Varsity Blues Genich, Mustangs Paulins earn OUA Athlete of the Week honours
Burlington, Ont. – Hannah Genich and Sebastian Paulins have been named Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Athletes of the Week for the period ending February 9, 2020.
Female Athlete of the Week – Hannah Genich, Toronto Varsity Blues, Swimming
Fourth-year veteran Hannah Genich earned OUA Female Swimmer of the Year honours in leading the Varsity Blues to their seventh straight provincial title this past weekend.
The Cobourg, Ont., native was unmatched in the butterfly events, touching the wall first in all three races in the discipline. She earned the gold in the 50m with a time of 26.79, grabbed the win in the 100m in 58.18, and finished off the triumvirate with a winning time of 2:09.10 in the 200m. In the latter, she was able to earn the OUA grand slam and break her own record. She would add to her impressive medal haul in the relays, helping her Varsity Blues top the podium in both the 200 and 800 freestyle events.
A four-time OUA first team all-star, Genich capped off the competition with a gold-medal finish in the 200m individual medley (2:11.70) – her seventh gold medal of the championship - and a fitting end to what was a phenomenal weekend of swimming.
Male Athlete of the Week – Sebastian Paulins, Western Mustangs, Swimming
To say it was an incredible performance by Sebastian Paulins at the OUA Swimming Championships would be an understatement, as the Western Mustangs standout made quite a splash across the three days of competition.
To start his championship stretch, Paulins reeled off a gold medal performance in the 400m IM, finishing in a time of 4:21.21. On the second day, the Brantford, Ont. native earned his second gold medal, this time in the 400m freestyle, topping the field in 3:49.73. He would follow suit in the 200m butterfly with a first-place finish in 1:58.77. The OUA all-star would cap off his weekend with another two races, including a second-place finish as part Western’s 400m freestyle relay team, and a gold medal result in the 1500m freestyle. In winning his fourth gold medal of the event, Paulins even broke a 14-year old record, putting a bow on an unmatched body of work.
When all was said and done, Paulins finished his fourth banner season outing with five total medals, as well as some additional hardware for his nearly unbeatable efforts. The senior earned the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi IM Excellence Award as well as the Male Swimmer of the Year nod; accolades that are a testament to his undeniable talent in the pool
