AUS swimming season begins this weekend with Amby Legere Invitational
Dalhousie remains the cream of the crop after earning men's and women's team titles last season
Halifax, NS (Oct. 18, 2024) – The 2024-25 Atlantic University Sport AUS swimming season starts this weekend with UNB hosting the Amby Legere Invitational Oct. 19-20.
Dalhousie will look to, once again, fill up the podium this season as their women’s team strives for their 23rd consecutive AUS title and men’s team looks for their 25th title in the past 26 years.
At last year’s AUS Championships, the hosts from Dalhousie recorded a combined 993 points on the women’s side and 1,006 points on the men’s side to earn the team titles.
Acadia placed second on both sides of the team event, earning 760 points on the women’s side and 772.5 on the men’s. Back in 2019-20, it was the Axemen who disrupted Dal’s 21-year streak as men’s champs.
The Memorial University Sea-Hawks placed third in the women’s team standings with 436 points, while UNB took bronze in the men’s team event with 431 points.
Memorial’s Chris Weeks made history as the first Sea-Hawks swimmer to win the AUS Male Swimmer of the Year after posting wins in the 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle. He also earned the AUS Male Rookie of the Year award to become the first male swimmer to win both Swimmer and Rookie of the Year since Dalhousie’s David Sharpe did so back in the 2009-10 season.
If that wasn’t enough, Weeks went on to the U SPORTS National Swimming Championships and set a new U SPORTS record in the 50m butterfly with a gold medal winning time of 23.90 seconds. A day later, Weeks placed silver in the 100m freestyle event.
Dal Tiger Reagan Crowell was named AUS Female Swimmer of the Year for the third straight time after capturing four individual gold medals (100m free, 200m free, 400m free, 800m free), two relay gold medals (4x200m free, 4x400m free), and an individual silver in the 400m medley.
Crowell’s three-straight Swimmer of the Year awards matches the feat done by UNB’s Carla Geurts (2001, 2002, 2003).
UNB’s Emma Sinclair was named the AUS Female Rookie of the Year to become the first REDS female swimmer to win the award since Danielle Losier did so in the 2009-10 season.
Following the Amby Legere Invitational, Acadia will host the Jack Scholz Invitational Nov. 2-3. Dalhousie will close out the first semester by welcoming AUS swimmers to the Kemp-Fry Invitational Nov. 22-24.
Dalhousie will open 2025 by hosting another meet the weekend of Jan. 25-26 before the AUS season comes to a close when UNB hosts the Conference Championships Feb. 21-23.