The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's and women's swimming teams once again etched their names in the OUA swimming record books with both team winning their respective OUA Championships on Day 3 (Feb. 18) at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.
Cementing to two decades of dominance, Toronto's men secured their 20
th consecutive OUA title and 70
th in program history. While U of T's women claimed their 10
th title in a row and 34
th in program history.
"Extending our winning streak is gratifying but what is way more gratifying is the times the swimmers achieved to win that team banner. It shows we are on the right track for the upcoming nationals" said Varsity Blues swimming head coach Byron Macdonald.
Adding 12 provincial medals on the third day of competition, including five golds, the No. 2 nationally ranked Varsity Blues finished the championship holding a 489-point lead with 1,181 total points scored. The Blues were followed by Western (692) in second and McMaster (491) in third.
The Toronto women conclude the championship in fashion, completing two podium sweeps for the second-consecutive day, earning all three medals in both the 100m free and 200m backstroke.
Continuing to impress on Day 3 of the championship was fifth-year swimmer Ainsley McMurray. The Montreal, Que. native, claimed her fifth and sixth gold medal of the weekend with her fourth-straight title in the 100m freestyle and a relay win in the 4x100m freestyle. McMurray along with a team of Teagan Vander Leek, Gemma Norman and Lily Chubaty set an OUA record time of 3:42.58, besting the previous record time of 3:44.00 set by McMurray, Norman, Chuabty and Blues alumna Alexa Gold in 2023. Following her dominant performances this weekend, McMurray was named the OUA's Women's Swimmer of the Year.
"This is very fitting as Ainsley has meant so much to our team and the OUA. " said Macdonald, "the frozen moment in history is her anchor leg on the opening night where she blistered an incredible split to come from 4.5 seconds behind to capture gold. Truly historic."
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Although this will be McMurray's final OUA Championship, the Blues future looks secured by an impressive rookie class highlighted by Katie Schroeder, who was named the OUA's Women's Rookie of the Year. The humanities major claimed four medals this weekend including two golds in the 100m and 200m backstroke.
The No. 3 nationally ranked Varsity Blues men's team continued their dominance on Day 3 securing eight medals, including four golds. The Toronto men finished their championship with 939 total points scored, while Western (686.5) and McMaster (551.5) follow behind in the silver and bronze positions.
Shining for the Toronto men on Day 3 was second-year swimmer Benjamin Loewen. The commerce major captured his second and third gold medals of the weekend, winning the 200m backstroke and the 200m IM.
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Following a three-medal weekend, Blues first-year swimmer Bill Dongfang was named the OUA's Men's Rookie of the Year. The Victoria, B.C. native won a relay gold in the 4x100m freestyle, a silver in the 200m freestyle, and a bronze in the 200m butterfly.
"Bill is a huge talent who is still adjusting to university swimming. He has a big future ahead of him. Bill is heading for a great Varsity Blues career" said Macdonald.
With their OUA Championships in hand, the Blues now set their sights on the U SPORTS Swimming Championships, which are taking place from March 7-9 at McGill University in Montreal, Que. All the action will be live-streamed through CBC Sports in partnership with U SPORTS.
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MAJOR INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS
Swimmer of the Year
Ainsley McMurray, Toronto
Eric Ginzburg, York
Rookie of the Year
Katie Schroeder, Toronto
Bill Dongfang, Toronto
Coach of the Year
Linda Kiefer and Byron MacDonald, Toronto
Kathy Pardy and Ron Forest, Laurier
Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley Excellence Award
Nina Mollin, Toronto
Jacob Gallant, Toronto
Community Service Award
Mahaylia Datars, Toronto
Marty Konecny, Laurier
Awards of Distinction
Graeme Aylward, Toronto
Mahaylia Datars, Toronto
Anna Hein, Toronto
Cameron Johnsen, McMaster
Haley Klenk, Toronto
Ainsley McMurray, Toronto
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Women's:
Toronto – 1,181
Western – 692
McMaster – 491
Waterloo – 426
Guelph – 343.5
Brock – 203.5
Queen's – 162
Laurier – 139
Carleton – 68
York – 68
Men's:
Toronto – 939
Western – 686.5
McMaster – 551.5
Waterloo – 458.5
Laurier – 277
Guelph – 224.5
Brock – 181
Carleton – 176
York – 164
Queen's – 106
DAY 3 INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS (SUNDAY)
Women's 4x50m Medley Relay
1. Western, 1:52.65
(Leah Butler, Shona Branton, Gabriella Casasanta, Danielle Treasure)
2. McMaster, 1:53.79
(Mikaela Blake, Megan Deering, Michelle Wang, Shaunna Walker-Dejong)
3. Toronto, 1:54.05
(Katie Schroeder, Sydney Winokur, Caroline Carruthers, Alcina Leung)
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Men's 4x50m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 1:38.90
(Andrew Herman, Gabe Mastromatteo, Ahmed El Tatawy, Misha Bagrianski)
2. Waterloo, 1:40.80
(Raymond Duong, Charles Marcial, Lukas Wormald, Allen Zheng)
3. Western, 1:41.63
(David Hickey, Simon Terejko, Theo Graboski, Jackson Waddell)
Women's 800m Freestyle
1. Mahaylia Datars, Toronto, 8:45.88
2. Anna Hein, Toronto, 8:55.62
3. Megan Frost, Waterloo, 9:02.24
Women's 50m Breaststroke
1. Shona Branton, Western, 30.44Â OUA RECORD
2. Megan Deering, McMaster, 31.71
3. Kaelyn Kelly, Waterloo, 32.46
Men's 50m Breaststroke
1. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 28.10
2. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 28.39
3. Hayden Yeung, McMaster, 28.48
3. Ziyad Salouse, Western, 28.48
Women's 200m Backstroke
1. Katie Schroeder, Toronto, 2:09.86
2. Angelica Bath, Toronto, 2:11.23
3. Raili Kary, Toronto, 2:11.90
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Men's 200m Backstroke
1. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 1:58.82
2. Carter Buck, Toronto, 1:59.55
3. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 2:00.50
Women's 100m Freestyle
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 54.25
2. Teagan Vander Leek, Toronto, 55.66
3. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 55.79
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Men's 100m Freestyle
1. Eric Ginzburg, York, 49.30
2. Kent Goni Avila, Laurier, 49.78
3. Raymond Duong, Waterloo, 49.99
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Men's 1500m Freestyle
1. Aidan Iapicco, Waterloo, 15:43.65
2. Alex Boden, Waterloo, 15:49.43
3. Hayden Bartoch, Western, 15:55.98
Women's 200m, Individual Medley
1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 2:14.78
2. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 2:18.68
3. Claire Macleod, Western, 2:20.70
Men's 200m Individual Medley
1. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 2:02.07
2. Isaac Allen, Western, 2:02.81
3. Finn Tuck, Carleton, 2:02.86
Women's 400m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto, 3:42.58Â OUA RECORD
(Teagan Vander Leek, Gemma Norman, Lily Chubaty, Ainsley McMurray)
2. Western, 3:55.38
(Leah Butler, Heidi Bartoch, Kennedy Scott, Ella Rennie)
3. Waterloo, 3:56.60
(Ema Masic, Chloe Chen, Dilara Pamuk, Alyssa Zhang)
Men's 400m Freestyle Relay
1. Toronto, 3:20.87
(Bill Dongfang, Max Tambling, Carter Buck, Jack Li)
2. Western, 3:22.95
(Luke Stewart-Beinder, Ziyad Salouse, Hanwen Luo, Kieran Stone)
3. Laurier, 3:25.35
(Kelton Langman, Daniel Romagnoli, William Bryer, Kent Goni Avila)
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DAY 2 INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS (Saturday)
Women 400m Free
1. Mahaylia Datars, Toronto, 4:14.21
2. Danielle Treasure, Western, 4:16.13
3. Teagan McKenzie, Toronto, 4:18.98
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Men 400 Free
1. Kieran Stone, Western, 3:53.95
2. Isaac Allen, Western, 3:55.55
3. Quinn Matteis, Toronto, 3:58.12
Women 50m Fly
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 27.10
2. Hannah Gallagher, Waterloo, 27.58
3. Tatum O'Connor, Brock, 27.69
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Men 50 Fly
1. Eric Ginzburg, York, 24.09
2. Lukas Wormald, Waterloo, 24.24
3. Ziyad Salouse, Western, 24.64
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Women 200m Breast
1. Shona Branton, Western, 2:26.56Â OUA RECORD
2. Sydney Winokur, Toronto, 2:32.62
3. Tina Guan, Toronto, 2:32.66
Men 200m Breast
1. Cameron Johnsen, McMaster, 2:12.05
2. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 2:13.33
3. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 2:13.88
Women 100m Back
1. Katie Schroeder, Toronto, 1:00.24
2. Raili Kary, Toronto, 1:00.54
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 1:01.06
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Men 100m Back
1. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 53.65Â OUA RECORD
2. Carter Buck, Toronto, 54.39
3. Finn Tuck, Carleton, 55.10
Women 200m Fly
1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 2:14.66
2. Katie Stanojlovic, Toronto, 2:19.41
3. Heidi Bartoch, Western, 2:19.63
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Men 200m Fly
1.Kevin Zhang, Waterloo, 1:58.90
2. Benjamin Loewen, Toronto, 1:58.95
3. Bill Dongfang, Toronto, 1:59.60
Women 50m Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 24.72Â OUA RECORD
2. Lily Chubaty, Toronto, 25.48
3. Gemma Norman, Toronto, 25.90
Men 50m Free
1. Eric Ginzburg, York, 22.43
2. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 22.62
3. Allen Zheng, Waterloo, 22.71
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Women 800m Free Relay
1. Toronto, 8:16.31
(Hayley Klenk, Mahaylia Datars, Teagan McKenzie, Anna Hein)
2. Western, 8:25.69
(Danielle Treasure, Robin Vadeika, Hannah Estabrooks, Heidi Bartoch)
3. McMaster, 8:29.59
(Erin Anderson, Andie Lloyd, Lara Hodges, Naeva Scott Bouris)
Men 800m Free Relay
1. Toronto, 7:30.84
(Brendan Oswald, Max Tambling, Jacob Gallant, Quinn Matteis)
2. Western, 7:32.49
(Isaac Allen, Hayden Bartoch, Brent Davison, Kieran Stone)
3. McMaster, 7:33.78
(Preston McMann, Sam Chisholm, Max Angove, Kevork Baghdassarian)Â
DAY 1 INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS (Friday)
Women 4x50m Free Relay
1. Toronto, 1:43.51
(Haley Klenk, Angelica Bath, Raili Kary, Gemma Norman)
2. McMaster, 1:45.48
(Michelle Wang, Heather Aylward, Leah Russell, Shaunna Walker-Dejong
3. Waterloo, 1:46.53
(Katherine Ye, Hannah Gallagher, Alyssa Zhang, Nyla Smith)
Men 4x50m Free Relay
1. Toronto, 1:30.41
(Graeme Aylward, Misha Bagrianski, Ahmed El Tatawy, Liam Weaver)
2. Waterloo, 1:30.82
(Cristian Ciorogariu, Allen Zheng, Raymond Duong, Lukas Wormald)
3. McMaster, 1:32.94
(Bijan Ziaian, Josiah Terejko, Byron Zhang, Cameron Johnsen)
Women 200m Free
1. Ainsley McMurray, Toronto, 1:59.09
2. Teagan McKenzie, Toronto, 2:01.05
3. Danielle Treasure, Western, 2:01.15
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Men 200m Free
1. Kieran Stone, Western, 1:49.22
2. Bill Dongfang, Toronto, 1:49.61
3. Jack Li, Toronto, 1:49.80
Women 50m Back
1. Raili Kary, Toronto, 28.23
2. Katie Schroeder, Toronto, 28.43
3. Haley Klenk, Toronto, 28.44
Men 50m Back
1. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 24.98Â OUA RECORD
2. Carter Buck, Toronto, 25.26
3. Liam Weaver, Toronto, 25.56
Women 100m Breast
1. Shona Branton, Western, 1:05.86Â OUA RECORD
2. Megan Deering, McMaster,1:09.60
3. Nicole Lau, Waterloo, 1:10.54
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Men 100m Breast
1. Gabe Mastromatteo, Toronto, 1:01.50
2. Graeme Aylward, Toronto, 1:01.87
3. Cameron Johnsen, McMaster, 1:02.00
Women 100m Fly
1. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 1:00.97
2. Hannah Gallagher, Waterloo, 1:01.38
3. Gabriella Casasanta, Western, 1:01.67
Men 100m Fly
1. Eric Ginzburg, York, 52.74Â OUA RECORD
2. Kevin Zhang, Waterloo, 54.29
2. Ziyad Salouse, Western, 54.29
Women 400m IM
1. Anna Hein, toro, 4:51.07
2. Robin Vadeika, Western, 4:54.71
3. Trinity Boyd, Toronto, 4:56.72
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Men 400m IM
1. Jacob Gallant, Toronto, 4:18.51
2. Brendan Oswald, Toronto, 4:22.64
3. Sam Chisholm, McMaster, 4:23.24
Women 4x100m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 4:07.28
(Raili Kary, Sydney Winokur, Nina Mollin, Ainsley McMurray)
2. Western, 4:08.48
(Hannah Estabrooks, Shona Branton, Gabriella Casasanta, Kennedy Scott)
3. McMaster, 4:17.17
(Mikaela Blake, Megan Deering, Emma-Jane Fowler, Amila Skula)
Men 4x100m Medley Relay
1. Toronto, 3:38.41
(Carter Buck, Graeme Aylward, Benjamin Loewen, Jack Li)
2. Western, 3:41.82
(David Hickey, Theo Graboski, Ziyad Salouse, Luke Stewart-Beinder)
3. Waterloo, 3:44.43
(Finn Duncan-Snobel, Charles Marcial, Alex Boden, Allen Zheng)
