Brian Swane, Special to Canada West
CALGARY – Student-athletes from across Canada West are making a splash this weekend at the UC Aquatics Centre where the Calgary Dinos are hosting the 2018 Canada West Swimming Championships.
From Friday through Sunday, medals are up for grabs in more than three dozen events.
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With multi-time Canada West swimming Coach of the Year Steve Price at the helm, UBC is pursuing a tenth straight women’s and sixth consecutive men’s team title. The T-Birds will face plenty of challengers in Calgary’s Dino-infested waters, with a U of C team that finished second in both the men’s and women’s standings at the 2017 championships. Meanwhile, Alberta, Lethbridge, Manitoba, Regina, Thompson Rivers and Victoria also have designs on landing conference medals.
The meet is a homecoming for UBC’s Ingrid Wilm, a Calgary native that last year broke records in the women’ 50-metre butterfly, 50-metre backstroke, and 200-metre backstroke while winning six gold medals. Fellow T-Birds Josiah Binnema and Markus Thormeyer are two of the most accomplished Canada West swimmers, each winning four golds, including one together as part of UBC’s record-setting relay in the 4 x 100-metre medley.
Setting the pace for the hosts is fourth-year swimmer Robert Hill, the Canada West record holder in the men’s 200-metre backstroke, who stood atop the podium three times at last season’s championships. Hill’s Dinos teammate Danica Ludlow stopped the clock first in the women’s 400-metre freestyle in 2017.
Having been named the 2017 Canada West Women’s Swimmer of the Year and 2016 Rookie of the Year, Manitoba’s Kelsey Wog is poised to add to her trophy case this year. The third-year Bison is the defending gold medalist in the 50-metre breaststroke, 100-metre breaststroke, and 200-metre individual medley.
Victoria’s Eric Hedlin and Danielle Hanus return after winning titles at the 2017 championships, when they helped the host Vikes to place third and fourth in the men’s and women’s standings, respectively. Hedlin rewrote the record book in the men’s 1,500-metre freestyle while Hanus did likewise with the women’s 100-metre butterfly.
Other competitors to watch include Lethbridge’s Joel Robinson, the reigning champ in the men’s 50-metre breaststroke, and the Regina women’s 4x100-metre medley relay team, which returns three of its four members from last year’s silver-medal winning unit.
Twenty records were broken at the 2017 Canada West championships, a figure that could certainly be equaled or bettered this weekend.
Calgary is the all-time leader with 20 Canada West men’s team swimming championships, two more than UBC. The T-Birds have won 29 women’s titles, while the Dinos are in second place with eight.
Canada West’s top performers will move on to compete in the 2019 U SPORTS Swimming Championships, hosted Feb. 21 – 23 by UBC in Vancouver.
EVENT SCHEDULE
All sessions available live on Canada West TV
Friday, Nov. 23
- Session 1: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
- Session 2: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 24
- Session 3: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
- Session 4: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 25
- Session 5: 9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
- Session 6: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
TEAM PREVIEWS
2017-18 CW finish: 4th (men's), 6th (women's)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 11th (men's), 13th (women's)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: Men – 1995 (9) / Women – 1992 (8)
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: Men – None / Women – 1975 (2)
Number of competitors: 24 total (13 men, 11 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
- None
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Will Beach / 1 / Breaststroke / Edmonton, AB
- Cale Kooyman / 1 / Breaststroke / Lacombe, AB
Women:
- Haley Berrisford / 1 / Freestyle / Summerland, BC
- Madeleine Durocher / 1 / Backstroke / Edmonton, AB
- Jessica Mantik / 1 / Butterfly / Chestermere, AB
- Kier Vander Leek / 1 / Breaststroke / Sherwood Park, AB
- Brittany Welsh / 1 / Backstroke / Fort St. John, BC
Key performer:
- Renae Ledoux
- 2nd-year
- Langley, BC
Having already started her sophomore season with a strong performance, second-year Panda Renae Ledoux will aim to carry that momentum into the Canada West Championship.
Leading the Pandas at the Oldum Brown Colleges Cup in B.C., Ledoux finished with two medals and four top-10 finishes, as the Pandas earned a sixth place team finish.
2017-18 CW finish: 1st (men’s), 1st (women’s)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 1st (men’s), 1st (women’s)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: Men – 2017 (18) / Women – 2017 (28)
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: Men – 2017 (16) / Women – 2017 (22)
Number of competitors: 32 total (17 men, 15 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
Men:
- Josiah Binnema – 100 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly
- Markus Thormeyer – 200 freestyle
Women:
- Quincy Brozo – 50 freestyle
- Megan Dalke – 800 freestyle
- Emily Overholt – 400 individual medley
- Ingrid Wilm – 50 butterfly, 50, 100, 200 backstroke
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Alex Pratt / freestyle / 1 / Calgary, Alta.
- Justin Konik / freestyle, butterfly / 1 / St. Catharines, Ont.
- Brodie Young / freestyle, individual medley, breaststroke / 1 / Coquitlam, B.C.
Women:
- Rachael Anderson / breaststroke, individual medley / 1 / Cambridge, Ont.
Women's key performer:
- Ingrid Wilm
- 3rd-year
- Calgary, Alta.
Wilm won four gold medals for UBC at the 2017 Canada West Championships, helping the Thunderbirds to their 10th-consecutive team banner. Three of those wins came in league-record fashion, as she set new Can West standards in the 50 butterfly (26.88), the 50 backstroke (27.15), and the 200 backstroke (2:06.98).
Wilm then won four medals at the U SPORTS Championships, where UBC bested all other teams for the sixth time in seven seasons.
Men's key performer:
- Markus Thormeyer
- 3rd-year
- Delta, B.C.
Thormeyer led UBC to the team titles at both the Canada West and U SPORTS meets last season. He won four gold medals at the 2017 Canada West championships, including the 200-metre freestyle event in a conference-record time of 1:45.29, before claiming six golds at the U SPORTS national meet. His winning time of 1:52.90 in the 200 backstroke established a U SPORTS Championship record.
Thormeyer, of Delta, B.C., represented Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, winning a bronze medal in the 100 backstroke and finished fifth in the 200 backstroke.
At the 2018 Pan Pacific Championships in Japan, Thormeyer finished sixth in the men’s 100 backstroke. He was also a part of the 4×100-m and 4×200-m freestyle relays that finished fourth and fifth.
2017-18 CW finish: 2nd (men’s), 2nd (women’s)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 2nd (men’s), 4th (women’s)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: Men - 2013 (20) / Women - 2009 (8)
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: Men - 2011 (15) / Women - 2011 (3)
Number of competitors: 36 total (18 men, 18 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
Men:
- Robert Hill – 200 IM, 50 back, 200 back
Women:
- Danica Ludlow – 400 free
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Stephen Calkins / fly, free / 2 / Calgary, Alta.
- Colin McCann-Stephens / breast / 1 / Edmonton, Alta.
- Richie Stokes / back, IM / 1 / Toronto, Ont.
Women:
- Marit Anderson / distance free / 1 / Calgary, Alta.
- Kate Dumaine / distance free / 1 / Calgary, Alta.
- Alicia Eisen / sprint free / 1 / Victoria, B.C.
- Sydney Glover / back / 1 / Winnipeg, Man.
- Mickayla Knudson / back / 1 / Calgary, Alta.
- Mackenzie Wallich / IM / 1 / Kaleden, B.C.
Key performer:
- Peter Brothers
- 3rd-year
- Victoria, B.C.
Battling injury through the fall, Brothers didn’t swim much at the Canada West championships last season but was able to make a splash for the Dinos at the U SPORTS event. He captured gold in both the 400- and 1500-metre freestyle events in Toronto, adding a silver in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay. His 1500 time won by nearly four seconds. In the summer, he won gold at the Canadian Trials in the 1500 and made his first appearance on the senior national team, swimming in the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo.
2017-18 CW finish: 6th (men’s), 5th (women’s)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 16th (men’s), 18th (women’s)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: None
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: None
Number of competitors: 31 total (18 men, 13 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
Men:
- Joel Robinson – 50 metre breaststroke
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Chris Alexander / backstroke / 1 / Lethbridge, Alta.
- Raine Arden / freestyle / 1 / Lethbridge, Alta.
- Tanner Potaka / Breast & IM / 1 / Okotoks, Alta.
- Aidan Godwin / Breast / 1 / Lethbridge, Alta.
Women:
- Anna Spence – Backstroke/1/Penticton, B.C.
Key performer:
- Joel Robinson
- 5th-year
- Regina, SK
The defending Canada West gold medalist in the 50 metre breaststroke looks to close out his university career in style, after earning the program’s first conference gold medal in 13 years last season. Coming back from an injury prior to the U SPORTS Championships, Robinson will once again challenge in the breaststroke and lead the Pronghorns men’s free and medley relay teams.
2017-18 CW finish: 7th (men’s), 7th (women’s)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 13th (men’s), 12th (women’s)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: none
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: none
Number of competitors: 14 total (6 men, 8 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
Women:
- Kelsey Wog – 50m breaststroke, 100m breaststroke, 200m IM
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Michael Lajoie / 100m butterfly, 50m free / 1 / Winnipeg, MB
- Reid Glatz / 100m butterfly, 200m IM / 1 / Airdrie, AB
Men's key performer:
- Anthony Iliouchetchev
- 4th-year
- Winnipeg, MB
Bison fourth-year men’s swimmer Anthony Iliouchetchev has returned to the Bisons for the Canada West Swim Championships after a strong 2017 season when he was named the team’s Athlete of the Year.
Last season, he swam personal best times at the Odlum Brown College Cup – Pacific at UBC. At the 2017 Canada West Swimming Championships, he swam to three Top 6 finishes in the men’s 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, and 100m backstroke. He also finished ninth in the men’s 50m backstroke.
At the 2018 U SPORTS Swimming Championships, Iliouchetchev finished 6th in the men’s 100m backstroke, ninth in the 50m backstroke, and 10th in the 100m freestyle.
Women's key performer
- Kelsey Wog
- 3rd-year
- Winnipeg, MB
Bison third-year women’s swimmer Kelsey Wog has continued an excellent career with Manitoba. Over the summer she qualified for the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan and has carried that experience into the varsity season.
At the 2018 Odlum Brown College Cup – Pacific at UBC, she swam to five gold medals and four meet records — three of those records topping her own marks set in 2017.
Wog was first in the women’s 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke; the 200m individual medley; and the 200m freestyle. She also earned a bronze as a member of the Bison women’s freestyle relay team and a silver with the 200m medley relay.
Wog is poised to repeat her performance as Female Swimmer of the Meet at the 2017 Canada West Swimming Championship, the first ever in Bisons history.
2017-18 CW finish: 5th (men’s), 3rd (women’s)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 8th (men’s), 6th (women’s)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: None
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: None
Number of competitors: 14 total (10 men, 4 women)
Returning CW gold medalists:
- None
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Ryan Jensen / 200 IM, 400 IM / 1 / Woodstock, Ont.
Women:
- Rebecca Jones / Butterfly / 1 / Cobourg, Ont.
Key performer:
- Bree Crookshanks
- 2nd-year
- Regina, Sask.
Breaststroke specialist Bree Crookshanks will enter her second Canada West meet looking to pick up her first career individual medal after helping the U of R to a bronze in the 400-metre medley relay at last year’s conference championships. Crookshanks is seeded in the top five at all three breaststroke distances and is also likely to contend for a spot in the A final in the 400-metre medley.
2017-18 CW finish: 8th (men's), 8th (women's)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: /
Last CW championship / total CW championships: None
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: None
Number of competitors: 4 total – 2 Men 2 women
Returning CW gold medalists:
- None
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Rylee McRae / 400 and 800 M freestyle and butterfly / 1 / Kamloops, BC
Women:
- Emily Dagasso / 50, 100, 200 M backstroke / 1 / Kamloops BC
Key performer:
- Rylee McRae
- 1st-year
- Kamloops, BC
McRae is one of the fastest 18-year-old swimmers in the country and has already competed for Canada internationally multiple times. He is looking to build on his impressive resume with his Canada West debut.
2017-18 CW finish: 3rd (men's), 4th (women's)
2017-18 U SPORTS finish: 4th (men's), 5th (women's)
Last CW championship / total CW championships: Men - None / Women - 1980 (1)
Last U SPORTS championship / total U SPORTS championships: None
Number of competitors: 32 total (18 men, 14 women)
Returning CW gold medalists
Men:
- Eric Hedlin – 1500 free
Women:
- Danielle Hanus – 100 fly & 200 fly
Key additions (name / event / eligibility / hometown):
Men:
- Padric McKervill / 200 fly / 1 / Moncton, N.B.
- Austin Phillips / 200 free / 1 / Kamloops, B.C.
Women:
- Jamie Hellard / 50 breast, 100 breast / 1 / Victoria, B.C.
- Lauren Taylor / 50 free, 100 free / 1 / Trenton, Ont.
Men's key performer:
- Eric Hedlin
- 4th-year
- San Diego, Calif.
Eric Hedlin enters the 2018 Canada West Swimming Championships holding the U SPORTS record in the 1500M freestyle and as the defending Canada West gold medalist. Hedlin has won three U SPORTS gold medals in his career, two in the 1500 free and one in the 400 free. In 2017, the fourth-year also earned a Canada West silver medal in the 400m free. The San Diego native is a carded national athlete and was named the 2017 Uvic Athlete of the Year.
- U SPORTS record holder in the 1500 free
- 3-time U SPORTS GOLD medalist
- Canada West Gold and Silver medalist
- National carded athlete
- 2017 UVic Athlete of the Year
Women's key performer:
- Danielle Hanus
- 3rd-year
- Newmarket, Ont.
Danielle Hanus won three silver medals in the 50, 100 and 200-metre backstroke events at the 2017 Canada West Swimming Championships in Edmonton. Hanus is a two-time Canada West gold medalist and a four-time U SPORTS medalist. The Newmarket native currently holds five Vikes records including the 50 and 100-metre backstroke, 100-metre fly and was part of the 4x100 medley and free relay teams.
- 5-event current Vikes Record Holder
- 4-time USPORTS medallist
- 2-time Canada West Gold Medallist
- National Training Centre – Victoria athlete?