VANCOUVER – Ten UBC Thunderbirds swimmers won individual events at the Pacific Sea Wolves Winter Invitational meet in Surrey over the weekend.
 
On the women's side, Megan Dalke, Olivia Ellard, Emily Overholt, and Ingrid Wilm all earned race wins.
 
For the men, Josiah Binnema, Hau-Li Fan, Jaren LeFranc, Alex Pratt, Markus Thormeyer, and Brodie Young all found the top of the podium.
 
"The meet was used to prepare the team for the long-course, 50-metre racing that we will see at the finals of U SPORTS Odlum Brown Swimming Championships February 21-23 at UBC," said UBC assistant coach Derrick Schoof. "The T-Birds competed very well and posted times very close to personal bests all around, which is nice to see given that we are just starting our taper leading into the swimming championships. Our teams will face some very difficult competition this year, so we are doing everything we can to prepare our swimmers for what they will face at U SPORTS Championships." 
 

Dalke was first to touch the wall in the 400-metre freestyle event with a time of 4 minutes, 20.69 seconds. She won the 400 individual medley by completing the race in 4:52.40.
 
Overholt won the 100 free with a time of 55.99 seconds, and the 200 free in 2:00.84. 
 
Wilm posted a time of 1:03.59 to take first place in the 100 back, and Ellard bested the field in the 200 back in 2:16.85.
 
Thormeyer was the top swimmer in three races: the 50 free 23.23, the 100 free in 49.77, and the 100 back in 54.72.
 
Fan won twice, in the mixed 800 free (8:23.27) and the mixed 1,500 free (16:01.68).
 
Binnema was first in a pair of butterfly races, claiming top spot in the 100-metre distance at 54.58 and at 200 metres with a time of 2:01.19.
 

LeFranc won the 200 IM by finishing in 2:11.40 and triumphed in the 200 breaststroke by being first to the wall in 2:19.24.
 
Rookies Alex Pratt and Brodie Young won the 400 free (4:02.85) and the 400 IM (4:30.62) races, respectively.
 
Next weekend, the team, without out Fan or Alex Loginov, will race Simon Fraser and host Victoria in a tri-meet in a final opportunity to fine tune before the national meet.
 
"Quality racing leading into the U SPORTS Champs will allow us to practice our race tactics, train our speed, and better prepare us for the competition coming up February 21-23," said Schoof. "Our team is healthy, motivated, and excited for what is to come. For now, we need to stay on track, stay calm, and go about our business as usual as we prepare to defend our titles in our home pool."
 
On Saturday, Fan be travelling to Doha, Qatar, to compete in the FINA/HOSA marathon world Swim Series No. 1. He will be back in time to compete for UBC at the U SPORTS Odlum Brown Swimming Championships.