It's about time.

As they get set to host the 2022 Canada West Swimming Championship presented by the Lethbridge Lodging Association Nov. 25-27 at the Max Bell Aquatic Center, the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's swimming team does so as a nationally ranked one.

What's better, they've come to expect that ranking as they get ready to put on the laps as Canada West hosts currently ranked 10th in the U SPORTS standings.

Joining them at the Canada West Championship will be the fifth-ranked Pronghorns men's team.

For the 13-person Pronghorns women's team, this national ranking has been consistent all season, not some in-one-week, out-the-the-next week scenario.

"They've both been ranking in the top-10 every week for this year," said Pronghorns head coach Peter Schori. "The women are still in the top-10, which is great because it's been a long time since they've even had a single week in the top-10 and this has been the whole first month of the year as a top-10 team."

What's better, it's been expected.

"I think the women very much have the attitude of 'It's about time,'' said Schori. "I think that's their approach and it's not like 'Hey, aren't we excited to jump up here?'" Our women's team is a little bit smaller in numbers, but they think they belong in there."

Which is a good mindset going into a Canada West Championship.

"I think for all athletes, confidence is a very important thing and you get confidence from a lot of different places," said Schori. "You get it from your preparation, that's probably the biggest part. But you get it from the people around you also and in an individual sport I think matters almost as deeply as it does with a team sport. When we compete and one swimmer sees a swimmer succeed and they've trained alongside them and done the same thing, without them even getting up and racing it gives them confidence in what they're going to be able to do. I think our women are feeling that right now, which is great and one of the things when we look at where we are right now in Canada. We're 10th and it's really awesome. One of our challenges is that four of the nine teams ahead of us are in the Canada West and the team that I think is just one spot behind us is the University of Alberta. So you basically have six of the top 11 teams in Canada on the women's side in the Canada West."

U SPORTS announced the top-10 ranking in women's swimming for the period ending Nov. 13. The UBC Thunderbirds open at No. 1 with 699 points, followed by the Toronto Varsity Blues (500 points) and the Calgary Dinos (465 points) in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

The McGill Marlets (275 points), Victoria Vikes (268), Manitoba Bisons (171), Western Mustangs (89), Ottawa Gee-Gees (70) and Dalhousie Tigers (66) round out the top-nine. The Horns also have 66 points.

On the men's side, UBC also tops the rankings with 674 points.

They are followed by the Calgary Dinos (579 points) and the Toronto Varsity Blues (306 points) in No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

The Ottawa Gee-Gees (255), the Pronghorns (178), Alberta Golden Bears (140), McGill Redbirds (140), Victoria Vikes (134), Western Mustangs (132) and the Dalhousie Tigers (105) complete the top-10.

"We say to swimmers, especially when the rookies come in, that this is the fastest conference in Canada," said Schori. "It's not faster than U SPORTS, but in some events, you have to swim pretty close to a U SPORTS final time to make the final at this meet. It's really fast. But six of the top 11 teams in Canada are all competing in the same meet."

The Pronghorns women's roster has, however, been hit with the injury bug heading into the Canada West Championship.

Casara Holm, a second-year swimmer and the Pronghorns highest scorer last year, has a broken hand. First-year swimmer Delaney Lehman, who had knee surgery over the summer and was swimming well, suffered a sprained ankle.

"With our men's team last year, we went to U SPORTS with four guys firing at the exact same time and they all stayed healthy and injury-free," said Schori. "There is always a bit of luck involved. Delaney looks like she's going to be good to compete. For Casara, we really have to keep our fingers crossed for her to be able to swim a couple of races."

For the fifth-ranked Pronghorns men, Schori said the team continues to add depth. 

"In one of our relays this year, we took one of the guys off because he was sick and we put another guy on and they still broke the Horns record and at the time we were ranked first in Canada with that relay. We swam faster in that same event, so our new relay (team) is now first in Canada and broke the record those guys have broken. On the men's it's not interchangeable, but there's a little more depth."

That's one of the challenges for the women's team right now, said Schori.

"With Casara likely being out, she's our top butterfly swimmer and in some spots we can take someone out and maybe the next person is pretty close and in some of the spots we take them out and one of our breaststroke swimmers might have to swim butterfly in the relay, which is a credit to them to them, but it's not the same starting lineup we were hoping to (have) in that team vernacular."

On the men's side, the relay team of Raine Arden, Christopher Alexander Apollo Hess and Parker Brown look to become Canada West champs in their own pool. The foursome has a U SPORT title to their credit and some Canada West podium placements, but not a Canada West title.

"I look back to the last few years of Canada West and the men had their first relay medal in Lethbridge in 2019 and then they got up on the podium a couple times at Canada West last year," said Schori. "But one of the things that was different was our men ended up winning nationals, but weren't Canada West champions. We would like to win a Canada West Championship in a relay. The U of L has never done that. So even though they've established themselves among the top schools in Canada, there are some things we still haven't yet accomplished and they're really motivated by that."

Perhaps as a little extra motivation, Arden, Alexander, Hess and Brown only recently got their U SPORTS medals, said Schori.

"They felt pretty good about that. It's always great as we go through the last preparation piece to have little stepping stones and uplifting moments as we go in. It's days where everybody is smiling at the pool and they're going to feel a bit better in the water."

Which is good timing with the Canada West Championship under two weeks away.

"We're eight or nine days away right now," said Schori. "At this point the phrase we use - and it's a good southern Alberta phrase - is 'The hay's in the barn.' The work is done and right now we'll rest and recover and try to stay injury-free and healthy and do the fine-tuning things to just sharpen up. It's a wonderful time for the swimmers. They've done a super job in their preparation and when they get to rest and recover the volume of their talking goes up at practice and their energy level goes up. As with anything in life, when you put in the work and look forward to the rewards of that it's a good feeling."