MAUI, HAWAII – Rebecca Smith asserted that women’s 100-metre butterfly and 4×100-m freestyle relay are Canadian specialties, claiming silver medals in both events at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships on Friday.

The relay of leadoff woman Smith, Mary-Sophie Harvey, Kayla Sanchez and Sarah Darcel led the host United States for 350-plus metres. Isabel Ivey, a double gold medallist freestyle, closed to give the U.S. the gold in three minutes 42.70 seconds ahead of Canada in 3:42.84. Australia (3:45.37) had the bronze.

“The relay was so much fun – Sarah [Darcel] did a great job at the end, she went a lifetime best,” said Smith, who has contributed four silvers toward Canada’s 11-medal total thus far at Junior Pan Pacs. “We got really pumped up before, we really wanted to be medal contenders and we did it.

“We wanted to keep up the excitement about the 4×1,” Smith added, referring to Canada’s bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “Personally, what’s really been getting me going is the success we’ve had as a team. We had five medals [Thursday] and we just wanted to keep that going.”

Sanchez, who covered the third leg, added that the group found a balance between excitement and confidence over the course of the day.

“When you bond as a group and achieve as a group, it’s really special,” she said. “We were together all day from the time the coaches told us we would be swimming the relay, apart from when Mary-Sophie and Rebecca had their swims.

“When I touched the wall I just couldn’t wait to get out of the water so I could watch and yell as loud as I could.”

“When I touched the wall I just couldn’t wait to get out of the water so I could watch and yell as loud as I could.”

The women’s 100-m butterfly had a four-way finish. Smith’s 58.84-second effort placed between American Eva Merrell (58.78, gold) and Australia’s Gemma Cooney (58.97).

“I was super happy to get down to 58,” Smith said. “It was great to be in such a fast field and come back faster than I did in the morning [59.20 in heats]. I knew it was going to be a tight race, with Australia [Cooney] and Cassidy [Bayer], who’s got the 200 fly [gold medal].”

The men’s 4×100 freestyle relay of Mehdi Ayoubi, Ian MacKinnon, Alex Perreault and Stephen Calkins collected the bronze in 3:22.34.

“I was proud of all the guys swimming it – we really stepped up a lot,” said Calkins, a Calgary resident who is entering his freshman year at Denver University. “It was cool to see where our country ended up. This is the biggest medal I have gotten so far, and it was great to do it with these guys.”

For Ayoubi, a Montrealer, taking on the leadoff leg brought some personal redemption.

“After being disappointed with swimming 51.2 [on Thursday] I asked the coaches if I could swim first,” Ayoubi said. “I’m really happy I was able to swim in the 50s and help get a medal for Canada. I was just added to the team two months ago and to help be part of a medal is just amazing.”

Matthew Mac of Oakville, Ont., swam a bronze-worthy 2:02.15 in men’s 200-m backstroke. After qualifying fifth, Mac improved by almost three seconds to make a podium with Americans Michael Taylor (1:57.39, gold) and Austin Katz (1:59.91, silver).

“I did a good job of just eliminating the distractions and focusing on what I needed to do,” said Mac, who is a rookie with the reigning CIS champion University of Toronto Varsity Blues. “This is really going to help my confidence with me going off to school.”

Canadian finalists on Friday:

Women’s 400-m freestyle: Mary-Sophie Harvey, Intensive Training Program – Montreal, fourth, 4:11.44; Olivia Anderson, Etobicoke Swimming Club, fifth, 4:14.20.

Men’s 400-m freestyle: Colin Gilbert, Kamloops Classic Swimming – sixth, 3:55.96: Josh Zakala, CSI Pacific NextGen Program, seventh, 3:57.83.

Women’s 100-m butterfly: Rebecca Smith, Cascade Swim Club, silver, 58.84; Margaret MacNeil, London Aquatic Club, fifth, 1:00.07.

Men’s 100-m butterfly: Alex Perreault, Ottawa Swim Club, sixth, 54.07.

Women’s 200-m backstroke: Lauren Crisp, Pacific Coast Swimming, eighth, 2:15.52.

Men’s 200-m backstroke: Matthew Mac, Oakville Aquatic Club, Bronze, 2:02.15.

Women’s 4×100-m freestyle relay: Canada (Smith, Harvey, Kayla Sanchez, Sarah Darcel), silver, 3:42.84.

Men’s 4×100-m freestyle relay: Canada (Mehdi Ayoubi, Ian MacKinnon, Perreault, Stephen Calkins), bronze, 3:22.34

Full results:

http://www.swmeets.com/Realtime/Jr%20PanPacs/2016/