The Year of the Beavers
Waterloo grad student wins gold at Ontario conference meet
Canadian Olympian Keith Beavers of Waterloo swam to a gold medal win Saturday night in the men's 200-metre breaststroke on day two of a festive 2009 Ontario University Athletics swim championship at the Montpetit Hall pool, University of Ottawa.
A 25-year-old Master's student, Beavers, swimming in his first Ontario conference championship after swimming for Canada at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, blazed to personal-best 2:14.49 - more than one second ahead of Bryn Jones of the Western Mustangs.
"I had to lay off breaststroke earlier in the year," said Beavers, citing a nagging shoulder injury.
"I really only trained on it for about a month."
Beavers said the cramped surroundings at the Montpetit Hall pool makes for great atmosphere.
"No matter where you are if you team-mates are into it, it's going to be fun."
Following the second day of competition the University of Toronto leads the men's standings with 599 points, well ahead of Western Ontario (361) and host Ottawa (342).
Western Ontario continues to lead the women's standings (578.5), narrowly ahead of Toronto (529), which has won the last eight consecutive team titles.
Live event scoring and results through: http://geegees.ca/swimming.
Fourth-year Western Ontario distance specialist Brittany Cooper used holiday training in Venezuela to her advantage, running to a nearly two-second victory in the women's 400-metre freestyle in 4:20.63.
"You start at a sprint and try to hold it," said Cooper. "We are definitely improving."
Cooper, 22, was impressed by the atmosphere.
"All the teams have super awesome spirit," said Cooper.
"The more cheering there is the more you get pumped up," said Gee-Gees rookie free stylist Kara Demers.
Toronto third-year sprinter Cam Cummings, 20, swam a lifetime-best in a familiar field in the men's 100-metre backstroke, swimming a 55.49 to narrowly beat Oleg Churnukhin of Waterloo (56.12) and Scott Van Doormaal of Guelph (56.26).
"The race has historically been between the three of us," said Cummings. "It was just my turn.
"I was fired up and in the zone and everything worked out."
Varsity Blues rookie Andrea Jurenovskis, 18, turned in a gold medal effort in the 100-metre backstroke A-Final in a time of 1:02.67.
"I'm looking to be even faster at CIS," said Jurenovskis.
Third-year breaststroker Whitney Rich of Wilfrid Laurier won the 200-metre breaststroke Saturday in 2:34.08 after breaking a 13-season OUA record in the 100m breaststroke Friday with a 1:11.15. Rich eclipsed former Golden Hawks swimmer Carolyn Gilbert's 1996 record of 1:11.43.
The 2009 OUA Swim championship concludes late Sunday afternoon.
