Pair of records set on Day 1 of the CW Swimming Championships

EDMONTON – The reigning UBC Thunderbirds champions edged their rivals with a strong performance Friday at Kinsmen Sport Center, leading the men’s and women’s championship standings after day one.

The Thunderbird men took the lead with a total of nine medals, including three gold. Their 242 team points put them 83 points ahead of Calgary in second place. The Victoria Vikes completed the top 3 with 103 points, while the Bears hosts sit fourth with 95.

UBC Dmitri Lim won gold in the men’s 50m butterfly with a time of 24.00 and compatriot T-Bird Keir Ogilvie won the silver medal in 24.08.

Tayden DePol won gold for the “Birds” in the men’s 50m backstroke with a time of 24.67, while UBC Matthew Crawford won the bronze medal in this event.

On the women’s side, the battle is much closer at the top of the standings, as the T-Bird women hold a slight 173-162 lead over the Calgary Dinos. The Manitoba Bisons, thanks to gold and bronze medals from Kelsey Wog, sit third with 133 points.

T-Bird first year Emma O’Croinin won gold in the women’s 800m freestyle (8: 43.32) with her teammate Rosalie Davidson earn money in the event.

Calgary Dino Rebecca Smith propelled her championship push with a Canada West record in the women’s 50 butterfly, setting a new record with a time of 25.79.

Lethbridge Pronghorn Apollo Hess also set a new conference mark in the men’s 50 breaststroke, breaking the previous record set by former Golden Bear Nick Kostiuk with a time of 26.97.

The Thunderbirds finished on the top step of the podium in the women’s and men’s 4x200m freestyle relay as each team holds an overall lead in Saturday’s action in Edmonton.

Day 2 of the CW Championship will start at 9:00 a.m. PST in Kinsmen with the morning heats, with the finals scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

Watch all the action live on Canada West TV brought to you by Co-op.