Kylie Masse earned national swimmer of the year honours for the fourth straight season as the 2019 Odlum Brown U SPORTS swimming championships wrapped up on Saturday night (Feb. 23) in Vancouver.

TEAM STANDINGS: The Blues women earn their second straight national silver medal, finishing with 1230.5 points, just 25 points behind the host UBC Thunderbirds (1255.5). The Montreal Carabins placed third with 701 points.

"Our women were a distant second last year by nearly 400 points," said Varsity Blues head coach Byron MacDonald. "To make almost all of that up in one year is incredible. What a finish. After three days and after 17 of the 19 events and the score was only three points apart. It can't get more exciting than that."

Toronto's men claimed the overall bronze medal with 682 points, behind the UBC Thunderbirds (1075) and Calgary Dinos (925.5).  

"The men's team deserve some serious accolades," added MacDonald. "The turnover in the team from last year was the biggest wholesale change I have ever experienced in my 41 years at U of T. We lost 10 of our 18 members from last year's OUA championship team. The fact that we could still make our way to the national podium was impressive."

WOMEN'S RESULTS: Masse garnered female swimmer of the year honours after finishing the meet with three individual and three relay gold medals.

"I'm so proud of these girls," said Masse. "To have been a part of this team for five years is something really special. This award is quite an honour because there were a lot of very fast swims this weekend."

In her final individual race as a Varsity Blue, Masse earned her third grand slam award in as many days, winning her fourth career 200 backstroke gold medal in a U SPORTS long course record of 2:08.70. That completed the backstroke sweep for the kinesiology major for the fourth straight year.

The LaSalle, Ont., native capped off her U of T career by teaming up with rookies Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray and Rebecca Smith to win the 400 freestyle relay in a U SPORTS record time of 3:43.90.

"Being a part of a team is so special," added Masse. "You learn a lot about yourself and there is a lot of personal growth both in and out of the pool. To share that with your teammates and watch each other grow and continue to improve is awesome. Not everyone gets a chance to be a part of a team so to be able to have that honour and to represent your school is something that everyone should be really proud of."

"It was sad to see Kylie swim her last race for U of T as she has been such a role model and inspiration for her teammates and I would argue all sports folks," said MacDonald. "It has been a privilege to coach her as I have mentioned before. She will remain on campus for her Olympic prep so even though her varsity eligibility is gone, she will still provide inspiration and leadership to the Blues."

Smith earned U SPORTS female rookie of the year laurels after amassing three individual and three relay gold medals as well. Smith capped off her first national championships by claiming her third individual gold medal in three days. The Red Deer, Alta., native touched the wall first in the 100 freestyle in 55.45 seconds.

Rounding out Toronto's podium finishes on Day 3 was Hannah Genich, who claimed the 200 butterfly silver medal in 2:13.77. Georgia Kidd was fourth in 2:15.81.

Gold placed fourth in the 100 freestyle, while she, Sarah Polley and Genich finished 4-5-6 in the 200 backstroke. Sophia Saroukian also placed seventh in the 800 freestyle in 9:02.94.

MacDonald and Linda Kiefer were named co-coaches of the year, alongside UBC's Steve Price. 

MEN'S RESULTS: Mitch Ferraro ended his five-year career at U of T with a bronze-medal finish in the 100 freestyle, touching the wall in 50.94 seconds. He then teamed up with Bjoern-Ole Schrader, Matt Dans and Ethan Fazekas to place third in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:26.75.

"Mitch has had a marvelous career at U of T," said MacDonald. "We could always count on him for his swim performances and his leadership."

Osvald Nitski placed fifth in the 200 butterfly in 2:03.59, while Matthew Mac was sixth in the 200 backstroke in 2:05.02.

INDIVIDUAL HONOURS
 
Women
 
Swimmer of the Year: Kylie Masse, Toronto
Rookie of the Year: Rebecca Smith, Toronto
Fox 40 Co-Coaches of the Year: Byron MacDonald, Toronto / Steve Price, UBC
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Taylor Snowden-Richardson, Victoria
 
Men
 
Swimmer of the Year: Markus Thormeyer, UBC
Rookie of the Year: Alexander Pratt, UBC
Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Mike Blondal, Calgary
Student-Athlete Community Service Award: Owen Guyn, Lethbridge
 

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
 
Women
 
1. UBC, 1,255.5 points
2. Toronto, 1,230.5
3. Montreal, 701
4. Calgary, 521
5. Victoria, 312
6. McGill, 299
7. Ottawa, 294
8. Alberta, 237
T9. Western, 217
T9. Laval, 217
11. McMaster, 206
12. Dalhousie, 200
13. Waterloo, 198.5
14. Manitoba, 192.5
15. Guelph, 141
16. Sherbrooke, 96
17. Regina, 90
18. New Brunswick, 73
19. Québec à Trois-Rivières, 72
20. Wilfrid Laurier, 58
21. Laurentian, 44
22. Acadia, 26
23. Queen's, 15
24. Lethbridge, 9
25. Memorial, 3
26. Brock, 1
 
Men (Nelson C. Hart trophy)
 
1. UBC, 1,075 points
2. Calgary, 925.5
3. Toronto, 682
4. McGill, 550
5. Victoria, 472.5
6. Regina, 470
7. Ottawa, 442.5
8. Laval, 397.5
9. Montreal, 388.5
10. Alberta, 249
11. Lethbridge, 234.5
12. Western, 160
13. Dalhousie, 134
14. Sherbrooke, 87
15. Manitoba, 65
16. Laurentian, 58
17. Brock, 41
18. Acadia, 40
19. Waterloo, 39
20. Queen's, 34
21. Thompson Rivers, 29
22. Mount Allison, 28
23. Guelph, 10
24. McMaster, 5

DAY 3 INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS
 
Women 200m Fly
1. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 2:13.54
2. Hannah Genich, Toronto, 2:13.77
3. Megan Dalke, UBC, 2:15.40
 
Men 200m Fly
1. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 2:00.41 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 2:00.95
3. Dmitriy Lim, UBC, 2:01.16
 
W 100m Free
1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 55.45
2. Charis Huddle, Western, 56.02
3. Hoi Lam Karen Lam, UBC, 56.22
 
M 100m Free
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 48.71 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 50.73
3. Mitch Ferraro, Toronto, 50.94
 
W 200m Breast
1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 2:25.50 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Renae Ledoux, Alberta, 2:32.50
3. Jasmine Raines, Laurier, 2:32.98
 
M 200m Breast
1. Jaren LeFranc, UBC, 2:16.41
2. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 2:18.39
3. Benjamin Blackmon, Calgary, 2:19.17
 
W 200m Back
1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 2:08.70 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Olivia Ellard, UBC, 2:13.75
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 2:14.51
 
M 200m Back
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 1:58.64 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Robert Hill, Calgary, 2:02.93
3. Anders Klein, Calgary, 2:03.76
 
W 800m Free
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 8:46.89 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Marit Anderson, Calgary, 8:50.17
3. Megan Dalke, UBC, 8:51.14
 
M 1500m Free
1. Eric Hedlin, Victoria, 15:34.16 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Hau-Li Fan, UBC, 15:34.24
3. Peter Brothers, Calgary, 15:50.47
 
W 4 x 100m Free
1. Toronto, 3:43.90 (U SPORTS Record)
(Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray, Kylie Masse, Rebecca Smith)
2. UBC, 3:45.75
(Hoi Lam Karen Tam, Quincy Brozo, Mackenzie Gunther, Emily Overholt)
3. Montreal, 3:47.20
(Katerine Savard, Charlotte Beauchemin, Frédérique Cigna, Ariane Mainville)
 
M 4 x 100m Free
1. UBC, 3:23.39 (U SPORTS Record)
(Alexander Pratt, Josiah Binnema, Araya Therrien, Markus Thormeyer)
2. Montreal, 3:26.56
(Vincent Laperle, Antoine Bujold, Vincent Taboga, Antoine Bernard-Lalonde)
3. Toronto, 3:26.75
(Bjoern-Ole Schrader, Matt Dans, Ethan Fazekas, Mitch Ferraro)
 
DAY 2 INDIVIDUAL MEDALLISTS
 
Women 200m Free
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 1:57.26 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 1:59.69
3. Aleksa Gold, Toronto, 2:01.17
 
Men 200m Free
1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 1:48.02 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 1:49.03
3. Alexander Pratt, UBC, 1:51.41
 
W 50m Back
1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 27.94
2. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 28.78
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 28.81
 
M 50m Back
1. Clement Secchi, McGill, 26.15
2. Josh Dow, Calgary, 26.18
3. Robert Hill, Calgary, 26.23
 
W 100 Breast
1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 1:08.23
2. Renae Ledoux, Alberta, 1:10.44
3. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 1:10.60
 
M 100 Breast
1. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 1:03.98
2. Benjamin Blackmon, Calgary, 1:04.34
3. Ruishen Yu, UBC, 1:04.40
 
W 400 IM
1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 4:40.95 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Megan Dalke, UBC, 4:48.21
3. Allison McCloy, Calgary, 4:54.38
 
M 400 IM
1. Montana Champagne, Ottawa, 4:24.25
2. Ambroise Petit, Laval, 4:25.73
3. Brian Palaschuk, Regina, 4:26.05
 
W 50 Fly
1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 26.84
2. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 27.18
3. Marie-Lou Lapointe, Montreal, 27.20
 
M 50 Fly
1. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 24.52
2. Stephen Calkins, Calgary, 24.71
3. Matt Dans, Toronto, 24.85
 
W 4 x 200m Free
1. Toronto, 8:07.20 (U SPORTS Record & Canadian Club Record) 
(Aleksa Gold, Ainsley McMurray, Rebecca Smith, Kylie Masse)
2. UBC, 8:10.56
(Emily Overholt, Maia Brundage, Megan Dalke, Ingrid Wilm)
3. Calgary, 8:19.37
(Marit Anderson, Allison McCloy, Danica Ludlow, Robyn Lee)
 
M 4 x 200m Free
1. UBC, 7:27.78 (U SPORTS Record)
(Alexander Pratt, Markus Thormeyer, Josiah Binnema, Brodie Young)
2. Calgary, 7:36.01
(Peter Brothers, Stephen Calkins, Teddy Kalp, Emil Goin)
3. McGill, 7:39.35
(Clement Secchi, Kade Wist, David Brenken, Will Simpson)
 
Day 1

Women 50m Free

1. Charis Huddle, Western, 25.74
2. Hoi Lam Karen Tam, UBC, 26.05
3. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 26.13

Men 50m Free

1. Alex Loginov, UBC, 23.21
2. Matthew Schouten, Laurentian, 23.36
3. Stephen Calkins, Calgary, 23.42

W 100m Back

1. Kylie Masse, Toronto, 59.33 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 1:01.56
3. Ingrid Wilm, UBC, 1:01.82

M 100m Back

1. Markus Thormeyer, UBC, 53.78 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Robert Hill, Calgary, 56.27
3. Anders Klein, Calgary, 56.38

W 50 Breast

1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 31.80
2. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 32.26
3. Marie-Laurence Godin, Sherbrooke, 32.47

M 50 Breast

1. Cale Kooyman, Alberta, 28.81
2. Matthew Loewen, Western, 28.93
3. Jonathan Naisby, Sherbrooke, 29.00

W 400 Free

1. Emily Overholt, UBC, 4:06.27 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Megan Dalke, UBC, 4:15.57
3. Maia Brundage, UBC, 4:16.48

M 400 Free

1. Davide Casarin, Ottawa, 3:53.46
2. Alexander Pratt, UBC, 3:56.92
3. Peter Brothers, Calgary, 3:57.95

W 100 Fly

1. Rebecca Smith, Toronto, 59.03
2. Hannah Genich, Toronto, 59.33
3. Danielle Hanus, Victoria, 1:00.61

M 100 Fly

1. Josiah Binnema, UBC, 52.89 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Matt Dans, Toronto, 54.21
3. Clement Secchi, McGill, 54.64

W 200 IM

1. Kelsey Wog, Manitoba, 2:13.98
2. Hillary Metcalfe, UBC, 2:16.87
3. Georgia Kidd, Toronto, 2:17.79

M 200 IM

1. Montana Champagne, Ottawa, 2:02.09 (U SPORTS Record)
2. Brian Palaschuk, Regina, 2:02.26
3. Josh Zakala, Victoria, 2:04.35

W 4 x 100m Medley

1. Toronto, 4:05.55 (U SPORTS Record & Canadian Club Record) 
   (Kylie Masse, Kelsey Crocker, Hannah Genich, Rebecca Smith)
2. UBC, 4:08.24
   (Ingrid Wilm, Hillary Metcalfe, Kirsten Douglas, Emily Overholt)
3. Montreal, 4:18.43
   (Ariane Mainville, Marie-Lou Lapointe, Katerine Savard, Anais Arlandis)

M 4 x 100m Medley

1. UBC, 3:41.62 (U SPORTS Record)
   (Markus Thormeyer, Jaren LeFranc, Josiah Binnema, Alexander Pratt)
2. Toronto, 3:47.19
   (Matthew Mac, Graeme Aylward, Matt Dans, Mitch Ferraro)
3. Calgary, 3:47.59
   (Anders Klein, Benjamin Blackmon, Emil Goin, Stephen Calkins)

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