UNews - swimmer

Nicol, Thornley lead Horns' effort in pool

trevor.kenney — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 18:45:06 +0000

This past weekend in Victoria, 27 Pronghorn swimmers hit the pool at the Canada West Championships, led by medalists Jeff Nicol and Ryan Thornley. It was the largest group of swimmers the 'Horns have sent in recent memory and they continued to build on this season's positive results.

Both the men's and women's sides finished fifth in their respective team categories with the men's side accumulating 293.5 points, while the women's side finished with 216. The 'Horns had 13 top-eight finishes at the meet and 20 of 27 swimmers recorded individual scoring points.

There were also two school records broken in Victoria with Thornley breaking the school record in the 100 metre backstroke and the men's 400 freestyle relay team also setting a new school mark.

"Canada West is the fastest conference meet in the CIS and it lived up to its billing," says first-year head coach Peter Schori. "Overall, I am pleased with our team's improvement but not satisfied with all of our results, I think we are better in some areas than we showed and expect to see improvements at the CIS Championships."

Thornley and fifth-year swimmer, Nicol led the way for the Pronghorns and were the only medalists this year. Nicol has medaled at the last four conference championship meets and finished with two medals in Victoria, while Thornley picked up a bronze in the 50-metre fly on Friday.

In the 200-metre breast stroke, Nicol earned silver in the event for the second consecutive year, and is currently ranked third in the CIS. He also swam a lifetime best time in the 100-metre breast stroke en route to a bronze medal.

The men's 400-metre freestyle relay team narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth. It is currently ranked fifth in the CIS.

"We needed 3/10ths more in the Men's 400 Free Relay to get on the podium ahead of Alberta. The boys raced well but I think there are lots of places over 400 metres to find the improvement we need," says Schori.

On the women's side, Kara Declark had two top-8 finishes in the 50 and 100-metre fly events and Kiara Bodell also finished in the top eight in the 100 backstroke. A bright sign for the women looking toward the future is that 10 of the 14 women that competed at the championships registered points for the team.

"I am pleased to see the progress from our Women's team. They are a very young team and have raised their level of competitiveness in Canada West moving up to 5th place with 10 swimmers scoring points," says Schori.

The 'Horns had one more swimmer qualify for the CIS Championships and have qualified nine to date. The team will have another chance this weekend to post CIS qualifying times as the Lethbridge Swim Club plays host to the Speedo Alberta Senior Swimming Championships at the Max Bell Pool.

The CIS Championship meet will be hosted by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos, Feb. 21-23.

Schori sees no limits

trevor.kenney — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 20:47:46 +0000

Peter Schori has no qualms about saying he has long coveted the head coaching position with the Pronghorns swim team. Similarly, he has no problem declaring that there are no limits to what this team can achieve.

"I am absolutely thrilled to be here," says Schori, who was born in Gainesville, Fla. but grew up primarily in Calgary. "I've wanted this job for a long time and I can't wait to see what we can do in the next few years."

New head swim coach Peter Schori is enthused about the future of the Horns swimming program.

Schori comes to the U of L having worked wonders with the Marlin Aquatic Club in Medicine Hat the last 11 years. Schori had left an assistant's role with Calgary's Cascade Swim Club to go to Medicine Hat in 2001, seeking a head coaching position and smaller community to set down roots.

Since then, he has been busy putting the Marlin club on the map, producing elite level swimmers that included both world championship and Olympic participants.

"What we were able to do in Medicine Hat is pretty unique in terms of producing the high performance swimmers we did out of a tiny club and tiny town," says Schori. "I went in there with the belief, and I told them this, "You can get there from here, you don't have to be in Calgary", and they did. "Honest to goodness, I don't see a limit in terms of what we can accomplish here in Lethbridge."

Schori coveted the Horns job because it allows him to grow professionally and move into a high performance setting. His work in Medicine Hat was primarily with pre post-secondary swimmers and he's excited about the chance to work with young men and women.

"The facilities here are great, the size of the community is awesome and there's just a different feel to a university community than a city or town that does not have a university," he says.

His wife Staci (BFA '08, BEd '10) is a U of L alumna and the couple just recently welcomed daughter Willow into their lives.

A competitive swimmer growing up, Schori is quick to downplay his talents in the pool.

"My standard line is that if I get in the water I lose credibility," he deadpans, admitting that he actually fell just shy of a national caliber level.

What he learned as a swimmer who almost made it is reflective in the way he coaches today.

"I was good enough to understand the sport very well but I had my shortcomings, and I think if I'd had a little more support in terms of coaching, it would have helped me at the time," he says. "Some people can use the experience of going to an Olympics to help teach, whereas I can bring the experience of some of the things I struggled with to help teach."

Schori isn't blind to the challenges he faces. His Canada West rivals at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia boast National Training Centres, while American colleges and universities have come into Lethbridge and wooed some of the best young swimmers away from the Horns program. But he's willing to fight the fight and believes the Horns can win a few battles along the way.

"It's tough when an American school can come here offering $120,000 in scholarship money but at the end of the day, that's just four years of schooling, and we can provide that too," Schori says. "We have everything we need here. What we need to do is convince the best student/athlete swimmers that this will be the environment that they can achieve their true potential."

This story first appeared in the September 2012 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Schori to head Horns swimming

trevor.kenney — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 17:09:40 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns and LA Swim Club (LASC) have named Peter Schori as the head coach and director of swimming with both programs, taking over for the departed Brad Mori.

"Peter is seen as a leader in Alberta swimming circles and will do a great job of picking up where Brad left off," says Pronghorn Athletics executive director Sandy Slavin. "We feel he is the right person to continue to move the program forward."

Mori resigned from his post earlier this summer to pursue a position in Calgary.

Since 2001, Schori has been the head coach of the Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club in Medicine Hat, where he coached former Pronghorn swimmer and Canadian Olympian Richard Hortness. In his time with the Marlin Aquatic Club, he was named the Swim Alberta age group coach of the year in 2010 and junior female coach of the year in 2011. Prior to moving to Medicine Hat, Schori was the head age group coach with the Cascade Swim Club in Calgary.

Schori was also a member of the Team Canada coaching staff for the 2011 FINA World Championships. He officially takes over the 'Horns and LASC programs on Sept. 1.

McAllister named to Paralympic Games team

trevor.kenney — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 17:11:49 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge can claim another Olympic athlete after Swimming Canada announced that first-year Horns swimmer Zack McAllister will be one of 24 athletes that will represent Canada at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

"We are thrilled that Zack will be a part of Canada's Paralympic Team," says Brad Mori, the head coach of the Horns swimming program. "In our 75-year history, Zack is the first Lethbridge swimmer to qualify for the Olympic or Paralympic Games."

McAllister joins Horns alumnus Jim Steacy and his sister Heather Steacy as Horns athletes headed to London. The Steacys (who have reached qualifying marks but have not yet been officially named to the team) will compete in the men's and women's hammer throw competitions at the Olympic Games beginning July 27. The Paralympic Games begin a month later, Aug. 29.

"It was a long road for Zack to get to this moment," says Mori. "He faced a tough re-classification process and it seemed like this moment was never going to happen."

McAllister represented Canada at the Para Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico in fall 2011 before returning to Lethbridge for his first-year classes at the U of L. In the winter, he swam at events in Los Angeles, Colorado, Montreal and Sheffield, England. This spring, McAllister was in Flagstaff, AZ, for a two-week high altitude camp.

McAllister is currently ranked fifth in the world in the 400-metre freestyle in his classification category.

"It sends adrenaline shivers down my spine thinking about Zack going off to London," says Mori.

Swimmers earn Horn awards

trevor.kenney — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:45:07 +0000

A pair of swimmers earned Subway Pronghorn Athlete of the Week honours after their performances for the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge swim teams at the CIS Championship meet this past weekend.

Fifth-year swimmer Kristy Gabruck put a cap on her post-secondary career with a pair of personal best finishes and a new school record.

For the fourth time this season, Gabruck broke the Pronghorn school record en route to a seventh place finish in the 50-metre breaststroke event.

She just missed out on breaking another school record, in the 100m breaststroke, but still managed to eclipse her personal best time by two seconds, finishing 10^th overall.

On the men's side, sophomore Jeff Nicol continued his ascent up the CIS swimming ranks. After earning his first Canada West medals in late January, Nicol moved up one place in the CIS rankings, finishing 13th in the 200m breaststroke, the only event in which he qualified for the finals.

Nicol narrowly missed the top 16 in both the 100m and 50m breaststroke events. He also swam in the 400m and 800m freestyle relays, where the Horns men's team finished 14th in both races.

Nicol, Van Buskirk earn Horns' award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:26:57 +0000

Swimmer Jeff Nicol and women's hockey player Amy Van Buskirk had storng weekends in Canada West action, earning Subway Pronghorn Athlete of the Week honours.

Nicol, competing at the Canada West swimming championships in his home pool, rose to the challenge and captured the Horns' first two Canada West swimming medals in five years.

Saturday, the second-year swimmer earned a bronze medal in the 100-metre breaststroke with a time of one minute, 4.04 seconds. Nicol then hit the pool for his best event, the 200m breaststroke. Ranked second in the conference heading into the meet, Nicol lived up to his ranking and claimed the silver medal.

Nicol also finished fourth in the 50m breaststroke and was a member of the Horns' medley relay team that placed sixth. As a result, Nicol has qualified for the CIS swimming championships to be held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto, Feb. 18-21.

On the women's side, second-year defenceman Van Buskirk picked an opportune time to score her first career CIS goals this past weekend, helping the surging Horns women's hockey team earn three of a possible four points versus the visiting UBC Thunderbirds.

In Friday night's series opener, Van Buskirk scored with 25 seconds left in the third period to force overtime in a game that the Horns eventually lost 3-2 in a shootout. Still, the goal earned the Horns a valuable point in the race for a Canada West playoff spot.

The next night, Van Buskirk's power play goal capped a Horns' three-goal first period explosion in a 4-1 victory over the T-Birds.

Campus Kudos

trevor.kenney — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:42:00 +0000

Former Pronghorn swimmer Richard Hortness, swimming for his hometown Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club out of Medicine Hat, set a new Canadian record at the 2009 Short Course Spring Nationals in Toronto in March. Hortness, who was with the Pronghorns in 2004-05, teamed with Brent Hayden, Rory Biskuspi and Tommy Gossland to set a new 4 x 50 metre freestyle relay record.

Lisa Lambert (BA '91, MA '07) was recently honoured as a YWCA of Lethbridge, 2009 Woman of Distinction for her work as a social advocate. Currently teaching a Canadian Politics course at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, Lambert is also working on her doctorate degree.

Winners of the U of L Plays and Prose Writing Competition were: Plays – James Forbes (1st), Adam Beauchesne (2nd), Trista Green (3rd) and Prose – Dave Bryant (1st), Adam Sarjeant (2nd), Henry Heavy Shield (3rd).

Several drama faculty, staff, and alumni were involved in the recent New West Theatre production of The Drawer Boy. Ron Chambers (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Marek Czuma (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jeremy Park (BFA '08) acted; Gail Hanrahan (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) directed; David Barrus (staff) was set designer; Rebecca Toon (BFA '06) designed the costumes; Kelly Roberts (staff) designed was sound designer and Lindsey Zess-Funk (BFA '07) was stage manager.

The U of L's 07/08 Report – Rethink About It – received a silver award in the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education (CCAE) 2009 PRIX D'EXCELLENCE awards program in the best institutional annual report category.

The Report, which is the U of L's annual report to the community, was distributed to 335,000 households in October 2008. The Report is produced by the Communications Office within ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Advancement.

This is the third consecutive year that the Report has received an award from CCAE. In 2006/2007 the Report received a silver award, and in 2005/2006 the Report received a gold award.

To view the 07/08 Report online, visit: www.ulethbridge.ca/report

Dr. Anne Dymond (Art), Dr. Shelley Scott (Theatre & Dramatic Arts), Dr. Anonymous Will Smith (New Media) all wrote books that were acknowledged at the recent U of L Book Award Celebration.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Art Gallery) wrote an essay entitled, "The answer is two years spent baking vulva-shaped cookies, or On Understanding Lesbian Representation," which appears in the catalogue for Toronto artist Allyson Mitchell's latest exhibition, Allyson Mitchell: Ladies Sasquatch. The catalogue has just been launched and Mitchell's exhibition is on tour across Canada and comes to the U of L Art Gallery, Sept. 18 – Oct. 30, 2009.

Dr. Rolf Boon's (Music) composition, Bike Ride, has been selected for publication in the Canadian National Conservatory of Music's Northern Lights Level 5B Musical Discoveries collection. This is the eighth of Rolf's works that CNCM has published.

Dr. David Renter (Music) recently recorded with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble in Saskatoon. The group recorded one of Renter's big band compositions called Kukai and he was the featured soloist on several other selections during the recording. The CD will be released later this year.

Dagmar Dahle (Art), Don Gill (Art), Mary Kavanagh (Art), and Tanya Harnett (Art) had exhibition publications recently released by the Southern Alberta Art Gallery.

Dr. Josephine Mills (Director/Curator U of L art Gallery) has been accepted into the Getty Leadership Institute's museum program. The program is an intensive three weeks in Los Angeles during July in the Museum Leadership Institute 2009.

Richard Epp (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) acted in Theatre Calgary's recent production of An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde.

Lisa Doolittle (Theatre & Dramatic Arts) and Jean Harrowing (Health Sciences) have recently received an Award of Distinction from the Internationalizing the Teaching and Learning Practice program for their work with students in Malawi last summer. The award is presented by Advanced Education and Technology.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Music Department at Dalhousie ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, distinguished alumni are being invited back to perform. Dr. Blaine Hendsbee (Music) was the tenor soloist in a concert of Mozart's Requiem, Apr. 7, in Halifax. He also presented master's classes at Dalhousie during the week.

Track team heads to Regina

trevor.kenney — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 16:35:22 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorn Track and Field team is off to Regina for the Canada West Championship meet this weekend.

For the second consecutive year, the Horns have qualified 30 athletes for the conference championship meet. Over the last two seasons, the Horns have qualified the largest teams in program history; an indication the new training facility is paying dividends.

The Horns head to the championship meet with a relatively young team and expectations are that the squad will post a number of personal-best efforts and have a handful of medal contenders. The men's team leads the way and is ranked 11th in the CIS heading into the conference event.

The biggest addition to the Horns squad is the return of Olympian Jim Steacy. After taking last season off to focus on the hammer throw and his Olympic quest, he will complete his fifth and final year of eligibility with the Horns this spring. Steacy enters the season still undefeated in his CIS career in the weight throw, and is ranked fourth in the world in weight throw.

Steacy will be the favorite to win the weight throw and shot put events at both the Canada West and CIS Championships and finish his career as one of the most decorated Pronghorn track and field athletes ever. To date, he has accumulated seven Canada West medals and seven CIS medals. In total, he has won 12 gold medals, including six at each meet.

Defending CIS weight throw champion Heather Steacy is another favorite to medal for the Horns. The two-time defending Canada West and CIS champion in weight, Steacy has had some early season struggles, but has slowly inched towards her personal best distances.

Kyle Murray, Brett Bromley, and Dominic Mudayai will lead a contingent of rookies who show promise and expect to rise to the occasion at the conference meet. Mudayai enters his first Canada West championships ranked third in men's long jump, while Bromley is ranked fourth in Canada West in the men's triple jump event. Sophomore sprinter Murray looks to continue his ascent in the 300 metres and challenge for a medal.

Athletes of the Week

Swimmer Kristy Gabruck and men's hockey forward Lucio Pucci-Danielle were named Pronghorn Athletes of the Week after strong performances in Canada West athletics.

Gabruck, a fourth-year breaststroke specialist out of Taber, had another successful CIS Championship meet. Gabruck set personal best marks in each of her distances and placed 11th in the 50-metre final, achieving the Swim Canada National qualifying time.

Gabruck will wrap up the winter competitive season in two weeks at the Swimming Canada Nationals in Toronto.

Pucci-Danielle, a third-year forward, had his best weekend of the season as the Horns played in their final regular season games.

Friday night, Pucci-Danielle picked up a goal and an assist in the Horns' 5-4 shootout loss to the CIS #2 ranked Alberta Golden Bears. The next night, while not hitting the scoresheet, Pucci-Danielle had another strong night for the Horns in a 2-1 loss.

Horns host Golden Bears

trevor.kenney — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:29:12 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns will be playing for an opportunity to move up to third place in the Canada West standings this weekend but the heavy lifting was done last week.

The Horns men's hockey team clinched a post-season berth as well as a home playoff date in the first round when they split with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary Dinos a week ago. Now, with no chance of dropping from their fourth-place standing, the Horns will look to sweep visiting Alberta Golden Bears to overtake idle Manitoba for third spot in the conference standings. Games are Friday and Saturday nights, 7 p.m. at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

The Horns (14-12-0) do not yet know whom they will host in the first round of playoffs, Mar. 6-8, but look to go into the post-season on a winning note. The Bears (20-4-2) have clinched top spot in the conference and, along with ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan, will have a bye in the first round of playoffs. Ranked second in the country, U of A has won three of the four previous meetings with the Pronghorns this season with all four games in Edmonton.

Universiade

Both the Pronghorns and Golden Bears will play this weekend's series shorthanded due to the Winter Universiade in Harbin, China. The Horns are without defenceman Ryan Pottruff and forward Dustin Moore, while the Bears have seven players on the team, including the conference's top goaltender, Aaron Sorochan, and leading scorer Chad Klassen.

Friday, Canada ripped host China 13-0 with Pottruff netting the game-winning goal just 4:24 into the first period. Moore also added a second period power play tally. Canada plays Great Britain Saturday as the preliminary round continues.

Swimming

The Horns swim team has five members representing the program at the CIS Championship meet in Vancouver this weekend. Having qualified a third male swimmer last weekend, the Horns were able to add a men's relay team to the championships and will have four men and one female swimmer compete in the championship event.

With only five swimmers at the meet, it is unrealistic for the Horns to compete for the team titles, but with all five swimmers eligible to return next season, they will gain a great deal of experience.

Pronghorn pride shows in classroom

trevor.kenney — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:00:10 +0000

When members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns athletic program are referred to as student-athletes, the emphasis is almost always on the athlete. Each
academic year, however, a talented group of individuals is able to bring focus to the student part of the moniker and they are recognized as Canadian Interuniversity Sport Academic All-Canadians.
"We see this as a really special accomplishment," Sandy Slavin, Executive Director, Sport and Recreation Services, says. "We see how much time they put into their athletics, and I don't know if people appreciate that commitment. When you consider that and then factor in an 80 per cent average on their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, it really is a special achievement."
A total of 36 Pronghorn athletes made the grade for the 2007-08 academic year,
roughly 20 per cent of the entire athletic roster. For some it was a first appearance
on the list, while others, like swimmer Shannon Emerson, 2007-08 marked the culmination of five successive Academic All-Canadian seasons.
"I'm very proud to say that I was able to balance both, able to go to university, get great grades and still be successful in my swimming," Emerson (BFA/BEd), a
Lethbridge native who graduated in May, says.
"There is a lot to balance and it was hard to get used to at first. Looking back, I really think that being both an athlete and a student helped build great organizational and management skills, and that's something I carried on throughout my studies and now into my career."
Applying the discipline associated with being an athlete to studies is a consistent theme with many of the Pronghorns.
"Honestly, I find that when we're in our heavy season it's easier to find time to do all my studies because I have a structured framework for it," Pronghorns rugby player and management student Amanda Richardson says. "Now that the season is done I tend to procrastinate a little bit because I have that extra time, and in the end I'm more rushed."
Richardson, who hails from Olds, Alta., is proof that athletes can excel in both arenas. A member of the two-time CIS championship Pronghorns rugby squad, she has now earned her second Academic All-Canadian honour to go along with a Canada West all-star nod and CIS Tournament all-star recognition.
While the studentathletes do the heavy lifting to achieve their All-Canadian status, a framework of support that includes teammates, coaches and professors all helps the cause.
"The profs here at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge are really supportive," Pronghorns women's hockey goaltender and management student Mackenzie Rizos says. "They find out you're a student-athlete and they try and make any accommodations for you that they can. Whether you are missing classes or tests, they've all been very helpful."
It's also a pride thing amongst many of the teams. Rizos and her hockey teammates tied the women's soccer team for having the most All-Canadians on campus, with six apiece.
"Our team made it our goal to have a higher (combined) GPA this year," she says. "We have study hall and awards for people who do improve and I think it's great our team recognizes those who do accomplish that goal."
She's quick to put into perspective what being a student-athlete means.
"It's important to realize you are here to get a degree," Rizos, a Calgary native, says.
"The reality is that being a women's hockey player, you can't really make a career out of it, so it's nice to be able to play hockey and have it contribute to your academic experience and I'm lucky to be able to do that."

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