LETHBRIDGE, Alta. – After a successful start to the season at the University Cup Pacific, the Thunderbirds will aim for double gold for the second straight year at the 2025 Canada West Championships.
The T-Bird women have won three straight titles, while the men reclaimed their spot at the top of the conference's pecking order last year after the Calgary Dinos had won in both 2022 and 2023.
"I am very pleased with both our men's and women's teams," said UBC head coach
Derrick Schoof. "Our men are made up of an amazing group of young men – many in their first or second year, and have really come to UBC with an attitude of excellence and a commitment level to back it up. They are a pleasure to work with every day.
"The women's team is made up of many upper years – who are leading through experience and setting the tone for our future generations while also preparing with intensity to win championship titles. It's gratifying to see how amazingly our women's team has persevered over the years."
This season's championships are hosted by Lethbridge inside the Max Bell Aquatic Centre from Friday, November 28, through Sunday, November 30. The Thunderbirds will compete in 38 events between the men's and women's squads, spread across the three days of the event.
The T-Birds will be entering the tournament with confidence following their performance at home in the University Cup Pacific, where they had a dominant showing while competing against their five fellow Canada West programs.
Kai Lilienthal and
Emma O'Croinin earned Canada West Swimmer of the Week nods for their performances, combining for 15 first-place finishes and four meet records between the individual and relay events. The T-Birds as a collective earned 70 podium finishes in 42 events. Both the men's and women's squads are ranked No. 1 in U SPORTS coming into this weekend's action.
"Our performances so far this year have been awesome," reflected Schoof. "However, we are seeking for improvements daily and not resting on our laurels. We need to be our best in March – and that is our focus. It's a long season so we need to stay on track and keep working hard.
"In my opinion, we have one of our best teams of all-time – not just because of a few individual stars – but because of the depth of the team. Every swimmer on our team values excellence and has the performances to back that up."
The action begins on Friday with the preliminary heats from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., followed by the finals from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (all times PT). Saturday's prelims are from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. with finals from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The event then concludes on Sunday with prelims from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and finals from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., with the championship banners going to the squads with the highest team scores.
"I believe we have prepared very well and we are ready to race fast," added Schoof. "We will watch the results this weekend and that will tell us a lot on how to keep moving forward in the second half of the season. For now, we need to stay focused, have fun, and just do our best."
All the races from the three days will be broadcast live and on-demand on
Canada West TV, as UBC aims to win their 36th Canada West title on the women's side and their 24th men's title.
