Mariya Chekanovych of Burnaby was a big winner for the Simon Fraser University women's swim team in Los Angeles last week.
Chekanovych posted the Clan's only win against 10th-ranked University of California Los Angeles on Saturday, taking the 100-yard breaststroke by almost three seconds over UCLA runner-up Jessica Khojasteh in a winning time of 1: 02.40.
On Friday, the SFU freshman chalked up five first-place finishes, including a pair of relays, as the Clan women defeated Pomona Pitzer College and California Baptist University in a pair of dual swim meets in Claremont, California.
Chekanovych started off the meet with a win in the 200-yd. medley relay with teammates Kristine Lawson, Alexandria Schofield and Nicole Cossey.
She then won both the 100-yd. breast in a time of 1: 03.50 and the 200-yd. individual medley, with a 2: 08.19 clocking, against Pomona Pitzer competiti-ion.
Against Cal Baptist, Chekanovych teamed with Lawson, Carman Nam and Meghan Quon to win the 400-yd. medley relay.
Chekanovych finished off the meet with a first-place swim in the 200-yd. breast in a time of 2: 20.30.
Against UCLA, Courtney Triano also had a strong showing in the 100-yd. breast finishing third.
Cossey placed second in the 100-yd. freestyle, while also earning a second runner-up finish with the 200-yd. free relay team of Lawson, Schofield and Jordyn Konrad.
In Friday's duals, Lawson, Cossey, Quon and Konrad also won the free relay. Other individual event winners included Quon, Cossey, Lawson and Nam.
Men win one
The SFU men won just one of four swim duals in southern California.
Three Clan swimmers, Kevin Nickerson, Hans Heyer and Dimitar Ivanov, posted two wins in their resepective individual Friday's events.
Ivanov also shared a victory in the 200-yd. medley relay with Julian Monks, Alexandre Duguay and Adam Kautz.
Heyer and Nickerson chalked up a relay win in the 200-yd. free with Paolo Olavario and Ciaran McDonnell.
In San Diego, Monks won the 100 and 200-yd. breast, while Heyer took the 100-yd. free and was runner-up in the free sprint. Ivanov was a winner in the 200yd. back. [email protected] - www.twitter.com/Thomas Berridge
