UNews - Zack McAllister

Horns swimmer McAllister honoured with Queen's medal

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:14:14 +0000

At only 20 years old, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns swimmer Zack McAllister received one of Canada's highest honours recently when he was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his accomplishments representing Canada on the international swimming stage.

Created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, this commemorative medal serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

McAllister joined the ‘Horns swimming program in January of 2012 after graduating from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. He advanced through the Lethbridge Amateur Swim Club (LASC), and represented Canada at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

“Zack often downplays the significance of his accomplishments,” says Pronghorns head swim coach Peter Schori. “This recognition is a great opportunity for him to see how proud the community is of his world class performances and the inspiration he offers to other athletes and non-athletes.”

In London, McAllister’s best finish was sixth place in the 400-metre individual medley, and he put together a pair of exceptional performances enroute to that finish. McAllister knocked six seconds of his then personal best time to qualify for the finals and in the finals he swam another four seconds faster to finish sixth.

McAllister has also represented Canada at the Para Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mex. in fall 2011, and after enrolling at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in January 2012, attended meets in Los Angeles, Colorado and Sheffield, England. McAllister’s disability is a condition by which he has too many bones in his limbs, thereby restricting growth and range of motion in both his arms and legs.

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.

Horn swimmers vye for Olympic spots

trevor.kenney — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:46:07 +0000

Eight current members of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns swim team will travel to Montreal with Olympic dreams on the line. The Olympic trials will run from Mar. 27 to Apr. 1 at the Historic Montreal Olympic Pool. Rogers Sportsnet will be covering the action live nightly (5 to 6 p.m. MST).

Ryan Thornley, Jeffery Nicol, Mat Lyola, Matthew Mastromatteo, Tiha Konyves, David Errington, Zack McAllister and Jessica Kelly will represent the 'Horns at the trials, while former Pronghorn Kristy Gabruck will also compete.

Nicol led the way for the 'Horns at the Canada West Championships this season, winning three medals at the conference meet, while Thornley was the top Pronghorn at the CIS Championship meet in late February. Thornley finished sixth in the 50-metre fly and set a new school record in the process.

The lone female Pronghorn to compete in the CIS Championship, Jessica Kelly placed in three events and earned 17.5 points. Kelly won the 'B' final in the 100-metre fly.

Thornley, Nicol, and Kelly will be looking to crack the top 8 by making it to the 'A' final.

McAllister is in his first year at the U of L and has had a great season, having competed at the Pan American Games in Mexico this past fall. He will be competing for a spot on the Paralympic Team. Unfortunately for McAllister, he is still waiting on a classification appeal, and might not know if he has qualified until after the ruling has been made.

UNews - Zack McAllister

Horns swimmer McAllister honoured with Queen's medal

Related Topics

McAllister named to Paralympic Games team

Related Topics

Horn swimmers vye for Olympic spots

Related Topics