TORONTO – Two-time U SPORTS male Swimmer of the Year Markus Thormeyer can now add yet another prestigious honour to his growing list of accolades as he has been selected a Top 8 Aacademic All-Canadian for the 2019-20 season, as announced in Toronto on Monday.
 
Joining Thormeyer on the men's side are Laurentian Voyeageurs basketball player Kadre Gray, Laval Rouge et Or cross country runner and track sprinter Jean-Simon Desgagnés, and fellow track and field star Matt Coolen of the Dalhousie Tigers.
 
This year's female honourees include swimmers Kelsey Wog of the Manitoba Bisons, Marie-Lou Lapointe from the Montreal Carabins and Isabel Sarty representing the Dalhousie Tigers, along with Queen's Gaels multi-sport star Sophie de Goede, who competes for the school's women's rugby and basketball teams.
 
In lieu of a formal ceremony at Rideau Hall, the elite group will participate in a public virtual conversation with Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, in mid-February, due to COVID-19 restrictions.
 
The Governor General's Academic All-Canadian Commendation was founded by the Right Honourable David Johnston, former Governor General of Canada, who first honoured Canada's Top 8 student-athletes in 2013.


 
"We are extremely proud of the Top 8 for their overwhelming academic success during the 2019-20 season," said U SPORTS Interim CEO Dick White. "Faced with immense challenges, this year's class of Academic All-Canadians adapted remarkably to altered COVID-19 learning environments, demonstrating their leadership in the classroom and in their respective communities."
 
Named U SPORTS Male Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive time last season, Markus Thormeyer dominated the pool with seven gold medals, setting two U SPORTS records in the process. 
 
Thormeyer started the 2020 U SPORTS Championships with gold in the 200m freestyle and as part of UBC's 4x100m freestyle relay team. He added two more podium finishes on Day 2, including the 100m backstroke with a new U SPORTS record time of 53.51, more than two seconds faster than the silver medalist from Calgary. His second record breaking performance of the meet came in the 200m backstroke with a time of 1:58.54, taking gold by more than three seconds.


 
With additional victories in the 100m freestyle and both the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays, Thormeyer's efforts went a long way to securing UBC's fourth straight men's U SPORTS national championship and fifth in the last six years.
 
In 28 career U SPORTS events, Thormeyer has captured 25 medals – all but two of them gold, while adding three consecutive CW titles and First Team All-Star honours.

Internationally, Thormeyer has represented Canada at several events including the 2015 Pan American Games, 2016 Olympics, 2017 FISU Summer Universiade, 2017 & 2019 FINA World Championships, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Championships.

Since coming out publicly in February after initially confiding in his Rio Olympic teammates, Thormeyer has served as part of Canada's OneTeam to promote 2SLGBTQQIA inclusion in sports. He is also a member of Swimming Canada's Athlete's Council, and helps lead UBC's Student-Athlete Mental Health Initiative on-campus team.

   

"Markus is an inspiring choice to represent UBC and Canada West as part of this country's group of Top 8 Academic All-Canadians," said Kavie Toor, UBC Managing Director of Athletics & Recreation. "Not only is he one of the best in the pool on the national and international stage, Markus has worked just as hard to become an outstanding student at UBC, one of the globe's highest-ranked schools, and a leader in raising awareness and building support for LGBTQ+ student-athletes."

Thormeyer has also competed in the first two seasons of the International Swimming League (ISL), swimming for the New York Breakers in 2019 and the expansion Tokyo Frog Kings last fall.

He is the 12^th Thunderbird to be recognized as a member of the Top 8 – the first since soccer star Chad Bush and fellow swimmer Rebecca Terejko swept the CW honours in 2015-16. Other UBC men's swimmers honoured include Mark Versfeld (2000-01) and John MacArthur (1995-96).

For the  All-Time Top 8 Academic All-Canadians, click here.