VANCOUVER – The storied UBC Swimming program is thrilled to welcome 14 talented new recruits to the blue and gold for the upcoming season. The T-Bird men are five-time defending U SPORTS National Champions and eight-time defending Canada West Conference Champions, while UBC's women's program has captured a record 24 U SPORTS titles, and a record 31 Canada West conference championships – including 11 of the past 12 titles.
 
The Thunderbirds will add nine athletes to the historically dominant women's swimming program that is continuing to build their depth and develop young talent.


 
"I am excited to welcome one of our largest Women's Team rookie classes in many years with nine new women being added to the roster," said UBC head coach Derrick Schoof. "All nine have shown us they are ready to be successful at UBC. Every swimmer performed very well at our recent World Championship Trials and have established themselves as many of the best swimmers in Canada. I am thrilled to help guide all of them into the next chapter in their lives as university student athletes."
 
Calgary, Alberta's Alicia L'Archevêque specializes in both sprint events and breaststroke, and is coming off a successful year with the junior national team – setting three provincial age group records and a national age group record in the 4x50 medley with the University of Calgary Swim Club. The William Aberhart High School graduate will major in Computer Science within the Faculty of Arts at UBC.
 
Camryn Stannard joins the 'Birds as a versatile 100 and 200 freestyle swimmer from Parksville, B.C. The former Nanaimo Riptides Swim Team member won a bronze medal at the 2022 Western Canadian Swimming Championships, and a gold and two silvers at the 2019 Canadian Junior Championships. Stannard plans to study in the Faculty of Science at UBC with a focus on  biology/zoology/computer science.
 
Sara Moulson is a Markham Aquatic Club product from Oakville, Ontario, who will study Commerce at UBC after graduating from Iroquois Ridge High School. Moulson won bronze in the 200 backstroke at the Ontario Provincial Championships earlier this summer.


 
Sprint butterfly and backstroke specialist Sela Wist will pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at UBC. The Victoria, B.C., native graduated from South Kamloops Secondary and swam for the Kamloops Classics. Wist is a Canadian Trials junior finalist, senior national qualifier, and provincial medallist.
 
Oakville, Ontario's Dylan Scholes joins the Thunderbirds from Iroquois Ridge High School and the Markham Aquatic Club. Scholes plans to study Psychology at UBC.
 
Eloise Allen is a breaststroke, backstroke, and individual medley specialist from Gibsons, B.C. The Elphinstone Secondary grad most recently swam with the Chinook Swim Club, where they won a gold, silver, and two bronze medals at the 2022 Western Canadian Swimming Championships. The prospective UBC Commerce student was a standout performer at the B.C. Summer Provincials inside the UBC Aquatic Centre earlier this summer.  
 
Jade Lo brings strength in the 200 and 400 individual medley, as the Toronto, Ontario, native recently swam for the Markham Aquatic Club. A graduate of The Bishop Strachan School, Lo is planning to study Psychology/Behavioural Neuroscience at UBC.
 
Pointe-Claire, Quebec's Lora Willar will study Mechanical Engineering at UBC while joining the T-Birds. The former Point-Claire Swim Club member won gold in the 100 and 200 butterfly at the Quebec Provincial Championships earlier this summer.

Mia Barrault is a breaststroke specialist from Whitehorse, Yukon who will study Kinesiology at UBC. The former Whitehorse Glacier Bears Swim Club member graduated from F.H Collins Secondary School and won a bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke at the 2022 Western Canadian Swimming Championships. 
 
The men's program will be bolstered by five incoming recruits with their sights set on title defense at both the conference and national levels.


 
"We are thrilled to welcome five new men to our roster for the 2022-2023 season," added Schoof. "Our men all look like they have excellent potential to becoming great swimmers in the future. They will be an excellent addition to our team as we vie for a 6^th consecutive National Championship Title in 2023."
 
Sprint freestyle and backstroke swimmer Canek Bracho will study Kinesiology at UBC after transferring from the Waterloo Collegiate Institute. The Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, product is coming off of an impressive NJCAA national championship showing – capturing bronze in the 50 backstroke, bronze in the 100 backstroke, silver in the 50 freestyle, and gold in 100 freestyle.

Siu Lun (Frank) Ho will study Kinesiology at UBC after joining the Thunderbirds from Ying Wa College (YWC) in Hong Kong. 

 
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product Ethan Hemeon is an Academic All-Canadian who comes to the T-Birds from the University of Victoria Vikes swim team. During the 2021-2022 season, Hemeon set two UVic school records at the U SPORTS National Championships (100 breaststroke and 4x100 medley relay). The Evan Hardy Collegiate graduate will study Mechanical Engineering at UBC.
 
Jack Cameron will study Applied Sciences at UBC, while specializing in butterfly and freestyle. The 6'2 Sa-Hali Secondary graduate from Kamloops, B.C., most recently competed with the Kamloops Classic Swimming Club.
 
Joel Blanco is a 6'3, 100 freestyle, 50 freestyle, and butterfly specialist from Maple Ridge, British Columbia. Blanco graduated from Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary School and swam with the Haney Seahorses Swim Club – where they captured bronze at the Canadian Trials in the junior 50 freestyle.

The Thunderbirds will ramp up to the Canada West Championships in Victoria, B.C. on November 25-27^th, while the U SPORTS National Championships are slated for February 24-26^th, 2023.