Markus Thormeyer will look to thrive in friendly waters when the UBC Thunderbirds welcome the top intercollegiate swimmers in the country to UBC Aquatic Centre for the 2019 U SPORTS Odlum Brown Swimming Championships starting Thursday.
It will mark the sixth time the Thunderbirds have hosted the three-day event, but first in a decade since last welcoming the best swimmers in the nation in 2009. It will also be the first chance for many of the athletes to make a splash at the UBC Aquatic Centre’s new pool which opened in January 2017.
Thormeyer, the 21-year-old from Tsawwassen, leads the No. 1 ranked UBC men’s team into the championships. The Winskill Dolphins product won bronze for Canada at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The No. 2 ranked UBC women will be led by 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Emily Overholt. UBC will look to continue a tradition of excellence, building on a combined 38 national titles since 1965 (22 women, 16 men), sweeping both championships in three of the last four years.
Also on display will be one of Canada’s most decorated and accomplished swimmers, Kylie Masse, from the No. 1 Ranked University of Toronto women’s swimming team.
Masse will be competing in her final U SPORTS championship. She is the current world champion and world record holder in the 100-m backstroke. Masse won two gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia and boasts a bronze medal win from the 2016 Summer Olympics.
UBC Thunderbirds head coach Steve Price, who has swept the U SPORTS men’s and women’s coach of the year awards for three straight seasons, is looking forward to welcoming Canada’s top swimmers to UBC.
“We’re really excited to be hosting nationals giving us an opportunity to showcase our brand-new pool,” said Price. “We also want our visitors from across Canada to enjoy the great surroundings on this world class campus.
“Anytime we have a chance to race in front of our home crowd on such a big stage it’s thrilling. We don’t get to do it very often. but it’s an excellent opportunity to remind our community that we run an excellent program. We get to compete in our own backyard and the level of athletes that will be on display will be of the highest caliber. The whole event will be excellent for our league.”
UBC Senior Athletics Director Gilles Lepine can’t wait for the competition to begin.
“We are very proud to be welcoming Canada’s top student athlete swimmers to the UBC Aquatic Centre for what will be a wonderful three days of competition in an outstanding facility that will provide a great atmosphere,” said Lepine. “We value the spirit of student athletes competing at the highest levels and we’re also very fortunate to have the support from Odlum Brown as the title sponsor.”
Last year’s U SPORTS Swimming Championships featured eight members of the Canadian Olympic Team, many of whom will be vying for a spot at the 2019 Pan American Games this summer. The Championships will also be the first of two selection points for the upcoming 2019 World Student Games (Summer Universiade).
Action at the UBC Aquatic Centre gets underway Thursday with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. followed by finals starting at 6 p.m. For further details and schedule visit here.
