Banner Season: Toronto trying to extend their title-winning efforts in the pool
Burlington, Ont. – Toronto has taken the pool by storm for the last decade, having reeled off eight consecutive double banner outings at the conference finale. Their top end talent and strong depth will be put to its latest test this weekend; however, as teams from across the province look to make a splash at the 2023 OUA Swimming Championships, hosted at the Western Student Recreation Centre, from Thursday February 9th to Saturday, February 11th. Preliminaries will take place each morning across the three days of competition starting at 10:00am, followed by final races hitting the water at 6:00pm on the first two days and 5:00pm for the final session.
Championship Details
When: Thursday, February 9 to Saturday, February 11
Where: Western Student Recreation Centre (Western University)
Participating Schools (10): Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons, McMaster Marauders, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs (host), Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, York Lions
Stream: oua.tv / cbcsports.ca / CBC Gem
Results: Meet Mobile App
Defending Champions: Toronto Varsity Blues (W); Toronto Varsity Blues (M)
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Shona Branton, Western Mustangs | Having just returned from a podium-level performance at a top international meet in Luxembourg, Branton will be one to watch for the Mustangs in their quest to conquer the competition in their home pool. Beyond her international success, the second-year King’s College student also took home a first-place (50m breaststroke) and second-place (100m breaststroke) finish at the 2022 Merrily Stratten Divisional Championships.
Jacob Gallant, Toronto Varsity Blues | After taking the OUA by storm in his first season, Gallant returns to defend his 200m and 400m IM titles, as well as the 200m breaststroke event. The second-year international relations major swept the major awards in his banner season debut, earning OUA male swimmer and rookie of the year, as well as the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi individual medley excellence award, and a lot of eyes will be on the sophomore for his second banner season appearance.
Eric Ginzburg, York Lions | Ginzburg may be making his OUA Championships debut this weekend, but the first-year Toronto, Ont. product is right at home at high stakes events. With experience in the senior international TYR Pro Series, the Junior Pan Pacific Championships, and the Canadian Olympic Trials – finishing first in the U18 category at the latter – the kinesiology student will be one to watch when he hits the water for York.
Aleksa Gold, Toronto Varsity Blues | The fourth-year veteran Gold will look to once again lead Toronto to victory in the pool and earn even more hardware that matches her name. The 2021-22 Dr. Jeno Tihanyi individual medley excellence award is a threat to win any race she enters, and the reigning 400m IM champion will also by vying for her third straight 200m freestyle this weekend.
Kent Goni Avila, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks | The second-year swimmer from Toronto, Ont. started last season without a U SPORTS qualifying time, but managed to qualify in the 50m freestyle at the 2022 conference finale, and went on to finish fifth nationally. In the off-season, Goni Avila attended summer nationals and received an invitation to race at FINA World Cup in Toronto based on his performance. Racing at the 2022 Dean Boles Divisional Championships, the business major set a new record in the 100m backstroke, and beyond that, he continues to qualify in multiple U SPORTS events this season.
Christina Ji, Waterloo Warriors | A fourth-year biomedical engineering major from Oakville, Ont., Ji wasn’t overly excited about getting involved in the sport when she was just 11 years old, but the decision to stick with it has led to a decorated varsity tenue with the Warriors. The senior swimmer boasts four school records – two individual, two relay – and has brought home six OUA medals for the black and gold, including a gold in the 50m breaststroke.
Cameron Johnsen, McMaster Marauders | With his third OUA Championships appearance right around the corner, Johnsen is ready to add to his medal haul. A silver medalist in the 200m medley relay in 2022, Johnsen finished just off the podium in three other events. This season, the breaststroke specialist has continually impressed in the pool, including a four-medal outing at the Stratten Divisional Championship for the Thunder Bay, Ont. swimmer.
Anthonie Korstanje, Brock Badgers | Korstanje, a product of Beamsville, Ont., has been a consistent performer for Brock swimming throughout his career, holding a number of program records in his primary category of breaststroke. This season, the senior swimmer earned a trio of bronze medals at the Boles Divisional Championship, placing third in the 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, along with helping the Badgers medley relay squad to a first place finish at the event and second place result at the OUA Sprint Invitational.
Abigail McDonald, Guelph Gryphons | The Gryphons co-captain, who transferred from Laurentian prior to last season, continues to lead the Guelph side after an impressive first season with the group. In her debut championship with Guelph, the marketing management student from Sudbury, Ont. was a double gold winner, claiming wins in both the 100m and 200m butterfly, and she’ll look to play a leading role once again to help push her side onto the podium this time around.
Ainsley McMurray, Toronto Varsity Blues | The decorated Blues senior enters the weekend as the one to beat in several events. The Montreal, Que. swimmer is the defending conference champion in the 50m butterfly, 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle, and will be swimming for her third consecutive title in the latter.
Maggie Smith, McMaster Marauders | Smith is arguably the most experienced swimmer on the McMaster roster. In her fifth and final year of eligibility, the senior is looking to finish on a high as both an individual and a team. The Orillia, Ont. product led the charge at the Stratten Divisional Championships, earning bronze in the 50m backstroke with a time of 29.36. At last year’s finale, meanwhile, Smith had her best performance, a fifth-place finish in the 50m butterfly.
Kieran Stone, Western Mustangs | No stranger to success on the banner season stage, Stone was instrumental in the Mustangs’ bronze medal result a year ago. In that event, the Scarborough, Ont. product took home four medals for the purple and white, and has continued his winning ways throughout this year’s invitationals, including multiple podium finishes in the 400m freestyle.
Josephine Streppel, Carleton Ravens | After a successful first trip to the provincial finale a year ago, the second-year health sciences student is looking to take the next step onto the podium in her second go-around. Streppel reached the finals in the 100m and 200m butterfly events in her debut, suggesting a step into the top-three is well within her grasp this weekend in London.
Cameron Teasdale, Carleton Ravens | Teasdale, a third-year swimmer from Stratford, Ont., was the bronze medalist in the 50m breaststroke as well as a member of the 4x50m bronze medal winning relay team at last year’s OUA Championships. The computer science major was also the first U SPORTS qualifier from Carleton since 2015-16 when he accomplished the feat a year ago.
Lukas Wormald, Waterloo Warriors | A mainstay on the podium since joining the Warriors, Wormald was instrumental in the team’s second-place showing a year ago and will look to add to his hardware haul this weekend. Having burst onto the scene in 2018 with the rookie of the year nod and the Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Individual Medley Excellence Award, the Waterloo, Ont. product was masterful in his banner season debut, having only added on the top performances since then. With similar aspirations for this coming weekend, the decorated Wormald will look to maintain his role as part of the team’s upward trajectory.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
Looking to keep improving on their previous season’s results under new head coach Dave Ling, the Brock Badgers women’s team is aiming to move up the rankings following a strong showing at the Boles Divisional Championships. The men, meanwhile, after claiming their first ever divisional championship victory, are hoping to see more of their swimmers join Korstanje in qualifying for nationals as part of an overall team improvement under Ling as well.
Both the Carleton men’s and women’s groups rose up four spots in the team ranks at last year’s championships behind coach of the year Pierre Lafontaine. Some of the key performers and scorers from a year ago will not be in the pool for the Ravens this time around – mostly due to graduation – however the addition of some promising rookies makes their squads hopeful that they can match their results from 2022.
At the 2022 OUA Championships, it was a young McMaster women’s roster with limited championship experience. This year, things are different. After closing out this year’s slate of tune-ups on a high with a gold medal performance at the U of T Invitational, the maroon and grey are looking to ride that momentum into the championship and upgrade last year’s bronze medal in the process. The men, meanwhile, finished just off the overall podium with a fourth-place finish in 2022, but will also look to their strong showing at the final invitational to buoy their championship aspirations. Seven medal performances highlighted that previous outing, and continuing that momentum would go a long way toward a top-three finish at the 2023 OUA finale.
Toronto’s men’s squad will be vying for their 19th consecutive OUA title, while U of T’s women are battling for their ninth straight provincial banner this weekend. Both groups will return five OUA gold medalists to the pool, in addition to a slew of other past podium finishers. One such returnee to watch will be 2020 Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo on the men’s side, while a pair of women’s rookies – Nina Mollin and Teagan Vander Leek – will bring their Junior Pan Pacific Championships experience to help extend the Toronto roster even more as they aim to extend their respective championship streaks.
Since joining the Waterloo Warriors in 2017, head coach Jacqueline Beckford-Henriques has helped lead her teams to consistently impressive showings amongst the conference’s best. The former Jamaican national coach for 19 years, which included coaching in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympic Games, has seen the Warriors rise the ranks during her tenure, and with the team’s current mix of returnees – like Josie Andres, Eloise Ladyman, Samuel Pei, and Bryan Yang – and newcomers – like Megan Frost, Nicole Lau, and Noor Bansal – heading into the 2023 finale, Waterloo will once again be a threat to pick up plenty of pivotal points in the pool.
Since the highly successful performances by Jasmine Raines, who collected multiple provincial and national medals for the Hawks, Wilfrid Laurier has been focused on recruiting more women to the team. The same focus on recruiting on the men’s side has helped the team go from three registered men’s swimmers in 2019-20 up to a current total of 18. The 2021-22 season saw the men’s team win multiple OUA medals, along with one of their swimmers reaching the national championship in 2022, and they will be eyeing continued steps forward in their next championship showing this weekend.
After the majority of the men’s team graduated in 2020, York went through a rebuild last season. But with some strong recruits joining the ranks this year, and paving the way for the rest of the group, the men’s group is showing great spirit, teamwork, and continual growth as they all push each other every meet. Similar to the men’s side, the Lions women’s team also went through a rebuild during the 2021-22 season, and in building the team from the bottom up, they’ve created a close-knit team ahead of this latest championship. With several student-athletes from different swimming backgrounds coming together, they will continue to rely on one thing they do have in common – their work ethic and grit.
What They’re Saying:
“The OUA Championships are a great meet and a highlight on our calendar for sure. Because there are so many swimmers from Ontario competing in the OUA, the meet is special with so many family members in the audience as well as friends from other teams. The OUA meet is not just about the stars. When you score to 16th place in every event, a team needs good depth to win and we have that. I say it’s a big key to our success.” – Byron MacDonald, Head Coach, Toronto Varsity Blues
“As I finish my 15 year swimming career at OUAs, with Laurier swimming, I am extremely grateful for everything this sport has given me. From personal growth, to teammates, coaches, and overall love for swimming. Go Hawks!” – Megan Roberts, Student-Athlete, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
“As a first-year swimmer on the University of Waterloo varsity swim team, I have been exposed to so many new people and opportunities. The team environment is incredibly supportive and motivates me to be my best self every day in and out of the pool. I am so excited to represent Waterloo at my first ever OUA Championships at Western University. Go Warriors!” – Noor Bansal, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors
“I’m looking forward to having fun and leading the team to many top performances.” – Kieran Stone, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs