VICTORIA (U SPORTS) – The UBC Thunderbirds captured their sixth-straight U SPORTS
championship title on the men's side while the Toronto Varsity Blues successfully defended
their title on the women's side to capture the team titles at the 2023 U SPORTS Swimming
Championships, Feb. 25, at Saanich Commonwealth Place.
UBC's 1158.5 points won the meet, while Calgary (876), Ottawa (795), Toronto (783), and
McGill (745.5) followed to round out the top five men's teams.
Toronto led the women's field with a 1336-point weekend, followed by UBC in runner-up
position with 1166.5 points. McGill, Calgary and Western complete the top five women's teams
with 872, 818, and 378 points, respectively.
"I am equally proud of both teams," said UBC head coach
Derrick Schoof at the conclusion of the three-day championship. "We really competed well and every swimmer stepped up for the team. Our women closed the gap on Toronto last year and made it an exciting race. I was surprised at how our men really took control of the meet once again and handily won the competition. I'm super grateful for all the effort the athletes and staff out into another very successful national championship."
The Thunderbirds swimming program leaves Victoria with more hardware for their trophy case while adding to their all-time records of national titles – with the women currently at 24 total championships, and with this year's title win the men have captured a Canada-best 20 banners in the storied history of the blue and gold. Keeping up the standard of excellence hasn't been easy with plenty of turnover year over year but the lofty expectations are what fuels Schoof and the student-athletes every day.
"Coaching the team this year has been an amazing experience," continued Schoof. "Our team continues to face post pandemic challenges and continuing our tradition of success is never easy. Especially when you are working with new swimmers each year. I am very lucky that the team veterans and captains were such great leaders."
Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Year Gabe Mastromatteo of Toronto added a 200m
breaststroke silver medal to his collection after a 2:16.61 performance, while Male Rookie of
the Year Quinn Matteis captured the 1500m freestyle crown with a time of 15:51.36 for the
Varsity Blues.
UBC's
Emma O'Croinin won the 800m freestyle event with an 8:53.75 showing and added a
bronze medal in the 100m freestyle (55.74) on the final day of competition en route to being
named the Outstanding Female Swimmer of the Year.
"Emma has really shown a tremendous amount of resilience over the past several years," added Schoof in reference to O'Croinin's outstanding accomplishments in Victoria and overall character. "She is a true professional when it comes to her preparation. I am just so thrilled to see her having this level of success and the team is thrilled for her as well."
On the men's side, Calgary's Stephen Calkins won his third gold medal in as many days,
capturing the 100m freestyle title with a 49.65 performance. Toronto's Ainsley McMurray
matched Calkins' 100m freestyle title on the women's side, clocking in at 55.60 for the win.
Frederick Kamminga captured Alberta's first gold medal of the meet with a 2:16.06
performance in the 200m breaststroke finals for the win.
UBC's
Josie Field defended her 2022 200m butterfly title, winning the event after a 2:15.13
showing.
"Our relays really were incredible," concluded Schoof when asked to expand on other standout or surprise performances from the T-Birds. "We had a number of strategies and members to consider when building each team. The four members of every relay really dug deep to maximize the relay performances. In addition to Emma O'Croinen, I'd say
Hugh McNeills performances really stood out. His wins in the 100 and 200m backstroke events were world class."
FULL RESULTS
The 2022-23 U SPORTS swimming season comes to an end with the conclusion of the U SPORTS
Swimming Championships.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Men's:
UBC – 1158.5
Calgary – 876
Ottawa – 795
Toronto – 783
McGill – 745.5
Lethbridge – 359.5
Victoria – 353
Alberta – 292
Waterloo – 207
Western – 196.5
Laval – 181
Montreal – 157
Dalhousie – 123
Regina – 101
Laurier – 85
McMaster – 82.5
Acadia – 65
York – 61.5
Sherbrooke – 17
Manitoba – 15
Carleton – 13
Memorial – 2
Women's:
Toronto – 1336
UBC – 1166.5
McGill – 872
Calgary – 818
Western – 378
Victoria – 331.5
Manitoba – 302.5
Dalhousie – 243
Laval – 231
Ottawa – 225
Alberta – 159.5
Guelph – 150
Lethbridge – 125
Montreal – 114
Waterloo – 96
Acadia – 89.5
McMaster – 62
Sherbrooke – 23
Regina – 6.5
DAY 3 MEDALLISTS
Women 200m Butterfly
1.
Josie Field, UBC – 2:15.13
2. Nina Mollin, Toronto – 2:16.61
3. Naomie Lo, McGill – 2:17.20
Men 200m Butterfly
1. Michael Sava, Toronto – 2:03.57
2. Alex Boden, Waterloo – 2:04.35
3. Ambroise Petit, Laval – 2:04.52
Women 100m Freestyle
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto – 55.60
2. Rebecca Smith, Calgary – 55.62
3.
Emma O'Croinin, UBC – 55.74
Men 100m Freestyle
1. Stephen Calkins, Calgary – 49.65
2. Siu Lun Ho, UBC – 51.18
3. Hazem Issa, McGill – 51.20
Women 200m Breaststroke
1.
Emma Spence, UBC – 2:33.08
2. Lauren Shearer, Ottawa – 2:34.15
3. Sophie Tarrant, Victoria – 2:34.62
Men 200m Breaststroke
1. Frederick Kamminga, Alberta – 2:16.06
2. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto – 2:16.61
3. Hugo Lemsle, Ottawa – 2:16.70
Women 200m Backstroke
1. Aleksa Gold, Toronto – 2:15.40
2. Haley Klenk, Toronto – 2:15.42
3. Hannah Johnsen, Calgary – 2:15.93
Men 200m Backstroke
1.
Hugh McNeill, UBC – 1:59.58
2. Richie Stokes, Calgary – 2:02.86
3. Carter Buck, Toronto – 2:02.95
Women 800m Freestyle
1.
Emma O'Croinin, UBC – 8:53.75
2. Marit Anderson, Calgary – 8:58.83
3. Anna Hein, Toronto – 9:04.39
Men 1500m Freestyle
1. Quinn Matteis, Toronto – 15:51.36
2.
Liam Clawson-Honeyman, UBC – 15:54.79
3. William Risk, Victoria – 15:55.79
Women 4x100m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto – 3:47.16
(Lily Chubaty, Aleksa Gold, Teagan Vander Leek, Ainsley McMurray)
2. UBC – 3:48.72
(
Anna Dumont-Belanger,
Emma O'Croinin,
Brooklyn Wiens,
Sara Godon)
3. Calgary – 3:49.82
(Avery Movold, Rebecca Smith, Elize Housman, Hannah Bennett)
Men 4x100m Freestyle Relay
1. UBC – 3:23.99
(Siu Lun Ho,
Blake Tierney, Canek Bracho, Dima Lim)
2. Calgary – 3:25.28
(Stephen Calkins, Addison Butler, Liam Dennett, Ian Friesen)
3. McGill – 3:25.62
(Pablo Collin, Bruno Dehem-Lemelin, Hazem Issa, Erik Linseisen)
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Outstanding Swimmer of the Year
Men: Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto
Women:
Emma O'Croinin, UBC
Rookie of the Year
Men: Quinn Matteis, Toronto
Women: Danika Ethier, Laval
Fox 40 Coach of the Year
Men: Dave Heinbuc, Ottawa
Women: Byron MacDonald, Toronto
Student-Athlete Community Service Award
Men: Pablo Collin, McGill
Women: Aleksa Gold, Toronto
Gold medal winners in individual events are awarded First Team All-Canadian status, while silver
individual medalists earn Second Team All-Canadian recognition.
