RECAP: Gee-Gees have a strong showing at home for RSEQ Cup 3 

The Gee-Gees swim team competed at home for the third RSEQ cup event of 2022-23 on Friday. The team placed first in the men's standings and second in the women's standings. Overall, the team secured enough points to hand Ottawa a second overall finish at the event.

The men had a strong showing with seven Gee-Gees swimmers placing in the men's top ten for the event. Nathan Beaudin-Bolduc was Ottawa's top men's swimmer of the meet, earning a first-place finish in the men's 400m freestyle with a time of 3:54.56, with Colin Shearer not far behind, placing second with a 3:56.49 finish.

Alexandre Perreault also enjoyed a strong evening, placing first in the 50m butterfly with a time of 24.25. Perreault fared well in the 100m freestyle, placing third with a time of 50.65.  

Hugo Lemesle placed first in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:14.88.

Ryan Jensen and Evan Aguiar-Winter were dominant in the 50m backstroke with first and third place finishes with times of 25.27 and 26.07. Meanwhile, Brendan Van Herk and Nathan Schiffmann finished first and second place in the 200m butterfly with times of 2:01.75 and 2:03.76 respectively.

The men also rose to the occasion in the relay scene in their home pool. Ottawa's 4x50m medley relay squad of Aguiar-Winter, Noah Wagner, Schiffmann, and Ethan Fast raced to first place, while the 4x200m squad of Louis Bertrand, Wagner, Beaudin-Bolduc, and Shearer also placed first with a time of 7:26.39.

Perreault noted that the team was walking away from the dominant performance with a "big boost for the whole team."

"You're always chasing the leader so we're going to have to work even harder to keep that position," said Perreault.

For the Gee-Gees women's team, Amy Meharg was a stand-out swimmer of the meet, winning the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:19.68. Overall, Meharg tied for sixth overall individually on the night.

Lauren Shearer also saw success, placing second in the 200m breaststroke with a time of 2:32.01.

The 4x200m freestyle relay squad of Meharg, Rachel McInnes, Taylor Elliott, and Kate Hulford had a strong showing, placing second with a time of 8:26.48. The 4x50m medley relay squad of McKenna Spurrell, Shearer, Abby McKinley, and Shaunna Walker-de Jong also saw the podium, placing third with a time of 1:58.49.

"Swimming is an individual sport but at the university level the team is what matters the most," said Gee-Gees head coach Dave Heinbuch. "The team rose to the challenge at home in front of parents, friends, and alumni to perform really well overall."