Aug. 11, 2009
LAS VEGAS - Former Rebel Joe Bartoch ('06) became a world record holder on Sunday. Swimming the butterfly leg on the relay, Bartoch's Canadian 400m Medley Relay team eclipsed the former record (held by Russia) by a full second, swimming a time of 3:23.33.
The Canadian National "A" Team traveled directly from the World Championships in Rome to the British Gas Grand Prix, a short course meters competition in Leeds, England. On Sunday, the final day of competition, the Canadian relay of Jake Tapp, Paul Kornfeld, Bartoch, and Brent Hayden reached the high-point of their meet by winning the medley relay and breaking the world mark.
That wasn't the only action of the month for members of the UNLV swimming progam. Saturday concluded the U.S. Open at the Weyerheuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.
Eight Rebel athletes competed at the event, representing various clubs: Ana Dangalakova (senior), Nick Blank (junior), David Seiler (junior), Kyle Virva (junior), Calan Eldridge (junior), Andrew Morrell (sophomore), Charlie Tapp (sophomore), and Cody Roberts (incoming freshman).
The highlights began when Andrew Morrell scored points in the 200m breast, swimming a lifetime best 2:19.59 to squeak into the 24th spot.
Earning a second swim in the 100m fly were David Seiler (21st, 54.34) and Cody Roberts (24th, 54.54).
The fourth day of competition saw the highest Rebel finish. Kyle Virva swam a 1:52.02 in the prelim sessions of the 200m free. At night, he blasted his final heat to drop a full second, 1:51.01. He scored points for 18th (relegated as he was to the C final) but ended up with the 12th fastest time in the event.
Calan Eldridge and Charlie Tapp qualified 22nd and 23rd, respectively, for the 50-m. Freestyle finals on the final night of competition. Separated by only one one-hundredth of a second, they were staged for a showdown at night. Eldridge slipped a spot, adding a little to his 23.11 from the morning, but Tapp rose to the occasion and broke the very difficult 23-second barrier. He swam a lifetime best 22.83 and garnered points for an 18th-place finish (though he was the 13th-fastest time of the evening).
Well done Rebels!
