Montreal – The 2024 U SPORTS Swimming Championships came to a close Saturday night with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues making quite the splash in claiming both the men's and women's national titles in Montreal.
The UBC Thunderbirds women's team was in the title hunt all weekend, holding down top spot at the national tournament until the final day of competition where they secured the silver medal thanks to a second-place finish with 1,300.5 points. 143.5 points behind the champion, Varsity Blues and well in front of third place Calgary who tallied 872.5 points overall.
The six-time defending champion T-Birds men's team saw their impressive run of titles halted on the McGill University campus and after occupying second or third spot all weekend by the time all was said and done, they found themselves in fourth place. The UBC men's side amassed 867.5 points to narrowly miss out on a bronze medal podium finish, just 25.5 points back of host McGill, who solidified third spot in their friendly waters with an 893-point output. UBC's conference rival the Calgary Dinos took second spot with 922.5 points while Toronto enjoyed a healthy lead in cruising to the gold medal thanks to reaching 1,145 points.
The 'Birds certainly made their mark throughout the championships as they occupied plenty of real estate on the medal podium, both teams combining for a total of 29 medals, second only to the Varsity Blues who boasted a tournament best 39 total.
"I am extremely proud of both our Women's and Men's teams," said UBC head coach
Derrick Schoof. "We fought hard, put up a lot of great swims, and just fell short on both sides. Nonetheless, even though we didn't win any banners this year, we were very happy with our performances overall."
Women
The UBC Women's squad tallied five medals on the third-and-final day including two gold, a silver and two bronze.
Anna Dumont-Belanger and
Bridget Burton each raced to gold medals on day three in the 800 freestyle and 200 backstroke respectively.
Lora Willar won a silver in the 200 butterfly, while
Eloise Allen continued her impressive showing with a bronze in the 50 breaststroke. Dumont-Belanger would add a second medal on day three, this in the form of a bronze in the 100 freestyle.
"With so many individual successes its always hard to just name a few," added Schoof, when asked to comment on just some of the many standout T-Birds performances throughout the week. "But I have to say I was extremely pleased with
Hugh McNeill and
Anna Dumont-Belanger. Both Hugh and Anna stepped up time after time and really did an amazing job representing the Birds. They stood out not only in their performances, but also with their leadership."
With some expected results to go along with many surprise showings from the well rounded UBC squad throughout the weekend from new and veteran swimmers alike it wasn't surprising to see T-Birds head coach
Derrick Schoof recognized with the U SPORTS Women's Coach of the Year award.
"I am humbled and honoured to be recognized by my peers as U Sports Women's Coach of the Year," reflected Schoof, upon receiving the national award. "I am just so grateful for the team of people I have around me. I could not do this without them. That team starts with my Assistant Coach,
Sierra Moores, who tirelessly and selflessly gives so much of her time, effort, and expertise to both me and the swimmers. We make each other better coaches everyday. Together, we have created an amazing support staff of volunteers who give there time to the program and support our team so we can provide the best experience possible to our swimmers."
Men
The T-Birds men's squad laid claim to four medals on close out day at the championships in the form of three gold and one silver. Standout Hugh McNeil earned two of those gold medals which went a long way in him earning the U SPORTS Male Swimmer of the Year award. McNeil took top spot in the 200 backstroke while being a key cog for the UBC men's winning 4x100 medley relay where he combined forces with teammates
Ethan Hemeon,
Frank Ho and
Jake Gaunt.
UBC's other men's medals came in a thrilling 1500 freestyle race that saw first-year
Olivier Risk just edging out teammate
Liam Clawson-Honeyman in a neck and neck battle. Risk was rewarded with the gold and Clawson-Honeyman, the silver.
One very obvious conclusion coach Schoof came to by the conclusion of the 2024 U SPORTS Swimming Championships is that the storied T-Birds swimming program has a bright future with several talented and character students already in the fold and set to join the team soon.
"I am thrilled about our team for next season and beyond," continued Schoof. "Not only do we have some amazing young swimmers who work very hard, but we have some top talent joining the team next season. The young swimmers had a great year and I know they will swim even faster in years to come."
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
WOMEN: 1. Toronto, 1,444 points; 2. UBC, 1,300.5 points; 3. Calgary, 872.5; 4. McGill, 788.5; 5. Western, 363.5; 6. Victoria, 222.5; 7. McMaster, 211.5; 8. Alberta, 200; 9. Manitoba, 193.5; 10. Waterloo, 166; 11. Dalhousie, 156; 12. Acadia, 135; 13. Lethbridge, 134; 14. Montréal, 125; 15. Guelph, 94; 16. Ottawa, 91; 17. Laval, 90; 18. Sherbrooke, 41; 19. Brock, 36; 20. Regina, 25.5; 21. Mount Allison, 5; 22. Queen's, 2.
MEN: 1. Toronto, 1,145 points; 2. Calgary, 922.5; 3. McGill, 893; 4. UBC, 867.5; 5. Ottawa, 516.5; 6. Western, 357; 7. Alberta, 345; 8. Waterloo, 227; 9. Laval, 216.5; 10. Victoria, 191.5; 11. McMaster, 156; 12. Dalhousie, 129; 13. Lethbridge, 125; 14. Laurier, 93; 15. York, 90; 16. Memorial, 74; 16. Carleton, 72; 18. Manitoba, 41.5; 19. Sherbrooke, 58; 20. Acadia, 51; 21. (tie) UQTR and Montréal, 37; 23. Regina, 28; 24. Mount Allison, 12; 25. UNB, 11.
RECORDS BROKEN:
WOMEN:
50m breaststroke (short course, set during qualifying):
Shona Branton, Western, 30.34 seconds (Old record: 30.45 by Kelsey Wog of Manitoba in 2022).
50m breaststroke (long course):
Shona Branton, Western, 30.84 seconds (Old record: 31.11 by Fiona Doyle in 2015)
MEN:
200m butterfly (long course):
Bill Dongfang, Toronto, 2:00.17 (Old record: 2:00.41 by Davide Casarin of Ottawa in 2019).
50m butterfly (long course):
Chris Weeks, Memorial, 23.90 seconds (Old record: 24.04 by Coleman Allen of UBC in 2015).
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS:
WOMEN:
Team Champions: Toronto
Swimmer of the Meet: Shona Branton, Western
Rookie of the Year: Alexanne Lepage, Calgary
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Mahaylia Datars, Toronto
Coach of the Year:
Derrick Schoof, UBC
MEN:
Nelson C. Hart Trophy (team champions): Toronto
Swimmer of the Meet:
Hugh McNeill, UBC
Rookie of the Year: Chris Weeks, Memorial
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Noah Mascoll-Gomes, Dalhousie
Coach of the Year: Byron MacDonald
ALL-CANADIANS
First-team: all gold medalists
Second-team: all silver medalists
GRAND SLAM: no winners.
SUPER GRAND SLAM: no winners.
INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS:
DAY 3 (March 9, 2024)
WOMEN
200 butterfly: 1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 2:16.53; 2.
Lora Willar, UBC, 2:19.21; 3. Hayley French, Calgary, 2:19.51.
50 breaststroke: 1. Shona Branton, Western, 30.84 (U SPORTS record); 2. Alexanne LePage, Calgary, 31.53; 3.
Eloise Allen, UBC, 32.01.
100 freestyle: 1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 55.67; 2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 57.26; 3.
Anna Dumont-Belanger, UBC, 57.29.
200 backstroke: 1.
Bridget Burton, UBC, 2:13.33; 2. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 2:15.73; 3. Katelyn Schroeder, Toronto, 2:16.54.
800 freestyle: 1.
Anna Dumont-Belanger, UBC, 8:59.50; 2. Anna Hein, Toronto, 9:04.47; 3. Emily De Jager, Calgary, 9:04.92.
4 x 100 medley relay: 1. Toronto (Katelyn Schroeder, Shannon Russell, Nina Mollin, Ainsley McMurray), 4:11.04; 2. Calgary (Hannah Johnsen, Alexanne LePage, Hayley French, Hannah Bennett), 4:11.78; 3. Western (Leah Butler, Shona Branton, Gabriella Casasanta, Danielle Treasure), 4:15.73.
MEN
200 butterfly: 1. Bill Dongfang, Toronto, 2:00.17 (U SPORTS record); 2. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 2:00.85; 3. Kevin Zhang, Waterloo, 2:01.54.
50 breaststroke: 1. Hugo Lemesle, Ottawa, 28.24 seconds; 2. Tristan Bennett, Lethbridge, 28.32; 3. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 28.33.
100 freestyle: 1. Stephen Calkins, Calgary, 50.51 seconds; 2. Chris Weeks, Memorial, 50.57; 3. Luke Stewart-Bender, Western, 50.90.
200 backstroke: 1.
Hugh McNeill, UBC, 2:00.21; 2. Richie Stokes, Calgary, 2:03.82; 3. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 2:03.87.
1,500 freestyle: 1.
Olivier Risk, UBC, 15:42.62; 2.
Liam Clawson-Honeyman, UBC, 15:45.84; 3. Diego Paz, Alberta, 15:50.24.
4 x 100 medley relay: 1. UBC (
Hugh McNeill,
Ethan Hemeon, Siu Lun Ho,
Jake Gaunt), 3:43.23; 2. Toronto (Andrew Herman, Gabe Mastromatteo, Bill Dongfang, Jack Li) 3:43.40; 3. Calgary (Richie Stokes, Ian Cameron, Thomas McDonald, Stephen Calkins), 3:44.60.
DAY 2 (March 8, 2024)
WOMEN
50 freestyle: 1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 25.68 seconds; 2. Julianne Moore, Calgary, 26.14; 3. Shaunna Walker-Dejong, McMaster, 26.44.
200 breaststroke: 1. Alexanne LePage, Calgary, 2:27.92; 2. Shona Branton, Western, 2:31.12; 3.
Amaris Peng, UBC 2:31.71.
400 freestyle: 1. Anna Hein, Toronto, 4:22.48; 2.
Naomie Lo, McGill, 4:22.71; 3. Mahaylia Vatars, Toronto, 4:23.09.
100 backstroke: 1.
Bridget Burton, UBC, 1:02.16; 2. Katelyn Schroeder, Toronto, 1:02.63; 3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:02.76.
200 individual medley: 1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 2:18.35; 2.
Anna Dumont-Belanger, UBC, 2:18.50; 3.
Emma Spence, UBC, 2:18.72.
50 butterfly: 1.
Eloise Allen, UBC, 26.86; 2. Anaïs Arlandis, Montréal, 27.63; 3. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 27.85.
4x200 freestyle relay: 1. UBC (
Anna Dumont-Belanger,
Brooklyn Wiens,
Jade Lo,
Rosalie Davidson), 8:21.95; 2. Calgary (Alexanne LePage, Hannah Johnsen, Marit Anderson, Emily deJager), 8:25.42; 3. Toronto (Hailey Klenk, Teagan McKenzie, Mahaylia Vatars, Ainsley McMurray), 8:27.95.
MEN
50 freestyle: 1. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 22.72 seconds. 2. Malachy Belkhelladi, McGill, 23.04; 3. Allen Zheng, Waterloo, 23.06.
200 breaststroke: 1. Hugo Lemesle, Ottawa, 2:14.80; Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:18.77;
Ethan Hemeon, UBC, 2:18.47.
400 freestyle: 1.
Liam Clawson-Honeyman, UBC, 3:58.16; 2. Nathan Versluys, Calgary, 3:58.43; 3. Mats Baradat, McGill 3:59.51.
100 backstroke: 1.
Hugh McNeill, UBC, 55.44 seconds; 2. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 55.84; 3. Richie Stokes, Calgary, 56.55.
200 individual medley: 1. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 2:03.66; 2. Charlie Skalenda, Calgary, 2:05.32; 3. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:05.72.
50 butterfly: 1. Chris Weeks, Memorial, 23.90 seconds (new U SPORTS record); 2. Siu Lun Ho, UBC, 24.23; 3. Hazem Issa, McGill, 24.44.
4x200 freestyle relay: 1. McGill (Artiom Volodin, Pablo Collin, Bruno Dehem-Lemelin, Mats Baradat), 7:32.29; 2. Toronto (Max Tambling, Jack Li, Brendan Oswald, Bill Dongfang), 7:32.99; 3. UBC (
Hugh McNeill,
Olivier Risk,
Liam Clawson-Honeyman,
Jake Gaunt), 7:33.68.
DAY 1 (March 7, 2024)
WOMEN
50 freestyle: 1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 25.68 seconds; 2. Julianne Moore, Calgary, 26.14; 3. Shaunna Walker-Dejong, McMaster, 26.44.
200 breaststroke: 1. Alexanne LePage, Calgary, 2:27.92; 2. Shona Branton, Western, 2:31.12; 3.
Amaris Peng, UBC 2:31.71.
400 freestyle: 1. Anna Hein, Toronto, 4:22.48; 2.
Naomie Lo, McGill, 4:22.71; 3. Mahaylia Vatars, Toronto, 4:23.09.
100 backstroke: 1.
Bridget Burton, UBC, 1:02.16; 2. Katelyn Schroeder, Toronto, 1:02.63; 3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:02.76.
200 individual medley: 1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 2:18.35; 2.
Anna Dumont-Belanger, UBC, 2:18.50; 3.
Emma Spence, UBC, 2:18.72.
50 butterfly: 1.
Eloise Allen, UBC, 26.86; 2. Anaïs Arlandis, Montréal, 27.63; 3. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 27.85.
4 x 200 freestyle relay: 1. UBC (
Anna Dumont-Belanger,
Brooklyn Wiens,
Jade Lo,
Rosalie Davidson), 8:21.95; 2. Calgary (Alexanne LePage, Hannah Johnsen, Marit Anderson, Emily deJager), 8:25.42; 3. Toronto (Hailey Klenk, Teagan McKenzie, Mahaylia Vatars, Ainsley McMurray), 8:27.95.
MEN
50 freestyle: 1. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 22.72 seconds. 2. Malachy Belkhelladi, McGill, 23.04; 3. Allen Zheng, Waterloo, 23.06.
200 breaststroke: 1. Hugo Lemesle, Ottawa, 2:14.80; Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:18.77;
Ethan Hemeon, UBC, 2:18.47.
400 freestyle: 1.
Liam Clawson-Honeyman, UBC, 3:58.16; 2. Nathan Versluys, Calgary, 3:58.43; 3. Mats Baradat, McGill 3:59.51.
100 backstroke: 1.
Hugh McNeill, UBC, 55.44 seconds; 2. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 55.84; 3. Richie Stokes, Calgary, 56.55.
