Two U of O swimmers qualify for CIS championship
THE UNIVERSITY OF Ottawa swimming team kicked off their 2011–12 season on Oct. 14. The Gees hosted a Tri Meet at Montpetit Hall pool, where they out-swam both the University of Montreal Carabins and the McGill Martlets and Redmen. Over the course of the meet, the Gees saw two of their own qualify for the Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) championship.
Sherry Patel, an Oakville native and second-year biomedical student at the U of O, was the first of the Garnet and Grey to capture a CIS qualifying time of 28.87 in the 50M butterfly. Patel explained swimming a qualifying time in the first meet of the season will encourage her to continue to train hard and participate in more championship races in the future.
“It means a lot that I have already set the time to qualify for this meet. We were training hard up [until the] day of the meet,” wrote Patel in an email to the Fulcrum. “Setting the time now means that by the end of the season, I have the potential to be so much faster. I know I can make the CIS time standards in the 100M butterfly, 100M breaststroke, and 50M breaststroke as well.”
Patel said coming to the University of Ottawa has helped her gain more experience as an athlete and that she has learned a lot under new head coach Claude-Yves Bertrand.
“Back in Oakville, I [would train] six water workouts a week and two dry land sessions. It’s been a big adjustment coming to [the U of O] and training with the Gee-Gees, [doing] nine water workouts and three dry land sessions. I can honestly say I’ve never done sets like I am now,” she said.
“As I left Oakville, my coach … reminded me that I still have a lot to learn. I’m looking forward to working with [Bertrand], learning new techniques, and dropping a lot of time in each of my events.”
Patel wasn’t the only Gee-Gee to make it to the championships. Third-year swimmer Adam Best captured a CIS qualifying time in the 50M backstroke at a separate meet Oct. 15 at the GO Start Pentathlon.
Combining the outcome of all the races, the U of O clearly had the upper hand. The Gee-Gees’ men’s swimming team out-swam Montreal 129-57 and McGill 105.50-85.50, while the women’s swimming team did the same with a final tally of 163-31 against the Carabins and 132-63 against the Martlets.
The swimming team will host their next Quad meet on Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. at Montpetit Hall pool.
—Katherine DeClerq
