Tigers win nine more events, while Acadia makes a strong Day 2 push

By Thomas Becker  

The Dalhousie Tigers claimed nine event wins to take Day 2 of the 2017 AUS Swimming Championships. But Acadia's swim team also turned heads with three victories Saturday night. 

Adam Deutsch (200m breaststroke), Brett Liem (50m freestyle) and Alison MacEachern (200m butterfly) each captured gold in their respective events, leading Acadia to 10 medals – three gold, four silver and three bronze. 

"I'm over the moon," said Acadia head coach Gary Macdonald. "Our kids took awhile to get the wins, but we had three straight tonight. For a developing team, we're pretty pumped." 

The Tigers, meanwhile, opened the second day with six consecutive wins. AUS Swimmer of the Year, Phoebe Lenderyou led the way with wins in the women's 100m backstroke and 50m butterfly, while earning U Sports qualifying times in both events.  

"Phoebe isn't feeling the best right now, but she still had really good swims tonight," said Tigers head coach Lance Cansdale. "Technically, she was very solid for us."  

Mount Allison swimmers Olivia Feschuk and Madeleine Henry finished behind Lenderyou in the 100m backstroke. While Memorial's Charli LeBlanc and Axewoman Nicole Windsor followed Lenderyou in the 50m butterfly.  

The Tigers, who took home 18 more medals in Day 2, swept the podium in both 400m freestyle events. Claire Yurkovich earned gold, while teammates Meg Mackay and Katie Lamont finished second and third, respectively. Both Yurkovich and Mackay posted U Sports qualifying times. Gavin Dyke continued his strong meet, winning on the men's side, followed by teammates Tyler Herron and Quinn West. 

"We didn't finish off the podium in any event," Cansdale said. "I think our depth is really showing up." 

Sea-Hawk Veronica Reid surprised the crowd, capturing gold in the 200m breaststroke after a fourth place finish in Saturday morning's preliminaries. Tiger Samantha Mallon and Axewoman Hannah Doiron joined Reid on the podium. 

Reid tied Dalhousie's Halle Loyek for third place in the 50m freestyle, where Mount Allison's Allison Loewen took home the gold. Memorial's LeBlanc placed second by only a fraction of a second. 

On the men's side, Morrgan Payne won the 100m backstroke event, followed by Axeman Benjamin Henger and Memorial's David Haines.  

Rookie Liam Branton captured gold for Dalhousie in the 50m butterfly, while Acadia's Liem came second, followed by Mount Allison's Dylan Wooley-Berry.  

Dalhousie freshman Alec Karlsen also earned himself a gold medal in the 200m butterfly. Trailing him was Axeman Henger and Memorial's Nicholas Sparkes. 

The Tigers captured both 4x200m freestyle relay events to conclude the night, as they continue to make a strong push for both AUS titles.