After taking part in their first couple meets of the season in October, the T-Birds are set to step things up a level as they host the National Bank University Cup Pacific inside the UBC Aquatic Centre on the Saturday and Sunday of November 7 and 8.

"Our first competitions of the year are really an opportunity to practice racing with very little expected in terms of outcomes," said UBC head coach Derrick Schoof. "We're focusing on the process of racing and preparing to race. We're using these races to identify gaps and get a measure of where the swimmers are early in the season. 

"I was surprised by how fast we are swimming already. Our swimmers picked up where they left off last season and are working hard and racing fast for this time of year."

Nearly 300 swimmers will hit the water over the course of the weekend. The T-Birds are joined by their conference opponents Calgary, Lethbridge, Manitoba, Regina and Victoria, as well as Simon Fraser University and a Swim BC All-Star squad.

The biggest meet that the Thunderbirds have competed in to this point of the season, the University Cup Pacific also serves as a very useful warmup to the upcoming Canada West Championships, held this year in Victoria in just three weeks' time.

"We are excited to be racing in our only home meet of the season," added Schoof. "This is our first real test of the season. It is an opportunity to really work on our mental skills as well as our race tactics under pressure. We will not be peaking at the meet, but rather training through as we get ready to unload for the Canada West Championships. With that being said, we still expect some great results."
 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UBC Women's Swimming (@ubcwswimming)

Entering this campaign as reigning double Canada West and U SPORTS champions, the blue and gold aim to keep the standard within the program high once again this season. 

To complement their plethora of talented veterans, the Thunderbirds have brought in another large recruiting class, especially on the women' side.

"Our men welcomed four top tier recruits who are already showing that they belong on this team," said Schoof. "They are already challenging our veterans in training and will be vying for a spot on the championship roster. They are hungry and excited.  

"Our women's class is quite large – with eight new women on the team we have lots to figure out in terms of their training, racing strengths and areas for improvement. They are already making their mark, however, in training so far and have been consistently working hard every day. There is also lots of untapped potential in these girls which I am excited to see flourish here at UBC."

The highest profile recruit in this year's class is Katrina Bellio, a Canadian national team swimmer who competed in the 1500m freestyle at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The Mississauga native previously swam for the UCLA Bruins in the NCAA, and now arrives in Vancouver to pursue a Master's degree in Global Health, using her third year of eligibility this season.

The other eight female recruits are all in their first year of eligibility: Veanna Bui, Kyah De Mitri, Emma Liu, Maelie Michaud, Sophia Musselman, Julia Norman and Kaitlyn Vu. 

The same goes for the four new T-Bird men, a group headlined by Danny Park, a Canadian Junior National Team member. Tuja Dreyer, Noah Weaver and Ian Wu round out the UBC men's roster, which also features six athletes entering their second year in the program.

The preliminary heats of the University Cup Pacific begin at 9:30 am on Saturday and 9:00 am on Sunday. The finals get underway at 5:30 pm on Saturday and 3:00 pm on Sunday, with a total of 42 events over the course of the weekend.