Competing at the 2025 Speedo Canadian Short Course Championships this past weekend in Sherbrooke, Que., University of Toronto Varsity Blues swimmers set four new Varsity Blues records along with picking up some hardware.

"The usual plan is to hit one peak at the conclusion of the fall/winter season at the U SPORTS Championships and another at the end of the summer," explained Varsity Blues swimming head coach Byron MacDonald. "However, our team keeps finding new peaks, peaking for world trials in early June; then again for the dual meet with British university students in early July; and now nationals. Really tough to do but the swimmers really responded well."

Third-year backstroke specialist Andrew Herman set two varsity records earning gold in the 100m backstroke with a time of 51.35 and silver in the 50m. Most impressive of all, Herman's 23.39 time in the 50m backstroke final came within  5/100th of upsetting Olympian Blake Tierney who touched in 23.34.

Varsity Blues veteran Ben Loewen, fresh off a gutsy fourth-place finish at the FISU World University Games in Berlin, set a new varsity record of 1:54.89 in the 200m backstroke, collecting a national silver medal in the process, and won gold in the 200m butterfly touching the wall in 1:56.51.

Rounding out the new Varsity Blues record times, distance freestyler Quinn Matteis continued his comeback year with another breakthrough of 8:01.47 in the 800m freestyle, placing fourth overall in the event. 

"I get a free dinner!" exclaimed Matteis following the grueling race. "There is a standing agreement with one of our alumni that if you break his record he takes you to dinner, so I am going o have to take him up on that."

Other big highlights for U of T swimmers included fourth-year sprint freestyler Gemma Norman winning her first national level medal with a best time of 25.45 in the 50m freestyle for third place. Second-year Katie Stanojlovic swam several best times and made finals in all three butterfly races. Fourth-year Carter Buck was able to combine his full-time work on his engineering PEY program with limited training but still registered a best time in the backstroke. Finally, first-year sandout Albert Bouley picked up bronze in the 50m free and a personal best in the 100m free.

"Overall the meet was a huge success," added MacDonald. "Kudos to the athletes for sticking it out so long this summer and reaping the rewards for their hard work. Now everyone is keen to get rolling again - it's just over three weeks til we start up again for the new season!!"