Varsity Blues Athletics / en U of T's Kylie Masse now ranks number one in world for two swimming events /news/u-t-s-kylie-masse-now-ranks-number-one-world-two-swimming-events <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">U of T's Kylie Masse now ranks number one in world for two swimming events</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-04-10-masse1.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=j_K7yhox 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-04-10-masse1.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ixR7OLZM 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-04-10-masse1.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=r8oqNWoj 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-04-10-masse1.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=j_K7yhox" alt="photo of Kylie Masse"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-04-10T11:20:39-04:00" title="Monday, April 10, 2017 - 11:20" class="datetime">Mon, 04/10/2017 - 11:20</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(all photos by Martin Bazyl)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/varsity-blues-athletics" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues Athletics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Varsity Blues</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sports" hreflang="en">Sports</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/kpe" hreflang="en">KPE</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/kylie-masse" hreflang="en">Kylie Masse</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/swimming" hreflang="en">Swimming</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/undergrad" hreflang="en">Undergrad</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's swimming star <strong>Kylie Masse</strong>&nbsp;crushed it at the Team Canada Trials, sweeping the competition in the 50-metre, 100-metre and 200-metre backstroke in Victoria, B.C.<br> &nbsp;<br> Masse overtook the 200-metre Olympic bronze medalist Hilary Caldwell in the final few metres to win in 2:07.23 on April 8. Caldwell was just .06 behind.</p> <p>They were the two fastest times at that distance this season – and well under the FINA time to qualify for this summer's world championships in Budapest.</p> <p><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/summer/aquatics/canadian-swim-trials-oleksiak-masse-caldwell-1.4062745"><u>See the CBC story</u></a><br> &nbsp;<br> “It's incredible,”&nbsp;said Masse, who is in her third year of undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Kinesiology &amp; Physical Education. “She's someone I've looked up to in the backstroke for a long time now. It's really cool to be racing side-by-side with her.”</p> <p><u><a href="/news/u-t-s-kylie-masse-wins-bronze-women-s-100-metre-backstroke-rio">Read more about Masse</a></u></p> <p>On April 6, Masse had also posted the third-fastest time ever recorded in the 100m backstroke: 58:21 seconds. It was the fastest time ever recorded anywhere in the world by a swimmer in a textile suit in this event.</p> <p>The 100m backstroke was her bronze medal event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.</p> <p>“Kylie is an amazing athlete,”&nbsp;said Varsity Blues head coach <strong>Byron MacDonald</strong>. “Sometimes people don't realize the rarified level that this woman has attained.&nbsp;Only one other person has ever swum as fast as Kylie in the 100 back.&nbsp;This time today would have won the gold medal at last year's Olympics.&nbsp;She continues to improve at a staggering rate.<br> &nbsp;<br> “Kylie is 100 per cent a product of university sport in Canada,”&nbsp;continued MacDonald. “She was ranked 200th in the world in high school and has moved up 200 spots. She is incredible.”</p> <p>She added a 2017 world best to win the 50 on Friday&nbsp;and completed the backstroke sweep on Saturday.<br> &nbsp;<br> “I can't remember the last time Canada had a swimmer ranked number one in the world in two events,”&nbsp;MacDonald<strong> </strong>said. “Kylie is something special. Part of her success is due to the performance team we have put in place around her. On top of two world class coaches, we have top medical support , academic guidance, a full-time strength trainer and a great set of teammates.<br> &nbsp;<br> "That last category is important,” MacDonald said. “As Kylie says, 'a happy swimmer is a fast swimmer,' and Kylie is very happy at the University of Toronto.”</p> <p><u><a href="https://twitter.com/Kjmasse">Follow Masse on Twitter</a></u></p> <p><img alt="photo of Masse at pool" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__4188 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/2017-04-10Masse-2-resized.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p><em>With files from Swimming Canada</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 10 Apr 2017 15:20:39 +0000 lanthierj 106686 at They are the champions: Varsity Blues men's swim team /news/they-are-champions-varsity-blues-mens-swim-team <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">They are the champions: Varsity Blues men's swim team</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2013-02-25T06:28:10-05:00" title="Monday, February 25, 2013 - 06:28" class="datetime">Mon, 02/25/2013 - 06:28</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Members of the Varsity Blues men's swim team (photo by David Moll)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/varsity-blues-athletics" hreflang="en">Varsity Blues Athletics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Varsity Blues Athletics</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/top-stories" hreflang="en">Top Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">CIS finals wrap up in Calgary</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s swimming team is the top men's swim team in the country.&nbsp;</p> <p>The Blues put an end to 18 years of domination by western Canadian teams, emerging victorious in an extraordinary three-way race to capture the 2013 CIS men's swimming title at the University of Calgary Aquatic Centre Feb 23, 2013.</p> <p>The Blues upset western powerhouses UBC Thunderbirds and Calgary Dinos to claim their first national banner since 1994.&nbsp;</p> <p>“I’ve been doing this over 30 years, and this is the first time I remember a three-team race like this,” said longtime Varsity Blues head coach <strong>Byron McDonald</strong>, who was named the CIS men’s team coach of the year. “It brought out the best in our swimmers, and it was something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.</p> <p>"It’s nice to win by 150 points, but you don’t really remember that – when our swimmers go home, they’ll remember this forever.”</p> <p>The 10-time OUA champion Blues claimed their CIS-leading 17th national banner in program history. The team finished with 539 points, narrowly ahead of UBC (524) and Calgary (514).</p> <p>UBC and Calgary had combined for the past 18 titles, with the Thunderbirds earning a record 10 consecutive banners from 1998-2007.</p> <p>The Thunderbirds overcame an eight-point Day 2 deficit and gained the lead after the men’s 100 freestyle, which saw five UBC swimmers in the A and B finals. However, the Blues battled back and returned to the top of the standings, thanks to a top B final swim by <strong>Zach Summerhayes</strong> and a fifth and eighth-place finish from&nbsp;<strong>David Riley</strong> and <strong>Jeremie Holdom</strong> in the 200 IM.</p> <p>Oakville, Ont., native <strong>Zack Chetrat</strong>, the 2013 OUA male swimmer of the year, placed fourth in the 1500m freestyle (15:30.78), moving Toronto 27 points ahead of the Thunderbirds heading into the final relay of the night.</p> <p>Despite UBC winning the final 4x100 medley relay event, the Blues team of Chetrat, Riley, <strong>Matthew Myers</strong> and <strong>Brian Lee</strong> placed fifth, earning enough points to bring the Nelson C. Hart Trophy back to Toronto.</p> <p>Lee, a rookie sensation from Sault Ste Marie, Ont., kicked off Day 3 with a big silver-medal performance in the men’s 50 breaststroke (27.95), finishing just 0.73 seconds behind Calgary’s Jason Block (27.22).</p> <p>Myers followed that up with a silver-medal finish in the 200 backstroke in a time of 1:55.89, narrowly out-touched by Calgary’s Gleb Suvorov (1:55.29).</p> <p>Toronto native David Dorian was also named the recipient of the CIS community service award.</p> <p>Toronto’s women claimed the CIS bronze for the second consecutive season, finishing with 300 points. The Thunderbirds successfully defended their national title with a dominant 691.5 points, ahead of the silver-medalist Dinos with 548 points.</p> <p><strong>Bridget Coley</strong> was U of T’s lone female swimmer to reach the podium on Day 3, winning her first CIS individual medal - a bronze in the 800 freestyle with a time of 8:44.47.&nbsp;</p> <p>COMPLETE RESULTS <a href="http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/swim/index" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</p> <p>FINAL TEAM STANDINGS</p> <p>Women</p> <p>1. UBC, 691.5 points<br> 2. Calgary, 548<br> 3. Toronto, 300<br> 4. Montreal, 270.5<br> 5. Dalhousie, 251<br> 6. Western, 216<br> 7. Laval, 164<br> 8. McGill, 160<br> 9. Alberta, 150.5<br> 10. UQTR, 148<br> 11. McMaster, 133<br> 12. Victoria, 97<br> 13. Ottawa, 84<br> 14. Guelph, 78<br> 15. Wilfrid Laurier, 26<br> 16. Manitoba, 25<br> 17. Sherbrooke, 15.5<br> 18. Laurentian, 14<br> 19. UQAM, 10<br> 20. Regina, 7<br> 21. Brock, 3<br> 22. UNB, 1</p> <p>Men (Nelson C. Hart trophy)</p> <p>1. Toronto, 539 points<br> 2. UBC, 524<br> 3. Calgary, 514<br> 4. Victoria, 273.5<br> 5. Laval, 246<br> 6. Alberta, 239<br> 7. McMaster, 180<br> 8. McGill, 171.5<br> 9. Montreal, 143<br> 10. Western, 142<br> 11. Dalhousie, 127<br> 12. Lethbridge, 82<br> 13. Ottawa, 66<br> 14. Guelph, 62<br> 15. Manitoba, 37<br> 16. Acadia, 14<br> 17. Waterloo, 12<br> 18. Regina, 3</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/Mens-Swim-13-2-25.jpg</div> </div> Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:28:10 +0000 sgupta 5117 at