Three Stars of the Week: UBC swimmers sweep first star honours
Canada West Communications
NEW WESTMINSTER - University of British Columbia swimmers Keegan Zanatta and Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson are the Canada West Male and Female First Stars of the Week respectively for the period ending Sunday, February 28.
Zanatta, a fourth-year swimmer from Victoria, was dominant at the CIS swimming championships at Laval, racking up a trio of gold medals (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay) and a silver (400m freestyle relay) to earn the CIS Men’s Swimmer of the Year award.
Seltenreich-Hodgson racked up a total of seven medals over the weekend, including gold in the 200m IM in a record time of 2:12.85. The Ottawa native earned the most medals of any swimmer at the event on either the men’s or women’s side.
Also earning star honours this week were: Calgary's Jenna Westaway (female second star), Alberta’s Michael Asselstine (male second star), Alberta's Ashley Whiteman (female third star), and Lethbridge’s Peter Millman (male third star).
Male First Star – Keegan Zanatta
UBC Thunderbirds swimming
4th-year
Victoria, BC
Arts
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28 – Men’s Swimmer of the Year award at CIS championships, gold in 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and 4x200 freestyle relay, silver in 4x100 freestyle relay
Fourth-year T-Bird Keegan Zanatta was an unquestioned superstar at this past weekend’s 2016 CIS Speedo Swim Championships.
The Victoria, B.C. native was named 2016 CIS Men’s Swimmer of the Year, as he brought home four medals at nationals - three gold and a silver. Zanatta topped the field in the 400-metre freestyle (3:53:36), the 200m freestyle (1:50:28 – a CIS Championship record), and was the closer for the 4x200m freestyle relay team that took first place with a time of 7:29:30.
Zanatta was also part of the foursome that claimed silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
His performance helped the UBC team to a second-place finish at the national meet.
Female First Star – Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson
UBC Thunderbirds swimming
3rd-year
Ottawa, ON
Arts
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Sunday, February 28 – Gold in the 200m freestyle, 200m IM (CIS record), 400m IM, 2x400m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay, and silver in the 200m backstroke and 4x100m freestyle relay.
UBC Thunderbirds women’s swim team standout Erika Seltenreich-Hodgson cleaned up at the 2016 CIS Speedo Swimming Championships this past weekend. The third-year superstar finished atop the medal count across both genders with seven, racking up five gold and two silver medals.
Seltenreich-Hodgson took individual gold medals in the 200m IM (2:12:85 – CIS championship record), the 200m freestyle (2:00:90), and the 400m IM (4:45:21). The UBC star also played a key role in a pair of relay wins, helping the ‘Birds to first in the 4x200m freestyle relay (8:14:45) and the 4x100m medley relay (4:10:76).
Seltenreich-Hodgson also claimed two silver finishes – in the 200m backstroke (2:12:83) and one the 4x100m freestyle relay (3:48:41) – as UBC finished second in the team standings.
Male Second Star – Michael Asselstine
Alberta Golden Bears wrestling
5th-year
Edmonton, AB
Education
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Saturday, February 27 – Won third consecutive CIS gold medal (68kg) and set CIS record by winning third consecutive CIS Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
University of Alberta Golden Bears wrestler Mike Asselstine won his third consecutive CIS gold medal at the national championship meet at Brock University over the weekend, and then made CIS history when he was awarded his third consecutive Most Outstanding Wrestler award - a feat never before accomplished in CIS men’s wrestling.
The Education student claimed his final CIS gold medal with a defeat of Matt Jagas from Brock University in the men’s 68 kg weight class at the 2016 CIS championships. His two previous CIS gold medals came at the 61 kg weight class in 2015 and 2014.
The native of Edmonton also has a CIS silver medal at the 65 kg weight class, from 2013, the Canada West rookie of the year award, and the CIS student-athlete/community service award (2013).
He has also wrestled for Canada on numerous occasions, including the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the 2014 Pan American games, where he won silver, and the 2013 Francophone Games where he won gold.
Female Second Star – Jenna Westaway
Calgary Dinos track and field
3rd-year
Calgary, AB
Medicine
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Saturday, February 27 – Gold at the Canada West championships in 1000m (new conference record) and 600m, silver in 4x400m relay, and CW Female Track Performer of the Year.
Third-year runner Jenna Westaway was named the 2016 Canada West Female Track Performer of the Year on Saturday at the conclusion of the Canada West Track and Field Championships.
On the opening day of the meet, Westaway set a new Canada West record in the 1000m to capture her first gold of 2016. The following day, the Medicine student added another gold to her collection in the 600m. Westaway also won a silver on the women’s 4x400m relay team.
The Dinos women’s track and field team, who finished second overall in the Canada West team standings, will now turn their focus to the CIS track and field championships March 10-12 at York University in Toronto.
Male Third Star – Peter Millman
Lethbridge Pronghorns track and field
Thrower
3rd-year
Truro, NS
History
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Saturday, February 27 – Gold at the Canada West championships in weight throw and shot put, CW male field performer of the year.
For the third year in a row, Peter Millman of the Lethbridge Pronghorns swept the throwing events at the conference track and field championships and was named the Canada West Male Field Performer of the Year. He was also a key part in a Lethbrdige record 10 Canada West medals.
Millman kicked off the conference meet with his fourth consecutive gold medal in the weight throw, with his furthest throw of 17.83 metres won the event by more than two metres.
Saturday, Millman led the Pronghorns to a podium sweep of the shot put event for the second consecutive year. Millman, the reigning CIS shot put champion, added to his medal haul with his second gold medal of the meet, winning with a throw of 16.70 metres.
The Truro, Nova Scotia product will now compete at the CIS national championships March 10-12 at York University in Toronto.
Female Third Star – Ashley Whiteman
Alberta Pandas track and field
2nd-year
Forward
Devon, AB
Arts
Meet log: Friday, February 26 to Saturday, February 27 – Gold in the 300m and 4x400m relay and silver in the 600m.
University of Alberta Pandas track and field rookie Ashley Whiteman is the Canada West female third star of the week following her stellar performance at the Canada West track and field championships.
Whiteman debuted on the conference level by blazing to a 300m gold medal, and then hit the podium again when she finished second in the 600m race. She also ran a leg on Alberta’s championship 4 x 400m relay run, which also broke a U of A record from 1985 in the process.
Originally from Devon, AB, the Arts student-athlete helped lead the U of A to its first Canada West women’s track and field title in 33 years. She and the Pandas now head to the CIS championship as top competitors for CIS hardware.