Vancouver, BC - In a battle of two of the top men's swimming teams in the country, the University of Toronto defeated the University of British Columbia in a duel meet Thursday evening at the UBC Aquatic Centre in the Ghoul in the Pool.
Last February the Varsity Blues defeated the Thunderbirds to win the 2013 CIS men's swimming title.
The meet came down to the final race of the night, the 400m freestyle relay, and it was the Varsity Blues overtaking the Thunderbirds in the final 25 metres to win the race and the meet.
"It was good battle, but unfortunately we couldn't quite close it out," said UBC head coach Steve Price. "It was back and forth all night and as we expected an outstanding head to head battle."
First-year swimmer Jonathan Brown led the way for the Thunderbirds winning three individual events, the 400m and 800m freestyle, as well as the 200m individual medley. An impressive performance from the rookie who was able to out duel two of Toronto's premier swimmers Zack Chetrat and Frank Despond in both the 400m and 800m freestyle events.
"Pretty stellar performance from a first year kid," said Price. "He stepped up against veteran guys and won big races to give us a chance to win the meet."
2013 Canada West Swimmer of the Year Coleman Allen won a pair of events for the Thunderbirds. He earned top spot in the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly.
Other UBC winners were Evan Broderick in the 200m breaststroke and Luke Reilly in the 400m individual medley.
"It's been a long time since UBC has held a duel meet," said Price. "It was a great experience for our guys and a good battle. They are a veteran group with a bunch of senior swimmers and believe they are the front runners to win again this year. We have a young team and are the team of the future, but that future might be right now because we pushed them all the way which bodes well for the rest of the season."
Men 200m freestyle relay
1. University of Toronto
200m freestyle
1. UBC - Coleman Allen 1:52.40
100m backstroke
1. Toronto - Matthew Myers 57:18
400m individual medley
1. UBC - Luke Reilly 4:26.85
100m butterfly
1. UBC - Coleman Allen 55:14
800m freestyle
1. UBC - Jonathan Brown 8:10.26
50m freestyle
1. Toronto - Chris Manning 22.79
200m breaststroke
1. UBC - Evan Broderick 2:22.00
200m butterfly
1. Toronto - Edward Liu 2:02.70
200m individual medley
1. UBC - Jonathan Brown 2:04.93
100m breaststroke
1. Toronto - Jeremie Holdom 1:05.52
400m freestyle
1. UBC - Jonathan Brown 3:55.74
400m freestyle relay
1. Toronto
