Go to page content

Podium parade

Ten individual Sea-Hawks swimming medals, including five gold

Campus and Community

By Memorial University

It was a strong showing for the Memorial Sea-Hawk swimmers at the 2016-17 Atlantic University Sport (AUS) Swimming Championships.

The swim team has been under new leadership since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, with coaches Duffy Earle and Chris Roberts looking to create a competitive program in the AUS.

1/ Starting blocks

From left in the red swim caps are Sea-Hawks Charli LeBlanc, Veronica Reid and Ciara Arnott racing for Memorial.

Photo: Nick Pearce

2/ In the lead

Veronica Reid, in the red swim cap at far right, outpaces UPEI and Dalhousie swimmers and her teammate, Ciara Arnott.

Photo: Nick Pearce

3/ On your marks

Sea-Hawk Charli LeBlanc, in the red cap, gets limbered up to race.

Photo: Nick Pearce

4/ Podium presence

At far right, Sea-Hawk David Haines took a silver in the 50-meter backstroke event.

Photo: Nick Pearce

5/ Multiple medallist

At far right, Sea-Hawk Charli LeBlanc won individual silver medals in the 50-meter backstroke, 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter freestyle events.

Photo:

6/ Deep breath

Sea-Hawk Evan Tynski powers through his breaststroke race.

Photo: Nick Pearce

That direction is starting to pay off, as the Sea-Hawks claimed 17 medals, including five gold medal performances during the championship event at the University of Prince Edward Island from Feb. 10-12.

“We were really happy with our results,” said Mr. Earle, head coach. “We’ve been working hard all year and this was probably our best AUS championships in years.”

Memorial’s Veronica Reid earned gold in the 50-meter breaststroke, 100-meter breaststroke, and 200-meter breaststroke.

Veronica Reid
Veronica Reid
Photo: Submitted

Sam Leawood beat out AUS swimmer of the year, Gavin Dyke, and Mount Allison’s Geraint Berger in the men’s 100-meter freestyle.

Sam Leawood
Sam Leawood
Photo: Submitted

Charli LeBlanc captured gold in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, and finished with five medals: the gold plus silvers in the 50-meter backstroke, 50-meter butterfly, 50-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle relay, which also featured Allison Somers, Becca Dyer, and Ms. Reid.

Ms. Reid also finished the weekend with five medals, and added a bronze in the 50-meter freestyle.

Also earning hardware for the Sea-Hawks was fifth-year David Haines, who grabbed a silver in the 50-meter backstroke, and a bronze in the 100 meter. Nick Sparkes secured a bronze for the Sea-Hawks in the 200-meter breaststroke, while Mr. Leawood, Curtis McKay, Daniel Sparkes, and Ryan George won bronze in the 400-meter freestyle relay.

Overall, the men finished third overall, while the women finished in fourth place overall.

Community service award

To top it all off, Logan Slade was named the 2016-17 AUS student-athlete community service award recipient during the awards banquet prior to the competition.

At left, Logan Slade receives the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award in PEI.
At left, Logan Slade receives the AUS Student-Athlete Community Service Award in PEI.
Photo: Nick Pearce

Mr. Slade is a third-year kinesiology student from St. John’s, N.L., in his second year of eligibility for the Sea-Hawks men’s swim team.

In the classroom, he has managed a cumulative GPA of 3.76 and currently boasts a 4.0 GPA.

He is the recipient of the Memorial University Endowment Fund Scholarship as well as the Centenary of Responsible Government Scholarship.

Mr. Slade is heavily involved in an array of community initiatives, including volunteer swim coach for Special Olympics Newfoundland and Labrador.


To receive news from Memorial in your inbox, subscribe to Gazette Now.


Latest News

Atlantic Canada branch

IMarEST to share knowledge and standards in marine industry

Dean appointed

Dr. April Pike appointed dean of the Faculty of Nursing

SciQuest success

Summer camp’s inaugural year teaches children about the magic of science

‘Core priority’

Photos: Grenfell Campus taking meaningful steps toward truth and reconciliation

A passion for prevention

Medicine master's student determined to prevent, reduce lower back pain

Recognizing research

Revised terms of reference for longstanding research awards