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University of Toronto Athletics

SWIM/Andrew Herman
Seyran Mammadov

Swimming

HERMAN BREAKS U SPORTS RECORD ON DAY 1 of 2026 U SPORTS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

The University of Toronto Varsity Blues swimming team hit the water on Day 1 of the 2026 U SPORTS Swimming Championships, hosted by McMAster University at the Markham Pan Am Centre on Thursday, Mar. 12.

After the first day of competition, U of T's women's team currently sits in second-place with 287 points, a seven-point lead over third-place McGill and trail behind the UBC Thunderbirds. Meanwhile, U of T's men's team is in third-place with 275.5 points, trailing the Calgary Dinos by 3.5 points. Overall, Toronto earned seven medals on Day 1 and broke both a U of T and U SPORTS record.

MEN'S RESULTS

On a historic day for U of T's men's program, fourth-year kinesiology student Andrew Herman broke a U SPORTS record, finishing the 50m backstroke in 23.31 seconds. Herman was flying out of the gate in the race, poised to win gold and finished more than two seconds ahead of UBC swimmer Kai Lilienthal's silver medal finish.

"It feels great," said Herman. "I wouldn't been able to do this without my teammates and coaching staff. They push me in the practice pool and the weight room. They helped me get here."

Herman later added a silver medal for U of T as a part of the men's 4x100m relay team alongside Raymond Duong, Liam Weaver and Ben Winterborn. The quartet of Blues finished the race in 3:13.61.

Breaking a U of T record was Ben Loewen, who swam the 100m butterfly in 51.69 to earn the bronze medal and break Zack Chetrat's previous record from 2014 of 52.14 seconds.

Winterborn also added a silver medal for the Blue and White, kicking off the Day 1 final with a second place finishd in the 200m freestyle touching the wall in 1:45.82.

WOMEN'S RESULTS

U of T's women secured three total medals on Day 1.

Making an immediate mark in her U SPORTS championships debut, first-year kinesiology student Abbi Bahler earned a bronze medal in the 400m medley.

"I'm really happy," said Bahler. "The team environment has been awesome! Everyone lifts each other up and it's an incredible group to be a part of."

Also adding an individual bronze medal was fourth-year standout Nina Mollin. The 2026 OUA Swimmer of the Year finished the 100m butterfly in 58.59, adding another medal to an already decorated Varsity Blues career.

A third bronze medal was added to Toronto's total in the women's 4x100m relay. With a mix of fresh faces and veteran swimmers, the group of Maria Cosic, Natalie Hocevar, Gemma Norman and Teagan Vander Leek touched the wall in 3:41.11 to claim third overall.

Now, the Blues will turn their attention to Day 2 of the 2026 U SPORTS Swimming Championships.

LOOKING AHEAD

"We've got to carry the momentum moving into Day 2 and keep finding success," Herman explained.

Competition is set to resume on Friday (Mar. 12) morning with prelims beginning at 9:30 a.m., and the final beginning at 5:30 p.m., at the Markham Pan Am Centre. Day 2 can be streamed live on CBC Sports digital platforms.

TEAM STANDINGS

**WOMEN**
  1. UBC - 453
  2. Toronto – 287
  3. McGill – 280
  4. Calgary – 247
  5. Western – 144
  6. Ottawa – 92
  7. Laval – 82
  8. Victoria – 71
  9. T. Lethbridge/Guelph – 66
**MEN**
  1. UBC – 557
  2. Calgary – 279
  3. Toronto – 275.5
  4. McGill – 263
  5. Montreal – 107
  6. Victoria – 101
  7. Western – 91
  8. Ottawa – 85
  9. McMaster – 62
  10. York - 44
DAY 1 RESULTS:

Women 200m Freestyle
  1. Kayla Noelle Sanchez, UBC, 1:53.63
  2. Emma O'Croinin, UBC, 1:54.80
  3. Ruby Kehler, UBC, 1:59.16
Men 200m Freestyle
  1. Zach Parise, UBC, 1:45.25
  2. Benjamin Winterborn, Toronto, 1:45.82
  3. Paul Hebard, UBC, 1:45.93
Women 100m Breaststroke
  1. Alexanne Lepage, Calgary, 1:04.11 *Canadian Senior Record*
  2. Eloise Allen, UBC, 1:06.22
  3. Shona Branton, Western, 1:06.54
Men 100m Breaststroke
  1. Justice Migneault, UBC, 58.58
  2. Ian Cameron, Calgary, 58.82
  3. Glen Omielan, UBC, 58.97
Women 100m Butterfly
  1. Sela Wist, UBC, 58.59 *UBC Record*
  2. Brooklyn Wiens, UBC, 59.39
  3. Nina Mollin, Toronto, 59.64
Men 100m Butterfly
  1. Kai Lilienthal, UBC, 50:79
  2. Eric Ginzburg, York, 51:13
  3. Ben Loewen, Toronto, 51.69 *U of T Record*
Women 50m Backstroke
  1. Kayla Noelle Sanchez, UBC, 26.20
  2. Bridget Burton, UBC, 26.65
  3. Eloise Allen, UBC, 26.95
Men 50m Backstroke
  1. Andrew Herman, Toronto, 21.31 *U SPORTS Record*
  2. Kai Lilienthal, UBC, 23.70
  3. Raban Dommann, UBC, 23.74
Women 400m Medley
  1. Alexanne Lapage, Calgary, 4:35.75
  2. Sarah Haugen, Calgary, 4:42.03
  3. Abbi Bahler, Toronto, 4:42.31
Men 400m Medley
  1. Tanner Cole, UBC, 4:09.72
  2. Raphael Blamart, Montreal, 4:10.95 *Montreal Record*
  3. Jaques Harrison, UBC, 4:12.66
Women 4x100m Freestyle
  1. UBC (Bridget Burton, Eloise Allen, Kayla Noelle Sanchez, Emma O'Croinin), 3:34.76 *U SPORTS Record*
  2. Calgary (Alexanne Lapage, Eliza Houseman, Myriam Hickey, Claire Bennett) 3:40.42
  3. Toronto (Maria Cosic, Gemma Norman, Natalie Hocevar, Teagan Vander Leek), 3:41.11
Men 4x100m Freestyle
  1. UBC (Joel Blanco, Jake Gaunt, Yuri Kisil, Zach Parise), 3:11.20 *U SPORTS Record*
  2. Toronto (Andrew Herman, Liam Weaver, Raymond Duong, Benjamin Winterborn), 3:13.61
  3. McGill (Lolc Courville-Fortin, Augustin Boussion, Hocine Feddag, River He), 3:15.05
 

 
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