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By Martin Cleary
Sophomore Noah Wagner made a huge splash in the Montpetit Hall pool on the weekend as he orchestrated Team Alpha’s first International Gee-Gees Swimming League win by a decisive 88-62 over Big Cats.
The Regina native not only compiled three individual race wins as well as a relay victory in the six-race men’s program, but also had two personal-best performances, which came in his first two races of the day.
Wagner opened the second leg of the three-session IGGSL schedule, winning the men’s 200-metre butterfly in 2:03.50, bettering his 11-month-old record of 2:03.88. Then, he swam the 50-metre breaststroke in 28.75, which improved his PB from 29.17.
The University of Ottawa human kinetics student also won the men’s 200-metre individual medley in 2:10.43 and ended the program joining Connor Smyth, Matthieu Vilain, Louis Bertrand to take men’s 200-metre medley relay by 4.90 seconds in 1:46.28.
Earlier, Smyth placed first in the men’s 200-metre backstroke, 2:08.70, and Bertrand had the fastest men’s 100-metre freestyle time, 50.94. It was the first time in the short IGGSL history one team had won all six men’s or women’s races in one day.
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On the women’s side, Team Alpha won three of six women’s races: Lauren Shearer, 50-metre breaststroke, 33.36; Mayheve Rondeau, 100-metre freestyle, 1:00.16; and Renee Saville, Joanne Diemert, Shearer, Rondeau, 200-metre medley relay, 2:03.60.
Malorie Kanaan was a double winner for Big Cats, taking the women’s 200-metre butterfly, 2:26.85; and the 200-metre individual medley, 2:28.78. Katie Polley notched the other Big Cats’ win in the 200-metre backstroke, 2:23.03.
The four-win effort by Wagner also was a league first for a single meet. Wagner, who learned speed swimming during his six-year residency in California, swam for Saskatchewan at the 2017 Canada Summer Games, scoring two top-10 results.
In his 2019-20 freshman year, Wagner qualified for four races at the 2020 USports national swimming championships and reached two B finals. In RSEQ Cup 4, he earned a bronze medal and helped the Gee-Gees win the men’s team title.
The Dave Hein Bucks remained undefeated, posting their second win by an 84-63 score over winless Guelph Goliaths. Each team recorded three wins in both the women’s and men’s divisions.
Captain Adelle Yamashita-Ball led the Bucks’ charge with 3 victories: the women’s 200-metre butterfly, 2:19.84; 200-metre backstroke, 2:18.08 and 200-metre medley relay with Talea Claassens, Vanessa Bellio and Shaunna Walker-deJong, 2:00.78.
Entering the winners’ circle for Guelph were: Abby Simms, the women’s 100-metre freestyle, 58.23, and 200-metre individual medley, 2:28.63; as well as Megan Sidor, women’s 50-metre breaststroke, 34.73.
Nathan Schiffman was first in men’s 200-metre butterfly, 2:04.27, and Alexandre Perreault captured the men’s 100-metre freestyle, 51.50, for the Bucks. They joined Gordon Forrest and Nicolas Machell to win the 200-metre medley relay, 1:44.73.
The Goliaths men’s wins came from James Steele, the 200-metre backstroke, 2:06.86, and 200-metre individual medley, 2:11.26; as well as Jamie Demers, the 50-metre breaststroke, 30.10. The third and final IGGSL meet is scheduled for Dec. 5.
Martin Cleary has written about amateur sports for over 47 years. A past Canadian sportswriter of the year and Ottawa Sports Awards Lifetime Achievement in Sport Media honouree, Martin retired from full-time work at the Ottawa Citizen in 2012, but continued to write a bi-weekly “High Achievers” column for the Citizen/Sun.
When the pandemic struck, Martin created the “Stay-Safe Edition” to provide some positive news during tough times, via his Twitter account at first and now here at OttawaSportsPages.ca.
Martin can be reached by e-mail at martincleary51@gmail.com and on Twitter @martincleary.