Martin and Sinclair Win Again
(HALIFAX, NS) The UNB REDS finished fourth in both the women's and men's standings at the 2023 Kemp-Fry Invitational, the third meet on the 2023-2024 Atlantic University Sport swimming schedule.
The REDS showed well on Sunday, the final day of the three-day competition hosted by the Dal Tigers, in Halifax.
First-year RED Emma Sinclair won her second race of the weekend, taking top spot in the women's 200-metre butterfly, a race she won with a two-plus second margin of victory.
"The 200 fly has always been a tough battle, so I'm super happy that I was able to rise to the occasion," said Sinclair. "Overall, I'm pleased with my swims this weekend and I can't wait for the AUS Championships."
Élodie Martin also won for the second time on Sunday, taking the women's 100-metre freestyle.
"The 100 free is definitely my favourite race and winning this event at the Kemp-Fry feels amazing," said the second year RED. "I was trying to push myself to do better than the prelim, and seeing my team on the side cheering was a boost of energy."
Martin's UNB teammate Jessie Collett finished fourth in the 100 free, just 11/100ths of a second out of third place.
On Saturday, Martin won the 50-metre freestyle while Sinclair won the 100-metre butterfly.
On the men's side, Blake Kingston swam to second place finish in the 200-metre breaststroke and third in the 50-metre breaststroke.
"I felt like I was back on top again," said Kingston, the 200-metre breaststroke champ at the 2023 AUS Championships. "The season, so far, has been tough for the team, but we put in some good work in finals to give us a boost going forward."
UNB's Craig Bush finished sixth in the men's 200-metre butterfly while Max Kenny placed eighth in the 100-metre backstroke.
"We raced very well this weekend," said REDS' head coach Marta Belsh. "We had a lot of personal and season bests. Our goal was to race tough in the morning sessions and come back and race better in the finals. I think we did that very well. The work we put in during training certainly made us stronger, and everyone is excited for the next training cycle."
The host Tigers took top spot in both the women's and men's team standings with Acadia and Memorial finishing second and third.
The REDS will host the next meet on the AUS schedule, January 20th and 21st, 2024, at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre, in Saint John.
RECAP BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics
PHOTOS BY: Trevor MacMillan/for Dal Athletics