The UBC Aquatic Centre will be home to plenty of high-level swimming once again this weekend, as nearly 750 athletes will hit the water at the 61st annual Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet from Friday, June 5 through Sunday, June 7.
 
With preliminary sessions in the mornings and finals each evening, the days will be jam-packed with fast swimming and the chance to see both established and emerging stars in action.
 
"We are very excited once again to be hosting the Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet here at UBC," said Thunderbirds head coach Derrick Schoof. "The meet provides world-class competition, the opportunity for the local swimmers to watch Olympians in action, and it builds excitement for competitive swimming in the lower mainland. We are so tremendously grateful for the ongoing support of the Zajac Foundation."


 
One of the top-tier athletes in action is Kylie Masse, who returns to the meet after some great performances inside the UBC Aquatic Centre last May. The five-time Olympic medalist is one of the most decorated swimmers in Canadian history, and has competed for the senior national team for over a decade.
 
Fellow 2024 Canadian Olympic medalist Josh Liendo will also be at this weekend's event, with the 23-year-old returning to the Mel Zajac Jr. meet for the first time since he took silver in the Men's 100m Butterfly in Paris.


 
Other top non-Thunderbird headliners include Santo Condorelli, who represented Canada at the 2016 Olympics before winning silver for Italy at the 2020 Games, and Apollo Hess, who made his Olympic debut for Canada in 2024.
 
There will be plenty of current and former T-Bird stars competing at the event as well, led by 2026 U SPORTS Women's Swimmer of the Year and UBC Female Athlete of the Year Kayla Sanchez. The list of stars also includes Yuri Kisil, Emma O'Croinin, Finlay Knox and Blake Tierney.
 
"I know our Olympic-level swimmers will put up some incredible performances as well as many top junior swimmers from all over Canada as well as the U.S.," added Schoof. "We are excited to be welcoming the U.S. Junior National Team as well as Canadian National and Junior National Team members. A big thank you to UBC and the Vancouver Pacific Swim Club who put in many hours of work in making this such a successful event."


 
On each of the three days of the meet the preliminary races begin at 9:00 a.m., ending at approximately 1:00 p.m. on Friday and Sunday and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday (all times PT). The finals begin at 5:30 p.m. on each day, ending at about 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 8:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets for each of the six sessions cost $15.
 
In addition to serving as a showcase of Canadian and international swimming, the event is also an important tune-up ahead of August's Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
 
"This year's competition lines up exactly one month prior to our Canadian Swimming Trials which will select athletes to represent Canada at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships," said Schoof. "It's an excellent opportunity for our swimmers to put down some fast in-season performances before peaking four weeks later. The performances this weekend will provide much needed feedback to the swimmers and coaches on how to best prepare for the upcoming trials."
 

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The Mel Jr. and Marty Zajac Foundation has sponsored the annual meet since 1998, with their support allowing the event to attract top talent each and every year. The meet is named after Mel Zajac Jr., who was a swimmer on the Canadian National Team and competed for Canada at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, with the weekend providing the opportunity to honour his competitive spirit and love of swimming.

For more on the daily schedules, tickets, and further details about the Mel Zajac Jr. International Swim Meet, click here: https://www.swimzajac.com.