Members of the Varsity Blues swimming team are traveling to Victoria to compete at the 2010 senior national championships held at the Saanich Commonwealth Place from July 28-31.

The national championships will act as a second qualification meet for the Pan Pacific championships, held in Irving, California next month. For Canadian swimmers, making the Pan Pacific championships team is one step closer towards competing for Canada at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India next October.

Fourth-year humanities major Heather Maitland of Toronto will compete in the 10km open water event that is being held in conjunction with the championships at Thetis Lake on August 1. Swim Canada has opened two additional spots for the Pan Pacific championships team in this event.

Varsity Blues recruits Paige Schultz and Stephanie Horner are expected to shine in beautiful British Columbia. Schultz is set to compete in the 200m freestyle and Horner in the 400m freestyle events before they both take on Canada’s best in the 200m individual medley (IM).

Recent Blues graduates Colin Russell and Marco Monaco will also be in attendance. A 2008 Olympian, Russell will be a top contender in the 100m and 200m freestyle, despite already having been named to the Pan Pacific team. A native of Oakville, Ont., Monaco will swim in the 200m breaststroke event.

Also making the trip will be members of the high performance centre at the University of Toronto; Tobias Oriwol in the 100m and 200m backstroke and 200m IM, Joel Greenshields in the 100m freestyle and Warren Barnes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.

For more details on the 2010 senior national championships, click here. www.swimming.ca

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