2023 RSEQ Swimming Championships
- February 3-5, 2023
- Physical Activity and Sport Center – Trois-Rivières, Que.
- 25 Meters (SCM)
- Live Results
- Teams: McGill, uOttawa, Laval, Sherbrooke, Montréal, UQTR
Courtesy: Ella Milloy
McGill University’s Martlets and Redbirds once again dominated the women’s, men’s and combined team scores at the 2023 RSEQ Provincial Championships. McGill is the first school in RSEQ conference history to win all three categories three years in a row.
U SPORTS has slightly different restrictions compared to the NCAA—pro swimmers are eligible to compete, and student-athletes have up to five years of eligibility rather than four (the NCAA has recently allowed student-athletes to use a fifth-year if they competed during the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 season).
On the women’s side, the Martlets won with a total score of 1,017 points. The uOttawa Gee-Gees finished second with 639 points and the Laval University Rouge et Or third with 511.5 points.
After a year-long battle with the Gee-Gees, the McGill Redbirds were triumphant at the Provincial Championships, earning a total of 993 points over uOttawa’s 867. Laval finished third with 472 points.
The gap in the women’s point scores was largely a result of McGill’s strength across the mid-distance and distance events. The Martlets swept the podium in the 400 and 800 freestyle, the 400 individual medley, the 200 butterfly and the 200 backstroke.
McGill’s head coach Peter Carpenter discussed the magnitude of his team’s goal and what his athletes needed to focus on heading into the weekend.
“From my standpoint, I think that coming into the year there was a goal that was set, which was to win all three banners in three consecutive championships,” Carpenter said. “That became a big priority and we focused on it quite a bit over the last few weeks. We’re overjoyed that they were able to get it done. When it came down to it, it was all about showing up for prelims and getting spots in the A finals.”
Leading the way in points both for McGill and the meet was Isabel Sarty, a Master’s student in her fifth year of U SPORTS eligibility. Sarty won gold in all of her individual events, including the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle. She also helped the Martlets in their wins in the 4×50 free, 4×100 free and 4×100 medley relays.
Sarty’s time of 25.26 in the 50 free and 55.10 in the 100 free set new McGill school records. She finished the 200 free in 2:02.73.
After Sunday’s final session, Sarty was named RSEQ Female Athlete of the Year and Female Swimmer of the Meet.
McGill’s Pablo Collin was recognized as RSEQ Male Athlete of the Year and Male Swimmer of the Meet. The second-year from Marseille, France finished first in the 200 free in 1:48.23 and the 400 free in 3:49.53.
Collin earned his first-ever swimmer-of-the-meet award two weeks ago at the final leg of the RSEQ Cup Circuit at Laval University in Quebec City, Que. for his meet-high 563 FINA points.
He captured two silvers in the 100 free and 1500 free and contributed to the Redbird’s gold medal performances in the 4×100 an 4×200 free relays.
Collin was also awarded the RSEQ Male Community Service award.
Daphné Danyluk of McGill was another strong contributor to the school’s medal tally, winning five golds and one silver. Danyluk’s top performances included her first-place finish in the 400 IM in 4:50.33 and 100 back in 1:01.51.
Hugo Lemesle of the Gee-Gees finished top of the podium in all three of the men’s breaststroke events. Lemesle’s times of 27.87 and 2:12.19 in the 50 and 200 breast were new team records, breaking uOttawa’s William Barrett’s previous records from 2020.
Lemesle finished just over a second above Barrett’s record of 1:00.49 in the 100 breast in 1:01.15.
Vincent Laperle of the University of Montréal had strong performances in the men’s backstroke events, winning gold in the 100 back in 54.17 and the 200 back in 2:00.22.
Laperle’s 2:02.47 in the 200 IM earned him his third individual gold of the meet.
Second-year Martlet Naomie Lo dropped seven seconds to place first in 8:49.87 in the 800-m freestyle. Teammates Iris Tinmouth and Natasha Frost finished just behind Lo in 8:51.15 and 8:51.39.
Lo placed first in the 800-m freestyle earlier in the season at both the second and fourth RSEQ cup meets. Her new personal best puts her just over a second above McGill’s oldest current school record of 8:48.57 held by Karine Legault from 2001.
Lo concluded her meet with golds in the 200 fly in 2:16.53, 400 free in 4:18.33 and 4×200 free relay in 8:20.93.
For her work out of the pool, Lo was recognized with the RSEQ Female Community Service award.
The RSEQ Rookie of the Year awards were handed out to Laval’s Danika Ethier and McGill’s Tristan Schanz.
Ethier placed first in the women’s 100 breast in a time of 1:08.92. She also captured silver in the 50 breast and 200 breast in 32.16 and 2:33.57, respectively.
Tatyanna Goyette of Montréal won the 50 breast just 0.01 seconds ahead of Ethier in 32.15. Lauren Shearer of the Gee-Gees took the 200 breast in 2:30.62.
Shearer and Goyette also reached the podium in the 100 breast in 1:09.84 and 1:10.06.
Schanz earned bronze on the first night of the provincial championships in the men’s 1500 freestyle in 15:51.72. His time qualified him for his first U SPORTS Nationals at the end of February.
The only RSEQ record that was challenged over the weekend was in the men’s 4×50 free relay. McGill’s Hazem Issa, Tengbo Yu, Bruno Dehem-Lemelin and Malachy Belkhelladi tied the previous record of 1:31.05 held by McGill from October 2021.
Other stand-out performances include McGill’s Issa winning gold in the 50 free in 22.52 and 50 fly in 24.22, Laval’s Axelle Cara’s gold in the 200 IM in 2:19.37 and Sherbrooke Vert et Or’s silver in the women’s 4×50 free relay in 1:46.93.
RSEQ schools will wrap up their seasons at U SPORTS Nationals from February 23-25, 2023 in Victoria, B.C.
Final Team Scores:
Women
- McGill: 1,017.0
- uOttawa: 639.0
- Laval: 511.5
- Montréal: 330.0
- Sherbrooke: 179.0
- UQTR: 41.0
Men
- McGill: 993.0
- uOttawa: 867.0
- Laval: 472.0
- Montréal: 291.0
- Sherbrooke: 116.0
- UQTR: 20.0
Combined
- McGill: 2,010.0
- uOttawa: 1,506.0
- Laval: 983.5
- Montréal: 621.5
- Sherbrooke: 295.0
- UQTR: 61.0
Major Awards:
- RSEQ Female Athlete of the Year: Isabel Sarty (McGill)
- RSEQ Male Athlete of the Year: Pablo Collin (McGill)
- RSEQ Female Swimmer of the Meet: Isabel Sarty (McGill)
- RSEQ Male Swimmer of the Meet: Pablo Collin (McGill)
- RSEQ Female Rookie of the Year: Danika Ethier (Laval)
- RSEQ Male Rookie of the Year: Tristan Schanz (McGill)
- Community Service – Female: Naomie Lo (McGill)
- Community Service – Male: Pablo Collin (McGill)
ABOUT ELLA MILLOY
Ella Milloy is a reporter, digital content creator and former competitive swimmer based in Ottawa. Her work has appeared in Capital Current, The Canadian Baseball Network and The McGill Tribune. She has also done coverage for Swimming Canada, Swim Alberta and SportBrand Canada Inc.