Cougars take home sixth place at nationals
author: nathan mccarville | sports writer
Impressive run for Palaschuk, Cougars / University of Regina Cougars
Swim team finish highest in school history
Let’s take a look at the University of Regina’s swim teams, which just participated in the USPORTS championships, which are held annually in February. This year, travelling to Vancouver’s Aquatics Center at the University of British Columbia, the swim team has much to talk about after getting back. After the results were all seen, the men’s swim team placed sixth overall beating the previous USPORTS high in the 2003 USPORTS meet wherein the men placed seventh against other participating schools.
Two of the medals from the championship were won by third-year Brian Palaschuk. Palaschuk attained his silver medal in the 200-metre individual medley on the first day of the meet. Finishing the swim with a time of 2:02.09, Palachuk previously finished the event with 1:57.44 in the preliminaries to the meet, making a new record for the University of Regina Cougars with the time. The second day seemed just as exciting, with the third-year science major winning a bronze medal in the 400-metre individual medley with a time of 4:26.05.
Other Cougars to compete included Ettienne Paquin-Foisy, who swam in the same event as Palaschuk in the 400-metre, though finishing in fifth with a time of 4:28.24, in front of fellow Cougar Brendan Vanherk who finished in sixth with a time of 4:31.53. The three previously mentioned Cougars also competed in the men’s 800-metre free relay, including their teammate Kareem Tarek Mohammed, all together attaining a time of seventh with a time of 7:43.83. Cumulatively, the Cougars men’s side scored 470 points, pushing them into that 6th place position, including Palaschuck’s 98 points.
The Cougars women’s team placed 17th in the standings for the USPORTS meet. The star of the women’s side was none other than Bree Crookshanks who competed in three events including the 100-metre breaststroke, the 50-metre breaststroke, and the 200-metre breaststroke. Crookshanks placed fourth in the 100-metre with a time that broke the previous Cougars record with 1:09.70, placed sixth in the 50-metre with 32.20, and winning the B final for the 200-metre breaststroke and also the 200-metre IM. Being the only contributor of points to the women’s side of the event, Crookshanks scored 90 points.
Eight Cougars are currently competing in the TYR Pro Swim series at Des Moines for the final preparations for the Canadian trials.
