The Varsity Blues swimming program is pleased to announce that 2008 Olympian Stephanie Horner has made known her intent to swim and pursue an education at the University of Toronto in the fall of 2010.

The Beaconsfield, Que., native finished 10th as a member of Canada’s 4x200m freestyle relay team at the Beijing Olympics and also recorded personal bests in her other two events at the Games, including an 11th-place finish in the 400 freestyle.

A transfer student from Auburn University in Alabama, Horner established an international presence with two podium finishes at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She claimed a silver medal in the 200 freestyle and a bronze in the 200 individual medley.

"Stephanie is a superstar," said Varsity Blues head coach Byron MacDonald. "She has been among the top swimmers in the world. The goal will be to get her back to that level so she can challenge for the podium in the CIS as well as internationally."

Horner will pursue a degree in economics and train under the guidance of John Rodgers, head coach at the new High Performance Swimming Centre at U of T, starting in September. 

"I am truly excited to have Stephanie in the program as I believe she has the makeup to be one of the best,” commented Rodgers. 

Students who sign a letter of intent and commit to Varsity Blues intercollegiate teams will be eligible to compete at the University of Toronto provided they are academically admissible and have applied through the normal process with the Ontario Universities Application Centre. 

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