SWIM: Championships head to Southern Alberta
November 20, 2019
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - If it seems that the Canada West fall season has raced by, then it's fitting the final championship before the semester break is all about reaching top speed.
The University of Lethbridge is hosting the 2019 Canada West Swimming Championships, Nov. 22-24 at the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, where student-athletes from across the conference will look to clock the fastest times in the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre pool.
WATCH: All finals available on Canada West TV Presented by Co-op
SCHEDULE:
One of Canada West's deepest talent pools in recent memory are on tap for competition. Last season's male and female swimmers of the year, Markus Thormeyer of UBC and Manitoba's Kelsey Wog are back to lead their teams, while the 2018-19 male and female rookies of the year, UBC student-athlete Alex Pratt and Calgary swimmer Marit Anderson are poised to better their sensational debuts. Others to watch include UBC speedster Hoi Lam Karen-Tam, who last year set new records in the women's 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle events, and 10-time Canada West championship medalist Robert Hill, a senior with the Dinos men's team.
If history is any indication, the team championships are UBC's to lose. The Thunderbirds men's team is riding a wave of six consecutive conference titles and have captured 19 all-time, one short of Calgary's record. Meanwhile, the T-Bird women have won the last 10 Canada West championships, bringing their all-time total to 30, nearly four times as many as the next closest teams, Alberta and Calgary, which have eight apiece.
The Pronghorns are hopeful that home pool advantage will result in its men's and women's teams both finishing higher than fifth. That last happened two decades ago at the 1999-2000 conference championships, which also took place in Lethbridge.
Since opening in 1985, the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre has hosted many major meets. Located within the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness, it includes an Olympic-sized pool with seating for 350 spectators.
At the 2018-19 conference championships at the U of C Aquatic Centre, the hometown Dinos were runners-up to UBC in both the men's and women's standings, while UVic claimed men's bronze, and the Pandas placed third in the women's standings.
Top performers at the Canada West Championships will move on to compete in the 2020 U Sports Swimming Championships, Feb. 20-22, hosted by the University of Victoria at Saanich Commonwealth Place, an iconic facility that is a legacy of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. UBC is the three-time reigning U Sports champs in both men's and women's swimming, and the T-Birds rank first all time with 23 women's and 16 men's national titles.
The University of Lethbridge is hosting the 2019 Canada West Swimming Championships, Nov. 22-24 at the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness, where student-athletes from across the conference will look to clock the fastest times in the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre pool.
WATCH: All finals available on Canada West TV Presented by Co-op
SCHEDULE:
- Friday, November 22
- Heats: 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.
- Finals: 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, November 23
- Heats: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Finals: 5:00 to 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, November 24
- Heats: 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
- Finals: 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
One of Canada West's deepest talent pools in recent memory are on tap for competition. Last season's male and female swimmers of the year, Markus Thormeyer of UBC and Manitoba's Kelsey Wog are back to lead their teams, while the 2018-19 male and female rookies of the year, UBC student-athlete Alex Pratt and Calgary swimmer Marit Anderson are poised to better their sensational debuts. Others to watch include UBC speedster Hoi Lam Karen-Tam, who last year set new records in the women's 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle events, and 10-time Canada West championship medalist Robert Hill, a senior with the Dinos men's team.
If history is any indication, the team championships are UBC's to lose. The Thunderbirds men's team is riding a wave of six consecutive conference titles and have captured 19 all-time, one short of Calgary's record. Meanwhile, the T-Bird women have won the last 10 Canada West championships, bringing their all-time total to 30, nearly four times as many as the next closest teams, Alberta and Calgary, which have eight apiece.
The Pronghorns are hopeful that home pool advantage will result in its men's and women's teams both finishing higher than fifth. That last happened two decades ago at the 1999-2000 conference championships, which also took place in Lethbridge.
Since opening in 1985, the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre has hosted many major meets. Located within the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness, it includes an Olympic-sized pool with seating for 350 spectators.
At the 2018-19 conference championships at the U of C Aquatic Centre, the hometown Dinos were runners-up to UBC in both the men's and women's standings, while UVic claimed men's bronze, and the Pandas placed third in the women's standings.
Top performers at the Canada West Championships will move on to compete in the 2020 U Sports Swimming Championships, Feb. 20-22, hosted by the University of Victoria at Saanich Commonwealth Place, an iconic facility that is a legacy of the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games. UBC is the three-time reigning U Sports champs in both men's and women's swimming, and the T-Birds rank first all time with 23 women's and 16 men's national titles.