July 18, 2008
WINNIPEG, Man.- UPDATE: Julia Wilkinson breaks Canadian 50-meter backstroke record this evening. More info to come.
Texas A&M swimmer Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ont.) earned her second Canadian national title in as many days with an impressive victory in the 100-meter freestyle on Friday morning.
Wilkinson swam to a lifetime-best time of 55.02 to defeat Canadian Olympic Trials champion Erica Morningstar (55.54), who is also the national record holder in the event, for the second time in three meetings this year.
The two Canadian stars were in a virtual dead heat at the halfway point of the race (26.62 to 26.63), but Wilkinson proved too tough over the final 50 meters, outdistancing her Olympic teammate, 28.40 to 28.91, in the back half of the race.
Morningstar topped Wilkinson, 55.38 to 55.53, at the Olympic Trials on April 6 while Wilkinson returned the favor at the Mel Zajac, Jr. International meet in Vancouver on May 25, 55.05 to 55.55. Morningstar has a 2008 best time of 55.10, which she swam in Barcelona last month.
At present, Wilkinson is not scheduled to swim the 100-meter freestyle at the Olympics however she will be a highly valued member of the Canadian 400-meter freestyle relay team. From a qualifying standpoint, she is eligible to swim the event in Beijing as she has achieved the Olympic ?'A’ standard in the 100 free but she is tentatively slated to swim seven other events at this time.
Wilkinson wasn’t the only Aggie in championship final action on Friday morning. Freshman Melanie Dodds (Maple Ridge, B.C.) earned a fourth-place finish in the women’s 400-meter individual medley in 4:54.22. Dodds finished one spot ahead of former Big 12 backstroke champion Elizabeth Wycliffe (4:56.59) who swam at Texas from 2003-06.
Former A&M men’s swimmer Matt Rose (Lindsay, Ont.) was fourth in the 100-meter freestyle (50.28) as well.
Wilkinson will compete next in the preliminaries of the 50-meter backstroke on Friday night at Canadian Summer Nationals. Wilkinson set the Canadian record in the 50-meter backstroke at 28.63 on May 24. That time ranks No. 15 in the world this year.