LETHBRIDGE – When the dust settled on the Canada West Championships, it was the UBC Thunderbirds who reigned supreme. The T-Birds won both team titles for the second year in a row and claimed every individual award across the three days of competition inside the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre.
 
Led by standout performances from Kayla Sanchez, who was named the conference's Female Swimmer of the Year, and first-year star Aiden Kirk, who earned both Male Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year honours, the Thunderbirds once again showed their depth across both rosters.


 
"I'm so proud of these athletes. They've worked incredibly hard from the very start of the season," said Thunderbirds head coach Derrick Schoof, who was named both Men's and Women's Coach of the Year following the event.

"We've got great energy, great athletes, and a group that is truly committed to excellence. I'm proud of how hard they've been working. They deserve this success."


 
On the women's side, the Thunderbirds won their fourth straight conference crown – and 15th title in the last 16 years – with a dominant 1,032 points. Calgary finished second with 801.5, and Victoria was third with 512.5.
 
Schoof highlighted the balanced effort behind the women's victory.
 
"Lots of great results across the board. Of course, Kayla Sanchez was outstanding, truly world-class swimming, but this is a real team event. For us, it's about making sure all 18 women step up, and they all did."


 
UBC's banner in the men's competition is their second in a row, topping the standings with 1,062.5 points. The T-Birds held off Calgary who finished the meet in second with 892 points, while Victoria was again third with 492.5.
 
Schoof praised his men's effort as well, noting their resilience against strong competition from the Dinos and the rest of the field.
 
"Calgary always has a strong squad, and we never take them for granted. They came out swinging, and we had to be at our best. I knew going in that we could do it, and the team delivered."
 
The Thunderbirds earned their first medals of Sunday's action in the men's 200m butterfly, where Kirk took the top spot, touching the wall in a time of 1:59.57. Raben Dommann, also from UBC, took second with 2:00.58 and Calgary's Nicholas Duncan earned the bronze medal in 2:01.64.
 
T-Birds star Emma O'Croinin won the women's 100m freestyle with a time of 54.76. Calgary's Eliza Housman (55.38) and UBC's Brooklyn Wiens (56.06) were the next two to touch the wall.


 
It was a podium sweep by the blue and gold in the men's 100m freestyle, led by Yuri Kisil who touched the wall with a 48.26 finish. Teammate Jake Gaunt finished just after in a time of 49.43, followed by Frank Ho (49.47).
 
Calgary earned the gold medal in the 200m medley on the women's side, with UBC's Camryn Stannard (2:16.95) and Jade Lo (2:16.97) finishing neck-and-neck with each other to claim the other two medals.
 
The men's 200m medley saw a tight race for the top spot. It was Jaques Harrison who got to the wall first in 1:59.77, pulling ahead of Calgary's Ian Cameron in the last 25 metres. Fellow Dino Nicholas Duncan (2:01.14) took bronze.
 
In the next event, UBC's Bridget Burton completed her domination of the backstroke races, finishing the 100m in 58.38 seconds. Eloise Allen (58.93) and Piper Mitchell (1:00.46) rounded out the podium.


 
Dommann won the 100m backstroke for the Thunderbirds in 52.25. Calgary's Thomas McDonald was on the podium, finishing in 54.06, while Ethan Fast claimed the bronze medal with a 54.75 finish.
 
After a break for medal ceremonies, Calgary's Alexanne Lepage took gold in the women's 200m breaststroke in 2:25.16 to take all of the breaststroke events. UBC's Amaris Peng was in next at 2:32.05, and Emma Spence took the bronze in 2:32.19.
 
It was a UBC sweep once again in the men's 200m breaststroke, spearheaded by Justice Migneault, who clocked in at 2:09.08. Next on the podium was Glen Omielan in a time of 2:10.62 and earning bronze in 2:11.08 was Sebastian van de Logt.
 
O'Croinin then broke the Canada West record in the women's 400m freestyle with a thrilling swim to snatch gold with a time of 4:12.65. Ruby Kehler (4:18.06) and Emma Spence (4:18.17) followed behind to secure yet another UBC sweep. Kehler would also go on to be named the Female Rookie of the Year following the meet.


 
The final individual event of the competition saw Kirk and fellow Thunderbird Paul Hebrard go head-to-head for the men's 400m freestyle crown, with Kirk finishing first in 3:49.14 and Hebrard second with 3:52.81. Calgary's Aiden Gyorfi finished third in 3:55.03.
 
The night ended with the women's and men's 400m medley relay finals. Both UBC teams won their races by a solid margin, with the men finishing nearly three seconds ahead of their closest competitors, and the women winning by more than five seconds.
 
After three days of fantastic racing, the Thunderbirds lifted their 36th all-time Canada West championship on the women's side, and 24th all-time for the men.


 
Now, the attention will turn towards the U SPORTS Championships in March, where the Thunderbirds will aim to defend their national titles.
 
"We're always looking for improvement," added Schoof. "We've learned a lot in these first two and a half months. We have quite a number of rookies on the team, so we're still learning what makes them tick. But we learned a lot this weekend, and I think we can move forward and find new areas to improve and ways for all of these athletes to get faster."
 
 
TEAM SCORES
Women
UBC – 1,032.50
Calgary – 801.50
Victoria – 512.50
Lethbridge – 321
Manitoba - 193
Regina -145.50
 
Men
UBC – 1,062.50
Calgary – 892
Victoria –492.50
Lethbridge – 271
Manitoba - 166
Regina - 133
 
 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Female Swimmer of the Year Award – Kayla Sanchez, UBC
Male Swimmer of the Year Award – Aiden Kirk, UBC
Female Rookie of the Year Award – Ruby Kehler, UBC
Male Rookie of the Year Award – Aiden Kirk, UBC                      
Coach of the Year Award (Men's and Women's) – Derrick Schoof, UBC
Female Student-Athlete Community Service Award – Meadow Liversuch, Lethbridge
Men's Student-Athlete Community Service Award – Stephen Moore, Calgary
 
 
Female Canada West First Team All-Stars
Kayla Sanchez
Emma O'Croinin
Bridget Burton
Alexanne Lepage
Sela Wist
Jade Lo
Brooklyn Wiens
Emma Spence
Kaitlyn Luu
Eliza Housman
Sarah Haugen
Eloise Allen                          
 
Female Canada West Second Team All-Stars
Hayley French
Camryn Stannard
Amaris Peng
Ruby Kehler
Piper Mitchell
Benya Mattig
 
Male Canada West First Team All-Stars
Aiden Kirk
Jake Gaunt
Justice Migneault
Ethan Hemeon
Frank Ho
Kai Lilienthal
Yuri Kisil
Jacques Harrison
Nicholas Duncan
Paul Hebrard
Raben Dommann
 
Male Canada West Second Team All-Stars
Ian Cameron
Thomas McDonald
Ethan Fast
Glen Omielan
Jake Gaunt
Olivier Risk