Mack Darragh Breaks 200 Fly Canadian Record To Close Nationals

2017 CANADIAN SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• August 4th-7th, 2017
• LCM
• Montreal, Canada
• Live results

The 2017 Canadian National Swimming Championships came to a close on Monday, as the country celebrated their annual August long weekend.

The meet, hosted at the Montreal Olympic stadium, closed with a bang as Oakville’s Mack Darragh lowered the national record in the men’s 200 fly.

The 23-year-old Darragh, who was a 2016 Olympian in the 400 medley relay, clocked a time of 1:56.87 in the final to erase Zack Chetrat‘s 1:56.90 off the books, a time done at the 2015 Pan Ams when he won the silver medal. Darragh lowers his personal best by over a second, as his previous PB was 1:57.94 from the 2017 Canadian World Trials in April.

Darragh missed the FINA-A standard of 1:57.28 at Trials, but this swim gets him under that mark and is a positive sign moving towards the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships next summer. He also won the 200 IM, took bronze in the 100 fly, and added another 3rd place finish on Oakville’s medley relay over the course of the meet.

U Sports 400 IM champ Montana Champagne of the GO Kingfish claimed the silver medal in 2:00.17, and Darragh’s Oakville teammate Connor Wilkins won bronze in 2:02.04.

Other notable swims on the final day came in the 100 freestyle, where Pointe-Claire’s Alexia Zevnik and UBC’s Yuri Kisil picked up wins.

Zevnik missed her best time by 0.02 to win the women’s race decisively in 54.55 over Oakville’s Jacqueline Keire (55.25) and CAMO’s Ariane Mainville (56.03). 17-year-old Ainsley McMurray, who won the Canadian Junior title at the end of July, placed 4th in 56.24, lowering her best time once again. She represents Cote Saint-Luc Aquatics.

Kisil won the men’s event by an even wider margin, coming within 0.06 of his time from the World Championships where he placed 10th. Kisil hit the wall in 48.56, with consistent splits of 23.22/25.34. He was 48.50 in Budapest, and his best time stands at 48.28 from the 2016 Olympics where he also finished 10th.

Scott McGillivray of the Toronto Swim Club won silver in 49.87, closing strong in 25.76. CAMO’s Antoine Bernard-Lalonde placed 3rd in 50.17, and his 18-year-old teammate Mehdi Ayoubi, who won silver in the 50 free early in the meet, was 4th in 50.54. World Championship team members Carson Olafson (50.55) and Jeremy Bagshaw (50.79) placed 5th and 6th respectively.

Other Day 4 Winners:

• Oakville swept the 200 fly, with Mabel Zavaros adding to Darragh’s win with a time of 2:12.25 in the women’s event. She held off Island’s Sarah Darcel (2:12.89), who won the 200 IM, and Markham’s Victoria Kwan (2:13.07). All three medalists are teenagers, as were eight of the ten finalists.
• SC World Championship silver medalist Kelsey Wog of the University of Manitoba edged out 15-year-old Faith Knelson of Island in the women’s 100 breast, clocking 1:08.34 to Knelson’s 1:08.36. This was another event dominated by teenagers, with the top nine all 19 or younger.
• Kaelan Freund of the LA Swim Club won the men’s 100 breast by a full second in 1:02.01. Ryan Telford (1:03.01) of Ajax and Warren Mayer (1:03.09) of Pickering took 2nd and 3rd in a tight race where finishers 2nd through 7th all came in the 1:03-range.
• World Championship team member Mackenzie Padington of Island won the women’s mile in 16:38.47, holding off Marit Anderson (16:38.83) of the Calgary Patriots in the final sprint. Zavaros won another medal for Oakville with her bronze in 17:00.26.
• Peter Brothers of the University of Calgary Swim Club won gold in the mens’ 800 in 8:02.56, with Island Swimming’s Josh Zakala (8:05.15) in for silver.
• Island (4:08.17) won another in the women’s 400 medley relay, thanks to a dominant breaststroke leg from Knelson (1:08.08). Pointe-Claire (4:11.97) won silver with a fast free leg from Zevnik (54.09), and UBC took 3rd in 4:13.53 with a big backstroke lead-off from Ingrid Wilm (1:00.46).
• The Chena Swim Club had a big lead after the backstroke leg in the men’s medley relay, as Rob Hill led-off in 55.68. They won in 3:45.15, with UBC 2nd in 3:46.12 and Oakville 3rd in 3:47.85. Darragh (1:01.88) had the top breast leg for Oakville, while Olafson (54.53) and Kisil (47.95) had the fastest fly and free splits for UBC.

National/Provincial Records

• Men’s 100 Free – Noah Cumby, Newfoundland Provincial Record (15-17), 52.31
• Men’s 800 Free – Alexander Pratt, Alberta Provincial Record (17), 8:10.95
• Men’s 100 Breast – Maxime Rousselle (S14), Canadian Para Records, 1:11.10
• Men’s 100 Breast – Daniel Greer, New Brunswick Provincial Record, 1:05.90
• Men’s 200 Fly – Mack Darragh, Canadian/Ontario Record, 1:56.87
• Men’s 4×100 Medley – Regina Optimist Dolphins – Saskatchewan Provincial Record – 3:50.06
• Women’s 100 Free – Ainsley McMurray, Quebec Provincial Record (15-17), 56.24
• Women’s 100 Free – Tammy Cunnington (S4), Canadian Para Records, 1:51.60
• Women’s 1500 Free – Marit Anderson, Alberta Provincial Record (17), 16:38.83
• Women’s 100 Breast – Bree Crookshanks, Saskatchewan Provincial Record, 1:13.52
• Women’s 100 Breast – Faith Knelson, British Columbia Provincial Record (15-17), 1:08.36
• Mixed 4×100 Medley – CAMO – Quebec Provincial Record – 3:58.22

TEAM SCORES

MEN

1. UBC Dolphins, 753.00
2. Oakville Aquatic Club, 414.50
3. Chena Swim Club, 401.00
4. Club aquatique Montreal, 282.00
5. Island Swimming Club, 257.00

WOMEN

1. Island Swimming Club, 728.00
2. Oakville Aquatic Club, 671.00
3. Pointe-Claire Swim Club, 579.50
4. Club aquatique Montreal, 352.00
5. University of Manitoba Bisons, 255.00

COMBINED

1. Oakville Aquatic Club, 1149.50
2. UBC Dolphins, 1025.00
3. Island Swimming Club, 985.00
4. Pointe-Claire Swim Club, 830.50
5. Club aquatique Montreal, 654.00

HIGH POINTS WINNERS

• Women: Kelsey Wog / Mabel Zavaros / Sarah Darcel, 14
• Men: Peter Brothers, 12