Dal swim teams look to replicate undefeated season

The Dalhousie swim season is off with a splash.

The men’s and women’s swim teams had their first of many meets on Oct. 3. The inter-squad meet was mainly for training purposes, but that didn’t stop the swimmers from having fun and cheering on their teammates.

“The purpose of the meet is for the athletes to see where they’re at and to give them a starting point to set goals from,” says assistant coach Gary MacDonald.

The team trains seven to eight times a week for about a month, MacDonald says. He hopes to have the swimmers in the pool 18 hours a week in the coming months.

Despite the men’s team losing two of their best swimmers, Olympian David Sharpe and team captain Joe Ur, head coach Lance Cansdale says he’s confident the team will perform well this year.

“Our biggest weakness could be our biggest strength,” he says. “One third of our team is new which means they have no bad habits.”

Cansdale also acknowledged that having a young group of swimmers gives the team flexibility and creates excitement as swimmers start beating their personal bests.

There are a number of up-and-comers to watch this season. Sean Berrigan is one of Dalhousie’s newest swimmers. While he specializes in the 50 and 100-metre backstroke, he is also a well-rounded sprinter. He is currently in his first year of Dal’s business management program.

“It’s not too bad,” he says, regarding managing his time between in the water and the books. “Mandatory study hall is pretty useful for getting things done.”

Gavin Dyke, a freestyle swimmer through and through, is another one to watch. His main focus is the 100, 200, and 400- metre freestyle races. Dyke recently transferred to Dal from Memorial University.

On the women’s team, veteran swimmer Meagan Bernier is back for another year while she completes her master’s degree in resource and environmental management. The former team captain specializes in long distance swimming, competing in the 400 and 800-metre competitions at the university level and the 1500- metre race at the club level. For Bernier, it’s a race against the clock rather than a race against her peers.

“My goal is always to beat my best times,” she says. “You have to focus on yourself because you can’t control how other people do.”

Dal’s next meet is the Jack Scholz Invitational Oct. 17 and 18 at Acadia. It will be the first time this season the Tigers will compete against swimmers from other universities.