March 14, 2026

Thunderbirds sweep national titles at 2026 U SPORTS Swimming Championships

The 2026 U SPORTS Swimming Championships concluded Saturday night in Markham with a thrilling final session that saw records fall, standout individual performances, and dominant team displays. When the final touches were made, the UBC Thunderbirds stood atop Canadian university swimming once again, sweeping both the men’s and women’s national titles.

UBC captured the women’s championship with 1,445 points, finishing ahead of Toronto (1,029) and McGill (978.5). The Thunderbirds also dominated the men’s competition, winning the national banner with 1,644 points, comfortably ahead of Toronto (935.5) and Calgary (883.5).

The sweep capped three days of high-level racing that saw numerous national and university records broken, along with breakthrough performances from swimmers across the country.

One of the most electrifying swims of the final session came in the men’s 100-metre freestyle, where Olympic veteran Yuri Kisil delivered a championship-defining performance. The UBC sprinter touched the wall in 46.77 seconds, setting a new U SPORTS Championship record while also establishing a new program mark for the Thunderbirds. York University’s Eric Ginzburg finished second in 47.35, while UBC’s Joel Blanco captured bronze in 48.33.

For Kisil, the victory meant more than just another medal. Competing with a new group of teammates after returning to university competition, the veteran sprinter reflected on the experience of racing again at the U SPORTS level.

“It’s awesome,” Kisil said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here and just being back here with the team and a new group of people and friends, it’s just everything I could ask for.”

He credited his teammates and the depth of competition for pushing him to perform at his best throughout the weekend.

“The team having my back helped a lot,” he added. “This is the biggest depth I’ve ever seen at U SPORTS, so I knew I had to be on my A-game.”

The evening also featured impressive performances in the distance events.

In the women’s 800-metre freestyle, McGill’s Iris Tinmouth captured the national title in 8:41.36, holding off UBC’s Emma Spence (8:43.88) and Ruby Kehler (8:46.46) in a tightly contested race.

Meanwhile, the men’s 1500-metre freestyle produced a dominant showing for UBC as Olivier Risk claimed gold in 14:53.64, followed closely by teammate Aiden Kirk in 14:55.39. Montreal’s Edouard Duffy rounded out the podium in 15:09.55.

Backstroke finals earlier in the session also delivered memorable races.

UBC’s Emma O’Croinin led a one-two finish in the women’s 200-metre backstroke, winning in 2:06.09 just ahead of teammate Bridget Burton (2:06.14). Ottawa’s Abigail McKinley placed third in 2:09.59.

On the men’s side, McGill’s Loïc Courville-Fortin captured the 200-metre backstroke title in 1:53.41. UBC swimmers Raben Dommann and Jaques Harrison finished second and third, respectively.

The session began with the women’s 200-metre butterfly, where Toronto dominated the podium. Nina Mollin captured gold in 2:11.96, followed by teammates Angel Yao (2:14.34) and Kaitlyn Stanojlovic (2:15.21) in a Varsity Blues sweep.

Throughout the championships, record-breaking performances became a common theme. Multiple championship marks fell across events, including Kisil’s record in the 100 freestyle.

Another highlight of the meet came earlier in the competition when Alexanne Lepage set a new Canadian Senior and U SPORTS record in the 50m backstroke during the preliminary heats, adding to the historic pace of the championships.

For UBC head coach Derrick Schoof, who was named the Fox40 Coach of the Year, the team sweep reflected the collective effort of the entire roster.

“I’m incredibly proud,” Schoof said following the final races. “Everyone played a role in winning these championships. It’s never one or two athletes; it was everyone on the roster contributing.”

Schoof emphasized that the program’s success was built not around chasing records, but around developing athletes within a strong team culture. “We’re not really going in there with the mindset of breaking records,” he said. “We’re focused on making these athletes better swimmers and better people. When everyone comes together and performs at the same time, that’s when excellence happens.”

The championship was also a special moment for many swimmers on the women’s side of the Thunderbirds program. Eloise Allen reflected on the emotional significance of winning a national title with her teammates.

“It feels really good to finally see my work starting to pay off,” Allen said. “I’m really grateful for my coaches and my team and everything they do for me.”

Allen also pointed to the strength of the team’s relay performances, which helped UBC secure valuable points throughout the meet.

“It feels really special,” she said. “We’re all really close, and I’m just really proud of all of them and how hard we work.”

The Thunderbirds dominance showed as they took four major awards from the event. In addition to Schoof’s honour, Ruby Kehler and Aidan Kirk took national rookie of the year honours, while Kayla Sanchez was the women’s swimmer of the meet.

The men’s swimmer of the meet was Andrew Herman of Toronto, while the student-athlete community service awards went to a pair of McGill swimmers: Charles-Antoine Boucher and Iris Tinmouth.

As the championships concluded, the meet served as a showcase for the depth of Canadian university swimming. From record-breaking performances to breakthrough podium finishes, athletes from across the country delivered memorable races over three days of competition.

OUTSTANDING SWIMMERS OF THE YEAR:

Women: Kayla Sanchez, UBC

Men’s: Andrew Herman, Toronto

COACH OF THE YEAR:

Women’s team: Derrick Schoof, UBC

Men’s team: Derrick Schoof, UBC

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:

Women: Ruby Kehler, UBC

Men: Aidan Kirk, UBC

STUDENT ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD:

Women: Iris Tinmouth, McGill

Men: Charles-Antoine Boucher, McGill