University of Pittsburgh Athletics
International Roundup: Panthers Swimming Around the Globe This Summer
7/30/2018 2:00:00 PM | Swimming & Diving
PITTSBURGH—Student-athletes from the University of Pittsburgh swimming & diving program have competed across the globe in recent months, representing themselves, Pitt and their respective native nations at some of the world's most prestigious meets.
From the European Championships in Scotland to the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships to last spring's 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, current Pitt swimmers have been far and wide, making a name for themselves during the long course season by winning national titles, competing at continental competitions and setting huge personal bests.
Here is a roundup of where select Pitt swimming & diving student-athletes have been competing at during the collegiate offseason:
Rachel Brown, Brian Ramsey, Luke Smutny | United States
Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships (July 25-29) | Irvine, California
Pitt sent three athletes to compete at this summer's premier USA Swimming meet to swim against the best American swimmers in Irvine, Calif.
Ramsey produced massive personal-best times in his events, placing 23rd in the 200 Breast (2:13.82) after qualifying for the C Final in the event, and taking 35th in the 50 Breast (28.50) and 36th in the 100 Breast (1:02.49).
Smutny impressed with a 33rd-place finish in the 200 Fly (2:00.24), while Brown took 79th in the 200 Free with a time of 2:03.95.
Ramsey and Smutny will be juniors for the Panthers in 2018-19, while Brown enters her senior season.
Valerie Daigneault | Canada
Canada Swimming Trials (July 18-22) | Edmonton, Canada
After finishing a strong sophomore season with the Panthers, Daigneault competed once again at the Canadian Swimming Trials, posting four top-15 finishes.
Competing against her nation's top swimming athletes, Daigneault took seventh in the A Final of the 200 Back (2:14.97) and also finished 12th in the 200 IM (2:17.82) and 13th in the 200 Free (2:03.61) and 100 Back (1:03.26) in Edmonton.
Samy Helmbacher | France
France Elite Long Course National Championships (May 22-27) | Saint Raphael, France
Mediterranean Games (June 22-July 1) | Tarragona, Spain
Canada Swimming Trials (July 18-22) | Edmonton, Canada
Helmbacher has had a busy summer excelling in long course competitions in Europe and North America.
In May, Helmbacher was crowned the French national champion in the 400-meter individual medley when he posted the top time in the event by a Frenchmen at his homeland's national championships. Helmbacher, who will be a junior at Pitt in 2018-19, posted a personal-best time of 4:20.70 in his preferred event to earn his first national title. He also finished fourth among Frenchmen in the 200 IM with a finals time of 2:03.25.
Helmbacher's efforts at French Nationals earned him a place on the French team for the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, where he took fifth in the 400 IM (4:27.92) and 12th in the 200 IM (2:05.00).
In a final long-course meet before beginning his junior season at Pitt, Helmbacher also joined Daigneault in Edmonton for the 2018 Canadian Swimming Trials. He posted the top prelims time in the 400 IM (4:23.97) and the second-best overall time in the 200 IM (2:02.89), cruising to victory in the B Final of each event since he was not eligible to compete in A Finals as a foreign participant.
Shahar Menahem | Israel
Israel Swimming Cup (April 18-21) | Tel Aviv, Israel
European Championships (August 3-12) | Glasgow, Scotland
Weeks after finishing her freshman season with the Panthers, Menahem earned the Israeli national title in the 200-meter backstroke with a come-from-behind effort of 2:13.16. That time also booked Menahem's trip to the 2018 European Swimming Championships in Scotland.
Competing against Europe's best at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow, Menahem certainly held her own while competing in five events. She raced in the 50-meter backstroke (29.66), 100 backstroke (1:03.15), 200 backstroke (2:15.88), 200 individual medley (2:19.98) and 400 individual medley (4:58.42) during a busy week in early August.
Eben Vorster | South Africa
Commonwealth Games (April 4-15) | Gold Coast, Australia
Vorster, who will be a junior for the Panthers in 2018-19, was selected to represent South Africa at the prestigious Commonwealth Games back in April.
Against some top athletes from the nations of the British Empire, Vorster produced personal-best swims and certainly held his own. He advanced to the semifinals in two events and ended up with finishes of 11th in the 400 Free (3:56.82), 15th in the 100 Fly (54.75) and 18th in the 200 Free (1:50.78).
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From the European Championships in Scotland to the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships to last spring's 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, current Pitt swimmers have been far and wide, making a name for themselves during the long course season by winning national titles, competing at continental competitions and setting huge personal bests.
Here is a roundup of where select Pitt swimming & diving student-athletes have been competing at during the collegiate offseason:
Rachel Brown, Brian Ramsey, Luke Smutny | United States
Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships (July 25-29) | Irvine, California
Pitt sent three athletes to compete at this summer's premier USA Swimming meet to swim against the best American swimmers in Irvine, Calif.
Ramsey produced massive personal-best times in his events, placing 23rd in the 200 Breast (2:13.82) after qualifying for the C Final in the event, and taking 35th in the 50 Breast (28.50) and 36th in the 100 Breast (1:02.49).
Smutny impressed with a 33rd-place finish in the 200 Fly (2:00.24), while Brown took 79th in the 200 Free with a time of 2:03.95.
Ramsey and Smutny will be juniors for the Panthers in 2018-19, while Brown enters her senior season.
Valerie Daigneault | Canada
Canada Swimming Trials (July 18-22) | Edmonton, Canada
After finishing a strong sophomore season with the Panthers, Daigneault competed once again at the Canadian Swimming Trials, posting four top-15 finishes.
Competing against her nation's top swimming athletes, Daigneault took seventh in the A Final of the 200 Back (2:14.97) and also finished 12th in the 200 IM (2:17.82) and 13th in the 200 Free (2:03.61) and 100 Back (1:03.26) in Edmonton.
Samy Helmbacher | France
France Elite Long Course National Championships (May 22-27) | Saint Raphael, France
Mediterranean Games (June 22-July 1) | Tarragona, Spain
Canada Swimming Trials (July 18-22) | Edmonton, Canada
Helmbacher has had a busy summer excelling in long course competitions in Europe and North America.
In May, Helmbacher was crowned the French national champion in the 400-meter individual medley when he posted the top time in the event by a Frenchmen at his homeland's national championships. Helmbacher, who will be a junior at Pitt in 2018-19, posted a personal-best time of 4:20.70 in his preferred event to earn his first national title. He also finished fourth among Frenchmen in the 200 IM with a finals time of 2:03.25.
Helmbacher's efforts at French Nationals earned him a place on the French team for the Mediterranean Games in Tarragona, where he took fifth in the 400 IM (4:27.92) and 12th in the 200 IM (2:05.00).
In a final long-course meet before beginning his junior season at Pitt, Helmbacher also joined Daigneault in Edmonton for the 2018 Canadian Swimming Trials. He posted the top prelims time in the 400 IM (4:23.97) and the second-best overall time in the 200 IM (2:02.89), cruising to victory in the B Final of each event since he was not eligible to compete in A Finals as a foreign participant.
Shahar Menahem | Israel
Israel Swimming Cup (April 18-21) | Tel Aviv, Israel
European Championships (August 3-12) | Glasgow, Scotland
Weeks after finishing her freshman season with the Panthers, Menahem earned the Israeli national title in the 200-meter backstroke with a come-from-behind effort of 2:13.16. That time also booked Menahem's trip to the 2018 European Swimming Championships in Scotland.
Competing against Europe's best at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre in Glasgow, Menahem certainly held her own while competing in five events. She raced in the 50-meter backstroke (29.66), 100 backstroke (1:03.15), 200 backstroke (2:15.88), 200 individual medley (2:19.98) and 400 individual medley (4:58.42) during a busy week in early August.
Eben Vorster | South Africa
Commonwealth Games (April 4-15) | Gold Coast, Australia
Vorster, who will be a junior for the Panthers in 2018-19, was selected to represent South Africa at the prestigious Commonwealth Games back in April.
Against some top athletes from the nations of the British Empire, Vorster produced personal-best swims and certainly held his own. He advanced to the semifinals in two events and ended up with finishes of 11th in the 400 Free (3:56.82), 15th in the 100 Fly (54.75) and 18th in the 200 Free (1:50.78).
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