Montreal - The UBC Thunderbirds Men's Rowing Team claimed their fourth consecutive national title this weekend at the 2025 Canadian University Rowing Championships (CURC), hosted by McGill University at Montreal's Olympic Basin. The victory marks UBC's second run of four consecutive championships, matching their previous streak from 2016 to 2019.
The Thunderbirds secured the overall men's banner with 112 points, ahead of Brock University (100), the University of Victoria (89), and Western University (73). The UBC Women finished fourth overall with 76 points, as Queen's University captured the women's title with a dominant 119-point performance. Western and UVic rounded out the top three. The regatta featured entries from 27 university programs across Canada.
UBC's men delivered podium performances in five of six events, highlighted by gold medals in the Men's Eight (8+) and Men's Pair (2–). The Men's Eight took command early, breaking free from the field within the first 500 metres and extending their lead throughout the race to finish six seconds ahead of second-place UVic and third-place Western. The victory continues UBC's unprecedented eight-year dominance in Canada's premier event, the Men's 8+.
In the Men's Pair,
Liam Smit and
Adrian Breen produced a commanding performance to take gold, while
Owen Bartelbattled to a hard-fought silver in the Men's Single (1x) against strong competition from Western and Brock.
The Lightweight Men's Coxed Four (4+) added to the medal haul with a silver medal following a thrilling charge through the field. After a conservative start, coxswain Eddie Lalonde steered the crew back from an early deficit, overtaking Queen's and UVic before finishing just 1.3 seconds behind Brock. Rookie
Jack Harris also impressed, capturing a bronze medal to round out the men's podium finishes.
On the women's side, the Thunderbirds earned top-four finishes in five of six events, highlighted by a gold medal performance from
Gabrielle Yarema in the Women's Single (1x). Yarema edged Western Ontario in a photo finish, crossing the line just 0.3 seconds ahead to secure UBC's lone women's gold of the weekend.
At the 2025 CURC award banquet on Sunday evening T-Birds men's head coach
Mike Pearce was honoured with the men's crew coach of the year award.
Full results available HERE
