U SPORTS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
- February 24-26
- Complex – Université de Sherbrooke – Sherbrooke, Que.
- Short course meters
- Meet info
- Schedule/results
- Defending men’s champions: University of Toronto
- Defending women’s champions: University of Toronto
- Full meet preview
When they swim at this weekend’s U Sports (Canadian collegiate, renamed from CIS) championships, the powerhouse UBC Thunderbirds will be without 3 key members of their team, most notably 2016 Olympic bronze medalist Emily Overholt.
Overholt was on the Canadian relay that won a bronze medal in the 800 free relay in Rio over the summer, having been called into action when a sick Brittany MacLean couldn’t swim in prelims of the relay. Overholt also swam individually in the 400 IM, where she placed 5th.
The 5’7″ Vancouver native will miss the meet while dealing with a hamstring injury that has hampered her since last summer. Given her big international potential, UBC coaches say they’ve decided not to push the freshman back into racing just yet.
The men’s team will be without Will Dickson and Carson Olafson, both of whom injured themselves in non-swimming incidents. Dickson broke his neck while skiing after the Can West championships and will be at the meet cheering in a neck and back brace, while Olafson broke his wrist last Friday after falling off his bike after practice.
Dickson is primarily a backstroker, who last season went 55.20/1:57.54 in short course meters. That 200 backstroke time would’ve made him the #2 seed at the U Sports Championships, behind only Markus Thormeyer.
Olafson is an all-around freestyler, backstroker, and butterflier who’s been having the best season of his career this year. After a 23.5 in the long course 50 free over the summer, this year he’s been 49.4 in the 100 free in SCM, 1:47.1 in the 200 free, 54.1 in the 100 back, and 53.6 in the 100 fly. In all, he would’ve been a contender to finish in the top 3 in all of his individual events.