's team will consist of Andrew Malawski, who won a Canada West bronze medal last year in the 50m breaststroke. Malawski has hit conference standards this season in the 50m freestyle (25.13 s), the 50m butterfly (27.33 s) and the 100m breaststroke (1:09.43).

"Andrew has looked incredibly strong lately," Toth said. "He's fit and excited about the conference meet and I'm hoping to see him put together a CIS qualifying time in Victoria."

This weekend's meet will be Toth's second as the U of R head coach.

Victoria Vikes
Men
2008 CW event: 4th
2008 CIS event: 9th
Last CW title: none
Last CIS title: none

Women
2008 CW event: 4th
2008 CIS event: 4th
Last CW title: 1979-80
Last CIS title: none

Consider it the bell lap for Victoria swimmer MacKenzie Downing. With the Whitehorse native in the midst of her fifth and final year of eligibility, the Canada West championship at Commonwealth Pool provides a perfect setting for a last hurrah in her adopted home.

From January 23 to 25 the Vikes will host the conference final at Commonwealth Pool. The conference finals will bring some of the nation's best swimmers, including Beijing Olympians Mike Brown (Calgary), Annamay Pierse (UBC) and Erica Morningstar (Calgary), to Victoria for a final test before the CIS national finals.

For Downing, the championship represents the chance to add to her career haul of 19 Canada West medals. Last year she came away with four medals, including gold in the 100m and 200m butterfly, and was named conference All-Star. This year's edition will be the last home event of her illustrious university career, set to leave the Vikes program as one of UVic's most accomplished athletes.

"The CIS has some of top-notch, world-class swimmers and MacKenzie Downing is without question in that class of competitor," said head coach Peter Vizsolyi. "Commonwealth Pool is such an outstanding venue for this competition and should treat fans to some exciting races."

Outside of Downing, the Vikes have big expectations for sophomore Whitney Buczkowski. The Calgary native only began swimming competitively in her mid-teens, but the backstroke specialist should figure in the medal picture in both the 50m and 100m.

One the men's side, the Vikes have their medal hopes pinned on veterans Cody Flegel and Jeff Saganski. Just prior to Christmas, Flegel broke UVic's 26-year-old record in the 50m freestyle after touching the wall with a time of 50.51. Saganski, meanwhile, could be a threat in the butterfly competitions.

Another competitor to watch will be Vikes newcomer Derek Doerksen. In just his first year of university competition, the Okotoks, AB native has posted some impressive times in both the back and breast stroke events.