Brock hosts OUA Swimming Championships where Varsity Blues and Mustangs shine

Brock University hosted the 2010 OUA Swimming Championships at the Eleanor Misener Aquatic Centre from Feb. 4-7.
Thirteen schools participated across 42 events, where the Toronto Varsity Blues and Western Mustangs defended their men's and women's titles, while 11 new OUA records were set at the championship.
The Varsity Blues finished with 998 points and are now seven-time defending men's champions. The Mustangs finished second with 656.5 points and the Ottawa GeeGees took third with 469.5 points. On the women's side, the Mustangs won their second consecutive banner with 1032.5 points, followed by Toronto with 630 points and the McMaster Marauders who had 419 points.
For Brock, the women won sixth place with 268 points, six points behind Ottawa. The men finished in 10th place with 84 points, just 4.5 points behind the Laurier Golden Hawks, and improved from last year's four-point, last-place finish.
"One of our team goals was for the men's team to reach the top-10, which they did," said Brock swimmer Holly Hopkins. "The women's team [wanted] to reach top-five [.] We were sixth last year and we got sixth again this year, but we did beat Guelph which was one of our goals."
Hopkins led the Badgers in the pool. She placed sixth in the 200-meter backstroke (2:22.53) and eighth in both the 50-meter backstroke (30.78) and 100-meter backstroke events (1:05.81). Baylee Colquhoun placed sixth in the 400-meter IM (5:10.81), Delia Caughlin placed seventh in the 50-meter breaststroke (34.52) and Ilana Romanow finished eighth in the 200-meter IM (2:25.97).
Hopkins, Romanow, Katie So and Victoria Culp finished fifth in the 400-meter medley relay with a time of 4:27.78. Hopkins, Culp, Cora Michener and Lisa McCann placed fifth in the 400-meter freestyle relay (4:02.10) and Hopkins, Romanow, So and Erica Dugas were sixth with a time of 2:02.60 in the 200-meter medley relay.
Brock's young swim team improved tremendously from last year, when a core group of OUA rookies joined the team and broke out this season.
"They are improving drastically this year," Hopkins said. "A few of our rookies are really close and we're hoping to get more next year and just build up a big base."
In the men's events, Keith van Hemmen led the way for the Badgers, finishing seventh in the 200-meter backstroke (2:07.42) and eighth in both the 50-meter (27.41) and 100-meter backstroke events (58.24).
Van Hemmen, Alexander Ivancic, Frank Woodley and Phil Ratman were ninth in the 200-meter medley relay (1:55.43). Van Hemmen, Elliot Dumitru, Woodley, and Jordan Crandall also placed ninth in the 400-meter freestyle relay (3:47.51).
Hopkins hopes that having the event at Brock will help to promote the swimming program and aid in its growth for next year.
"It was a lot of fun to be able to host and know that people swam so well at our own home pool. Even ourselves, we swam so well on our home turf."
The Toronto Varsity Blues are the swimming powerhouse of the OUA. Along with their current streak, the men won 32 consecutive championships from 1961 to 1992. The women's team has won 24 of the 38 championships awarded, but lost the title to Western last year.
2008 Canadian Olympian and Male Swimmer of the Meet, Colin Russell, swam for Toronto and was competing at his first OUA's. Russell won four gold medals and set three individual OUA records. His time at Brock University was unique compared to his time in Beijing.
"When you go against the best of the world, it's very individualistic," said Russell. "Here you have your own team behind you. It's a lot more fun and I try to work with that and have fun with it. It's more about helping the team."
For Hopkins, her swim team has become family.
"We know everybody's hard times and good times and we work through them and we help each other out a lot during practice [.] I think because we are a small team, we can have that family atmosphere and really strive to work together as a team."
Seven Brock swimmers - Caughlin, Colquhoun, Culp, Hopkins, Michener, Romanow and van Hemmen - qualified for the CIS Championships which will take place Feb. 18-20 in Toronto.