2022 Canada West Championships
- November 25-27, 2022
- University of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
- Short Course Meters (25 meters), Prelims/Finals
- Results on Meet Mobile: “2022 Canada West Swimming Championships”
Apollo Hess kicked off the 2022 Canada West Championships with a new Canadian Record in the 50-meter breaststroke on Friday.
The 2nd-year swimmer for the host University of Lethbridge team won the 50 breaststroke in 26.63, which shaved .02 seconds off his own
He swam 26.63 in both prelims and finals, tying his own record of 26.65 from the U Sports Championships in March.
Hess later added a personal best time of 58.55 to win the 100 breaststroke.
The Canadian men are currently a breaststroker away from a medal-contending medley relay. Hess, who has been 1:01.94 in the 100 in long course, is better in short course, and is part of a trio of 2002-born swimmers who made up the 2nd-4th place rankings in Canada’s rankings in 2022 (Justice Migneault and Gabe Mastromatteo swam matching 1:01.75s). James Degousoff swam the breaststroke leg at this year’s World Championships, splitting 1:01.06. That relay finished 11th and missed the final.
Canada West is one of four regional university athletics championships in Canada. Unlike in the American collegiate system or in the rest of U Sports, Canada West holds their conference championship meets mid-season, with the U Sports Championships not beginning until February 24.
The meet includes the top men’s teams from last year’s U Sports Championships – UBC (#1) and Calgary (#2) – and two of the top three women’s teams – UBC (#2) and Calgary (#3).
Top Women’s Results – Days 1 & 2
- University of Calgary swimmer Rebecca Smith, a 2020 Olympic silver medalist on the Canadian 400 free relay, has won three individual events so far. She led the women’s 50 fly (26.46), the women’s 50 free (25.10), and the women’s 200 free (1:54.97). Smith swam her best time of 1:52.24 in the 200 free last year to win a silver medal at the World Short Course Championships and is scheduled to race for Canada again in 2022.
- Calgary won two of the three women’s races in Friday’s sprint-session final. 2nd-year Hannah Johnsen won the 50 back in 27.90. That’s half-a-second better than her 6th-place time from last year’s U Sports Championships.
- UBC first year Alicia L’Archeveque won the women’s 50 breaststroke in 30.94. That time would have placed 2nd at last year’s U Sports Championship and ties as the fastest swim by a Canadian woman at any level this season.
- UBC’s Camryn Stannard won the women’s 400 IM in 4:48.15. The Thunderbird First Year led her teammate Emma Spence (4:49.48), who was the runner-up at last year’s U Sports Championships as well. It will take something sub-4:40 to win a national championship in March. Stannard was one of two UBC rookies to win on Saturday: Eloise Allen won the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.48, beating-out L’Archeveque (1:08.16).
- University of Victoria’s Yasmin Perry, a 21-year old first year from Scotland, cruised to a 100 fly win in 59.00. Only Smith was even sub-minute at last year’s U Sports Championships in this event, winning the title in 57.18. She was one of two UVic women winners on Saturday: Lauren Crisp won a nail-biter in the 200 back in 2:09.88, finishing .03 seconds ahead of the 50 meter winner Johnsen.
- Even with Smith having easily the best split of the field in the women’s 800 free relay, a balanced UBC team cruised to a win, by almost four seconds, in the 800 free relay (8:00.43). The Thunderbirds were led by a 1:57.5 from National Teamer Emma O’Croinin. O’Croinin also won the women’s 800 free in 8:42.79.
- The Calgary women came out ahead in the 400 free relay in 3:41.36. UBC was 2nd in 3:44.95. This time, a big Smith split (52.76) was enough to carry the Dinos to the win. Nobody in any of the relays came within three seconds of her split.
Other Men’s Results – Days 1 & 2
- Stephen Calkins of Calgary won the men’s 50 fly in 23.74. He was one of three swimmers under 24 seconds in the race: the other two were from UBC. That includes a third-place 23.97 from Dima Lim. The defending champion and U Sports Record breaker Clement Secchi transferred to Missouri, leaving this race wide open for the 2022 championships.
- UBC’s Blake Tierney won the men’s 50 back in 24.45, which matches the winning time from last year’s U Sports Championships and ties Olympian Markus Thormeyer’s Canada West Record. This was another nailbiter: Lethbridge’s Chris Alexander was 2nd in 24.54 and Calkins was 3rd in 24.66. Lim, who was also the runner-up in this event at last year’s U Sports Championships, was 4th on Friday in 24.99. Tierney won again on Saturday in the 200 back in 1:54.40, clearing the field by a second-and-a-half. He is the defending U Sports Champion in that event, dominating by more than two seconds.
- Calgary’s Daniel Boguski gave his team the ‘sprint title’ at the meet with a win in the 50 free on Saturday in 22.66. That was the second 50 meter win for the Dinos at the meet, along with Hess’ record. ost of the U Sports sprint power is in the eastern part of the country.
- Calgary 3rd-year Nathan Versluys won the men’s 400 IM in 4:17.35, which knocked 9 seconds off his previous personal best. He is the defending U Sports silver medalist in the 200 IM, but this 400 IM is a new event for him – likely replacing the 100 free on his championship schedule, where he was just 15th last season.
- Thomas McDonald of Calgary (52.58) out-touched Keir Ogilvie of UBC (52.67) in what could be a U Sports title preview for February. Ogilvie was 2nd and McDonald 3rd at last year’s championship meet, behind only the transferred Secchi.
- Lethbridge’s Raine Arden won the men’s 200 free in 1:48.42 on Saturday. The aforementioned Tierney, who won the U Sports title in this event in February, didn’t swim the race at this meet.
- UBC’s Liam Clawson-Honeyman won the men’s 1500 free in 15:25.27.
- Relays could be huge in determining this year’s U Sports title between Calgary and the five-time defending champions UBC. Calgary got in the first two punches at this meet, winning the 800 free relay 8:14.57 to 7:16.96. UBC counter-punched, though, in the men’s 400 free relay, winning in 3:17.93. Calgary’s relay was disqualified. The Dinos remained in first place after two days of competition in spite of that DQ.
Team Scores – After Day 2
Men:
- Calgary – 555.5
- UBC – 534
- Lethbridge – 262.5
- University of Victoria – 213
- Alberta – 206
- Regina – 123
- Manitoba – 55
- Thompson Rivers – 2
Women:
- UBC – 590
- Calgary – 493.5
- University of Victoria – 339.5
- Manitoba – 183.5
- Alberta – 161
- Lethbridge – 140.5
- Regina – 69
The Men’s 50 Meter Backstroke event saw UBC’s Blake Tierney tie a CW record. Tierney’s time of 24.45 draws him even with fellow Thunderbird Markus Thormeyer, who broke the previous record in 2018.
Good note, thanks Peter.
“Unlike in the American collegiate system, conference championship meets in Canada are held mid-season”
This isn’t true. Only CanWest has their conference at mid-season. The remaining conferences (AUS, OUA and RSEQ) have theirs in February.