Quebec City, Que. –  Five events on the University of Victoria swimming's record list have been rewritten after the Vikes completed the first day of competition at the U SPORTS Swimming Championships, March 24.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Starting off with a new school record in the 50 back, Jacob Rambo swam 25.56 to surpass the previous Vikes record of 25.87 set by Josh Zakala Nov. 2, 2019. Rambo's swim ranked 13th overall and secured him a spot in the B Finals.
• Padric Mckervill set his second school record of the season, this time in the 100 fly. Clocking in at 54.49, Mckervill broke Jesse Jacks and Ethan Jensen's time of 54.54 set Jan. 1, 2003 and Jan. 1, 2020, respectively. Finishing 11th in the prelims, Mckervill claimed a spot in the 100 fly B Finals.
• A total of 16 Vikes earned swims in the finals, with one A Final, seven B Final, and eight C Final bids secured after the prelims.
• Sophie Tarrant swam the lone A Final-clinching swim on day one for the Vikes, going 1:09.04 in the 100 breast for fourth place.
• In the 100 breast A Final, Tarrant matched her fourth-place finish, finishing with a time of 1:07.74, just .15 of a second off the podium. In the process, the first-year set a new Vikes school record, breaking her own previous time of 1:08.94 set at the Canada West Championships.
• Opening the finals by besting his school-record performance in the prelims, Rambo swam 25.36 in the 50 back B Final to establish a new Vikes record time.
• Writing his name in the UVic record book with his performance in the 100 breast B Final, Ethan Hemeon finished with a time of 1:01.31, lowering the record from Bailey Espersen's 1:01.47 set Feb. 20, 2020.
• Winning the 100 fly B Final, Mckervill rewrote the school record he set just hours earlier, improving to 54.19 in the finals from 54.49 earlier in the day.
• Closing out the night, the women's 4x100 free relay quartet of Cameron Hill, Sophie Tarrant, Sophia Brunoro, and Amanda McCallum finished with the top time in heat one, 3:51.11, which was good for seventh overall in the event.
• Also registering the top finish in the first heat of the 4x100 free relay, the men's squad of Ricky Millns, Rambo, Maxwell Fang and Mckervill finished with a time of 3:20.80, which ranked eighth overall in the event. The time also set a new Vikes record by over four seconds, dethroning the 3:24.94 mark set by the Vikes in 2018.

THOUGHTS FROM THE COACHING STAFF

"First of all, it's the first U SPORTS Championships since the start of the pandemic, and everyone is excited to finally get here.  For most of our team, it's their first U SPORTS experience, similar to many teams here.  This meet is always the loudest and most exciting meet by far for our athletes, so it's nice to see them get a chance to experience it."

"The group was excited to race, and some swimmers put that excitement into their race in the wrong way, going out too hard and tiring out at the end, losing focus and making mistakes, but the group picked up those swimmers and pushed forward towards more success."

"While we may not have come away with any medals today, we had some really, really good swims for what we've gone through this season. We're looking forward to tomorrow."

SWIMMERS OF THE DAY

Swimmers of the Day: Sophie Tarrant & Jacob Rambo

"Sophie Tarrant gets recognition for her personal best time and Vikes Record in the 100 breaststroke, as she continues to rewrite the record books and approach the nation's best swimmers. In addition, she had a great 57.5 split on the relay," said coach Ryan Clouston. "Tied with Sophie for Swimmer of the Day is Jacob Rambo - he broke the 50 back school record twice, posted two best times including a full second drop in 100 fly, and a crazy 49.3 split on the Vikes record-setting relay."

Honourable Mentions: Padric Mckervill, Cameron Hill & Ricky Millns

"Padric Mckervill setting the Vikes record in the 100 fly twice and a best relay split, and Cameron Hill hit 1:01 in the 100 fly after long, hard season and also a best time in 100 free leading off the relay," noted Clouston. "Ricky Millns made huge drops in the 100 and 200 free."

UP NEXT
The Vikes return to action tomorrow, March 25, for day two of the U SPORTS Swimming Championships at the PEPS on the campus of Laval University.
 
RESULTS
Prelims
Men 200 Free
23. Ricky Millns – 1:50.27
24. Elijah Agostinelli Stull – 1:50.34
26. William Risk – 1:50.81
36. Maxwell Fang – 1:52.13
 
Women 50 Back
13. Lauren Crisp – 29.17
19. Olivia Roschat – 29.71
 
Men 50 Back
13. Jacob Rambo – 25.56
 
Women 100 Breast
4. Sophie Tarrant – 1:09.04
 
Men 100 Breast
16. Ethan Hemeon – 1:01.99
 
Women 100 Fly
10. Cameron Hill – 1:02.84
14. Shanna Tierney – 1:03.43
22. Mareya Valeva – 1:04.43
 
Men 100 Fly
11. Padric Mckervill – 54.49
16. Jacob Rambo – 55.06
20. Ethan Jensen – 55.20
35. Maxwell Fang – 57.43
 
Women 400 IM
18. Lauren Crisp – 4:57.22
26. Amanda McCallum – 5:02.12
33. Sophia Brunoro – 5:05.37
 
Men 400 IM
20. Zach Dumas – 4:27.35
21. Drew Edwards – 4:28.22
26. Ethan Phillips – 4:40.02
 
Finals
Men 200 Free – C Final
19. Elijah Agostinelli Stull – 1:49.64
22. Ricky Millns – 1:50.09
 
Women 50 Back – C Final
20. Olivia Roschat – 29.58
 
Women 50 Back – B Final
14. Lauren Crisp – 29.05
 
Men 50 Back – B Final
12. Jacob Rambo – 25.36
 
Women 100 Breast – A Final
4. Sophie Tarrant – 1:07.74

Men 100 Breast – B Final
12. Ethan Hemeon – 1:01.31
 
Women 100 Fly – C Final
19. Mareya Valeva – 1:03.01
 
Women 100 Fly – B Final
10. Cameron Hill – 1:01.91
16. Shanna Tierney – 1:02.72
 
Men 100 Fly – C Final
22. Ethan Jensen – 55.18
 
Men 100 Fly – B Final
9. Padric Mckervill – 54.19
10. Jacob Rambo – 54.43
 
Women 400 IM – C Final
19. Lauren Crisp – 4:54.74
 
Men 400 IM – C Final
18. Zach Dumas – 4:24.01
22. Drew Edwards – 4:29.26
 
Women 4x100 Free Relay
7. Victoria (Hill, Tarrant, Brunoro, McCallum) – 3:51.11
 
Men 4x100 Free Relay
8. Victoria (Millns, Rambo, Fang, Mckervill) - 3:20.80