LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - The UBC Thunderbirds won the 2025 Canada West Swimming Championships, sweeping the team banners for the second year in a row and claiming every individual award across three days of competition at the Max Bell Regional Aquatic Centre.

Led by standout performances from Kayla Noelle Sanchez, who was named the conference's female Swimmer of the Year, and first-year star Aiden Kirk, who earned both men's Swimmer of the Year and Rookie of the Year honours, the Thunderbirds once again showed their depth across both rosters.
"I'm so proud of these athletes. They've worked incredibly hard from the very start of the season," said Thunderbirds head coach Derrick Schoof, who was named both men's and women's Coach of the Year following the event. "We've got great energy, great athletes, and a group that is truly committed to excellence. I'm proud of how hard they've been working. They deserve this success."

The host University of Lethbridge Pronghorns gave their home fans plenty to cheer about while finishing fourth on both the men's and the women's side, capturing three bronze medals while setting two new Pronghorn records.

On the women's side, the Thunderbird women won their fourth straight conference crown – and 15^th title in 16 years – with a dominant 1032 points. Calgary finished second with 801.5, and Victoria was third with 512.5. Lethbridge was next in the women's standings with 321 points, while Manitoba totalled 193 and Regina finished with 145.5.

Schoof highlighted the balanced effort behind the women's victory.

"Lots of great results across the board. Of course, Kayla Sanchez was outstanding, truly world-class swimming, but this is a real team event. For us, it's about making sure all 18 women step up, and they all did."

UBC's banner in the men's competition is their second in a row, topping the standings with 1062.5 points. The T-Birds held off Calgary who finished the meet in second with 892 points, while Victoria was third with 492.5. Lethbridge (271), Manitoba  (166) and Regina (133) rounded out the men's results.
Schoof praised his men's effort as well, noting their resilience against strong competition from Calgary and the rest of the field.

"Calgary always has a strong squad, and we never take them for granted. They came out swinging, and we had to be at our best. I knew going in that we could do it, and the team delivered."

Sunday's Event Results
Starting the night off with the women's 200m butterfly, the Dinos swept the podium with Kaityln Luu finishing first with 2:17.61. Teammates Hayley French (2:19.18) and Jasmine Nicols (2:19.53) were neck and neck for most of the final, finishing second and third.

In the men's 200m butterfly, Thunderbird Aiden Kirk took the top spot, touching the wall in a time of 1:59.57. Raben Dommann also from the Thunderbirds took second with 2:00.58 and Calgary's Nicholas Duncan earned the bronze medal in 2:01.64.

Olympian Emma O'Cronin won the women's 100m freestyle with a time of 54.76, after teammate and Olympian Kayla Sanchez, who holds the Canada West Record for the event (51.74) was scratched off the heat sheet. Calgary's Eliza Housman (55.38) and UBC's Brooklyn Wiens (56.06) were the next two to touch the wall.

Another UBC Olympian took the podium in the men's 100m freestyle. When Yuri Kisil touched the wall with a 48.26 finish. Thunderbirds Jake Gaunt finished just after in a time of 49.43, followed by T-Birds teammate Siu Lun Ho (49.47).

Calgary earned another gold and silver medal as Sarah Haugan won the 200m medley on the women's side. The Dino clocked in at 2:16.41, with UBC's Camryn Stannard (2:16.95) and Jade Lo (2:16.97) extremely close behind to close out the event.

The men's 200m individual medley saw a tight race for the top spot. It was Jaques Harrison who got to the wall first in 1:59.77, pulling ahead of Calgary's Ian Cameron in the last 25m. Dino teammates Cameron (2:00.25) and Duncan (2:01.14) took silver and bronze, respectively.

In the next event, UBC's Bridget Burton completed a sweep of the backstroke events, finishing the 100m race in 58.38. Eloise Allen (58.93) and Piper Mitchell (1:00.46) rounded out the podium.

Raben Dommann won the 100m backstroke for the Thunderbirds in 52.25. Calgary's Thomas Macdonald was on the podium, finishing in 54.06, while Ethan Fast claimed the bronze medal with a 54.75 finish.

After a break for medal ceremonies, Calgary's Alexanne Lepage took gold in the women's 200m breaststroke in 2:25.16 to sweep the breaststroke events. UBC's Amaris Peng was in next at 2:32.05, and Emma Spence took the bronze in 2:32.19.

It was a UBC sweep once again in the men's 200m breaststroke spearheaded by Justice Migneault, who clocked in at 2:09.08. Next on the podium was Glen Omielan in a time of 2:10.62 and earning bronze in 2:11.08 was Sebastian Van de Logt.

Emma O'Croinin broke the Canada West record in the women's 400m freestyle with a thrilling swim to snatch gold with a time of 4:12.65. Ruby Kehler (4:18.06) and Emma Spence (4:18.17) followed behind to secure a UBC sweep.

Kehler would also go on to be named the Female Rookie of the Year following the meet.
The final individual event of the competition saw UBC's Aiden Kirk and Paul Hebrard go head-to-head for the men's 400 freestyle, with Kirk finishing first in 3:49.14 and Hebrard second with 3:52.81. Calgary's Aiden Gyorfi finished third in 3:55.03

The night ended with the women's and men's 400m medley relay finals. The UBC women found an early lead with backstroke powerhouse Burton in the pool, while the Dinos caught up and pulled ahead when Lepage took her turn. The Pronghorns Annika Cameron kept them at third ahead of the Victoria Vikes, finishing with a time of 4:11.88. The Dinos placed second with 4:05.67, while the Thunderbirds finished first in 4:00.36.

Mirroring the women's results, the T-Bird men finished first with a time of 3:32.83, Dinos were second with 3:35.37 and Victoria was third with 3:40.51.

Final Results
Full results for the event are available on the event homepage.

TEAM SCORES
Women
​UBC – 1,032.50
​Calgary – 801.50
​Victoria – 512.50
​Lethbridge – 321
​Manitoba - 193
​Regina -145.50
Men
​UBC – 1,062.50
​Calgary – 892
​Victoria –492.50
​Lethbridge – 271
​Manitoba - 166
​Regina - 133
 
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
Female Rookie of the Year Award – Ruby Kehler, UBC
Male Rookie of the Year Award – Aiden Kirk, UBC
Female Student-Athlete Community Service Award – Meadow Liversuch, Lethbridge
Men's Student-Athlete Community Service Award – Stephen Moore, Calgary
Female Swimmer of the Year Award – Kayla Noelle Sanchez, UBC
Male Swimmer of the Year Award – Aiden Kirk, UBC
Coach of the Year Award (Men's and Women's) – Derrick Schoof, UBC
 
Female Canada West 1st Team All-Stars
Kayla Noelle Sanchez
Emma O'Croinin
Bridget Burton
Alexanne Lepage
Sela Wist
Jade Lo
Brooklyn Weins
Emma Spence
Kaitlyn Luu
Eliza Housman
Sarah Haugen
Eloise Allen                           
 
Female Canada West 2nd Team All-Stars
Hayley French
Camryn Stannard
Amaris Peng
Ruby Kehler
Piper Mitchell
Benya Mattig
 
Male Canada West 1st Team All-Stars
Aiden Kirk
Jake Gaunt
Justice Migneault
Ethan Hemeon
Siu Lun (Frank) Ho
Kai Lilienthal
Yuri Kisil
Jacques Harrison
 Nicholas Duncan
Paul Hebrard
Raben Dommann
 
Male Canada West 2nd Team All-Stars
Ian Cameron
Thomas McDonald
Ethan Fast
Glen Omielan
Jake Gaunt
Olivier Risk