FAST TIMES AT LAURENTIAN U
"I'm actually really excited about the meet," says Mark Mallany, captain of the No. 9 nationally-ranked Guelph Gryphons men's team. "It's so intense because it's really a team meet. There are all these people behind you who want you to do well. I love that pressure.
"You can't swim slow at this meet."
Mallany, a third-year Computers major from Brampton, ON, heads a strong Guelph men's team that has high hopes for the OUA Championships, despite the presence of the powerful Western Mustangs and Blues, ranked third and fourth respectively in the country. The Gryphons added some strong rookies this season in Tron Johnson (Upper Santa Cruz, Trinidad), Jonathan Ammon (Petit Valley, Trinidad) and local product Scott van Doormaal, who recently competed for a Swim Ontario team and produced some solid results in the 200-metre butterfly at a meet in Zurich, Switzerland. Guelph doesn't have Aussie Ben Middleton, the top-ranked male in the 200-metre freestyle after posting a time of 2:02.77 in the event back in a November meet. Middleton had a big impact on the team in the first semester, inspiring the Gryphons with his intensity.
Guelph and the rest of the OUA teams will need that fire in order to compete with the two men's powerhouses. Western has gradually grown stronger and deeper thanks to some talented swimmers like Kurtis Miller (Pickering, ON) and former Olympian Rob Taylor (Brampton, ON), both of whom competed in the NCAA. The duo is near the top of the rankings in many races, including sharing the one and two spots in both the 50-metre and 100-metre backstroke events. The defending OUA champion Blues are loaded with Marco Monaco (Oakville, ON) and Ian MacLeod (Mississauga, ON), the defending 100-metre butterfly OUA champion, who took three golds in his final dual meet of the season (in the 100-metre butterfly, 800-metre freestyle and 100-metre backstroke).
"U of T is the longtime class of the field," says Guelph coach Jeff Slater. "Byron (Blues head coach Byron McDonald) has done a great job organizing the program. On the men's side, those top two schools are ahead of us. We'll have to swim out of our minds (to catch them).
"A number of schools like McMaster, Waterloo and us will be duking it out. The University of Ottawa will do better than expected coming into the competition. And with Laurentian hosting the event, it's always nice to be able to sleep at home."
The three nationally-ranked Ontario teams aren't the only ones boasting capable talent and the meet may produce a few surprises. Hans Fracke (Uxbridge, ON), a first-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Ottawa has had many impressive races this year, including a 1:54.94 in the 200-metre freestyle, the second fastest time in the OUA all season behind Scott Chester of the McMaster Marauders. Slater expects the Gee-Gees rookie to "light it up." Laurier Golden Hawk David Hughes (Waterloo, ON) and fourth-year veteran Ryan Smith (Almic Harbour, ON) of the host Voyageurs are others to watch.
While Smith's presence will provide plenty of hope for the local Sudbury swim fans, the Lady Vees team took a terrible hit when star Stephanie Kuhn (Timmins, ON) was ruled out for the meet because of injuries suffered falling down a flight of stairs earlier in the week. The third-year EDPH student had the fastest OUA time in the 50-metre butterfly this season, clocking a stellar 29:.34 in a meet back in November but the pain from seriously bruised ribs and a strained back will keep her out of the pool.
"It's been a tough few days," says Kuhn, who hopes to be recovered for the CIS Championships later in the month. "I'll be there cheering the team on. They're ready to go and I want to be a part of it."
Kuhn, a bronze medalist in the 100-metre freestyle at last year's championships, figures there will be some tough competition and fast times among the OUA women. Toronto's women have been showcasing their perennial championship form as the big meet nears. The reigning 2005 CIS Sprint Cup champion Jen Porenta (Milton, ON) enters the OUAs on a high, having won gold in the 50-metre freestyle, 50-metre butterfly and 100-metre butterfly in her last dual meet of the year. Porenta tallied four golds at last season's championships and will have plenty of support from fellow standout Blues like Sasha Theron (Mississauga, ON), Kate Pyley (Oakville, ON) and Nathalie Lacoste (Mississauga, ON). Theron has been a force in the freestyle events this year, posting OUA-best times of 0:55.92 in the 100-metre and 2:01.07 in the 200-metre races at a meet last month.
Guelph is the only school other than Toronto to have both teams grace the CIS Top 10 this week and the No. 9 Gryphons have high expectations heading to Laurentian. First-year distance swimmer Laura Kendall (Elmira, ON) and second-year Human Nutrition student Amanda Budd (Brantford, ON) are two of the anchors of the team. Budd comes off a two-week stretch in which she won all but one of her breaststroke races, while posting the fifth and sixth best times in the CIS this year in the 50-metre and 100-metre events respectively. One of the more interesting stories at Guelph is the return of Alyssa Hubert (Chatham, ON) to competitive swimming. Hubert took a few years off from the sport due to a combination of injuries and issues with her former club but has regained her fantastic form. Hubert's time of 0:30.56 in the 50-metre backstroke gave her the top ranking in the OUA in the event, almost 0.64 seconds ahead of Kim Conti from McMaster.
"It's gratifying for her," Slater says of Hubert's success. "It's a reflection of the team we have here that she was able to find comfort."
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(Photo: Guelph swimmer Kristin Cloutier will be one of 330 athletes competing at the OUA Championships at Laurentian this weekend. Photo by Shannon Baskin.)
Click here for more information on the OUA Swimming Championships, including a full race schedule and list of competing teams.
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