RECAP: Gee-Gees team claims silver at RSEQ Championships

It was a massive weekend at the RSEQ Championships for the Gee-Gees swimming team as the Garnet and Grey totaled thirty medals en route to a second place overall performance. Davide Casarin was named the RSEQ Swimmer of the Year while second-year Gordon Forrest won the conference award for Leadership and Community Engagement.

The team totaled ten gold medals and 21 individual medals with nine relay podium finishes. Casarin led the way with six total medals (four individual and two relay), with Delphine Vandal totaling five (three individual, two relay), and William Barrett four medals. That trio claimed all seven individual golds for Ottawa.

All told, 25 team members stepped onto the podium including 17 first-time medallists. The men's team scored 728.5 points to place second in the men's team standings, and the women scored 632 points for a third place finish. The combined point total of 1360.5 put Ottawa well ahead of third-place Montreal while McGill took the overall championship, winning both the men's and women's events.

Casarin captured gold in the 100, 200, 400, and 1500-metre freestyle events, successfully defending his individual gold medal performances from last season. He added another gold with the 4x100m freestyle relay team, anchoring the team of Allen Zheng, Thomas Boyd, Nathan Schiffmann, and a silver in the 4x200m freestyle relay with Boyd, Schiffmann, and Louis Bertrand. With his six medals this year he now has 18 conference medals in his Gee-Gees career, which puts him second in team history, one ahead of Adam Best and two behind Montana Champagne. Casarin is first in team history with 13 conference gold medals.

The Gee-Gees scored big points in the women's 400m freestyle with Delphine Vandal taking the gold medal followed by Adelle Yamashita-ball, Mackenzie Finkbeiner, and Alina Juuti in fourth, fifth, and seventh, respectively for a group total of 58 points. The same foursome also took gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and came 2-4-5-7 in the 800m free, earning 58 points.

William Barrett made his first career RSEQ podium finishes memorable, claiming a pair of gold medals in the 100 and 200-metre breaststroke events. He also teamed with Allen Zheng, Thomas Boyd, and William Green for a silver in the 200m freestyle relay: it was the first year of medaling for all four members of that relay squad.

In the men's 200 breast, there were five Gee-Gees in the A Final as Barrett and Rice were followed by Dawson Konrad in fourth, Jamie Demers in sixth, and Noah Wagner in eighth. The men's 100 free was another big event for uOttawa with Davide Casarin taking gold and Thomas Boyd, Allen Zheng, and Nathan Schiffman taking 4-5-8, respectively.

The Gee-Gees had double-medallists in the men's 50 free, 400 free, and 200 breaststroke events.

Gordon Forrest, a second-year accounting student from Christchurch, New Zealand, made the A Finals in the 50m and 100m backstroke, placing eighth in both, and also placing seventh in the 200m backstroke. An Academic All-Canadian, he won the RSEQ Leadership and Engagement award recognizing his commitment to community initiatives. Forrest's work includes organizing Ottawa Burger Fest as a fundraiser for the Canadian Mental Health Association, volunteering for environmental initiatives on his trip to Mexico last summer, and being an active member of the Telfer International Club.

The Gee-Gees also celebrated the senior members of the team at the RSEQ Championships. This year's seniors are: Davide Casarin, Jordan Doucette, Mackenzie Finkbeiner, William Green, Alina Juuti, Dawson Konrad, Morgan McCartney, Ethan Rice, and Delphine Vandal.

Full results from the event are available online.

Gee-Gees 2020 RSEQ Medallists: