Ravens make a splash in first swim meet
(from www.charlatan.ca; Oct 7th, 2004)


by Anna Sajecki

  If one message was emphasized during the first swim meet of the season for the Carleton
University Ravens and the University of Ottawa Gee Gees, it was the importance of practice. 

During the meet, which took place at the Carleton on Oct. 3, the Ravens proved that 
dedication and hard work could help them beat even the speediest Gee Gee.

The male and female teams competed in 14 races each, with 23 Carleton swimmers acheiving 
the Ontario University Athletics qualifying time. 

"For the first meet of the year, some people did really well," says John Waring, in his
sixth year as coach of Carleton’s men’s team. "People respond differently to hard training, 
but judging how people normally swim this time of year, they’ve done well." 

Keegan Harris, a fourth-year student agrees.

"Personally, we haven’t done badly," says Harris. "We’ve been training hard and it shows." 

Harris qualified for the CIS championships the last three years, won a bronze medal last 
year at the OUA championships and holds the varsity record for the 200-metre. breaststroke. 

During the meet he was the most improved swimmer, shaving three seconds off his time in the 
400-metre freestyle race. He walked away with the best swim of the competition posting a 
time of 0:71 in the 50-metre breaststroke race. [Note: should be 0.71 outside the CIS cut!]

Krista Boegel had the best time for a female swimmer at 0:72 in the 50-metre breaststroke 
heat. [Note: should be 0.72 outside the CIS cut!]

Boegel has been to the CIS championships twice and has the most mentions on Carleton’s 
all-time top 20 list under individual events. 

Carleton’s female captain Paola Osorio also had a good competition. She qualified for the 
OUA championship.

"I’m doing pretty good," says Osorio. "This year’s times for the nationals are tougher than 
last year’s, so I have to be better."

Gee Gee coach Blair Tucker says he believes many of his swimmers can do better.

"They need a lot of improving," Tucker says. "We just started out in the water a couple 
weeks ago, so we’ve really just come to get a look at everybody." 

Mark Blenkinsop, the team captain for the Carleton men’s team, assures that with his team, 
it’s very much the opposite.

"We’re getting crowded at practices, which has never happened before."

Waring agrees the future looks bright.

"We’ve got a lot of dedicated athletes this year," he says. "We’ve got a full women’s team, 
and we’re only one guy short of a full men’s team."