2018 OUA Swimming Championships
- February 8-10, 2018
- London, Ontario
- Hosted by Western University
- SCM (25m)
- Results
- Full Finals Sessions Stream On Demand
The University of Toronto Varsity Blues won both the men’s and women’s team titles at the OUA Swimming Championships over the weekend, maintaining both titles for the fifth straight season. The men have now won a staggering fifteen straight, while the women have now strung five wins together after Western won five straight from 2009-2013.
Leading the way for the Varsity Blue women was 100m backstroke world champion and world record holder Kylie Masse, who swept her four individual events with wins in the 50 back (26.52), 100 back (56.95), 100 fly (57.70) and 50 free (24.77). She was also apart of the gold medal winning 200 free and 200 medley relays, coming within 0.03 of her national record in the 50 back leading off the medley (26.37). Her 50 free and 100 fly swims were also personal best times for the Olympic bronze medalist.
On the men’s side Eli Wall of Toronto was the top point scorer, collecting wins in the 100 (1:00.15) and 200 breast (2:10.19), and added podium finishes in the 50 breast (2nd, 27.91) and 200 IM (3rd, 2:02.67).
Toronto’s Sophia Saroukian (400 free, 800 free) and Hannah Genich (200 fly, 200 IM), along with McMaster’s Olivvya Chow (50 breast, 100 breast) were the other multiple individual gold medalists on the women’s side, while Cameron Kidd (50 free, 50 fly) and Kyle Haas (50 back, 100 back) of Toronto and Davide Casarin (200 free, 400 free) and Montana Champagne (200 fly, 200 IM) of Ottawa each won a pair of events on the men’s side.
The Varsity Blues also went a perfect 10-for-10 on relays, as they ultimately topped runners-up Western in the combined race by 631.5 points. Check out final team scores below:
Men
- Toronto, 932
- Western, 748.5
- Ottawa, 487
- Guelph, 346
- Waterloo, 342
Women
- Toronto, 1030
- Western, 582
- McMaster, 484.5
- Ottawa, 431
- Guelph, 346
Combined
- Toronto, 1962
- Western, 1330.5
- Ottawa, 918
- McMaster, 757
- Guelph, 692
Masse and Casarin earned Female and Male Swimmer of the Year honors, while Jacob Isaac (Ottawa) and Isabelle Lei (McMaster) won the Rookie of the Year awards. Toronto’s Byron MacDonald and Ottawa’s Dave Heinbuch were named Women’s and Men’s Coach of the Year, and Masse (50 & 100 back) and Wall (200 breast) were also honored for earning Grand Slams (four gold medals in the same event in an OUA career).
These swimmers will now move on to the USport Championships in Toronto, set to run February 22-24. The Varsity Blues will look to challenge the defending champion UBC Thunderbirds for the team titles.
