U SPORTS Finalizes Canadian Roster For Dual Meet With British University All-Stars

Courtesy: U SPORTS

Note: There have been a few roster changes since we originally announced the roster in March.

U SPORTS is proud to announce the 40 student-athletes who will represent Canadian Universities at the inaugural Canada–Great Britain University Dual Meet, taking place July 3–4 in Loughborough, England. The historic event will see some of the top Canadian and British university swimmers in a thrilling head-to-head international competition.

Athletes were selected from among the medalists at the 2025 U SPORTS Swimming Championships. Eligibility is limited to swimmers who did not compete at the Paris Olympics and are not members of Canada’s teams for the 2025 FISU World University Games or the 2025 FINA World Aquatics Championships.

The U SPORTS champion UBC Thunderbirds lead the Canadian delegation with 11 swimmers (six women, five men), followed by the University of Toronto Varsity Blues with ten selections. Ten universities from across the country are represented on Team Canada.

Standout Athletes

• Tanner Cole (Edmonton, Alta.) of UBC headlines the men’s roster after winning three U SPORTS medals, including gold in the 400m individual medley. Cole continues a family legacy—his mother, Donna McGinnis, represented Canada in the same event at the 1984 Olympics and later won gold at the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
• Andrew Herman (Redondo Beach, Calif.) from the U of T joins the team after an impressive four-medal haul (three silver, one bronze) at the U SPORTS Championships. Herman is the son of 1988 Olympian Mojca Cater.
• On the women’s side, Raphaëlle Tremblay (Rivière-du-Loup, Que.) of the Laval Rouge et Or—named U SPORTS Rookie of the Year—leads the way. Tremblay earned bronze in the 400m freestyle, competing alongside national champions and Olympians in a stacked final.
• Olivia Brendzan (University of Alberta) will compete alongside her twin brother, Garrett, who captured silver medals—Olivia in the women’s 400m medley and Garrett in the men’s 50m breaststroke.

Coaching Staff

Byron MacDonald (University of Toronto) will serve as head coach, joined by assistant coaches Peter Carpenter (McGill) and Sarah Rudolf (UBC).

Peter Bradstreet, retired coach at Brock University, has been appointed team manager.

The Canada–Great Britain Dual Meet results from the collaboration between U SPORTS, its swimming coaches, the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS), and provincial partners such as Swim Ontario, which has provided financial support for select athletes.

QUOTES

Matthew Davies – U SPORTS Chief Sport Officer

“U SPORTS is pleased to send 40 student-athletes from ten universities to this historic event. We thank our colleagues in England for hosting and our U SPORTS coaches for bringing this vision to life, expanding international opportunities for Canadian university swimmers.”

Byron MacDonald – U SPORTS Head Coach (University of Toronto)

“I’m excited to lead this exceptional group of swimmers overseas to compete against some of Britain’s best. This event will be a defining moment in many of these athletes’ careers and significantly boost university swimming in Canada.”

Derrick Schoof – President, U SPORTS Swimming Coaches Association (UBC)

“Travelling to England to face elite British student-athletes is a tremendous opportunity. We hope this will be the first of many international competitions for U SPORTS swimmers.”

TEAM CANADA ROSTER (Canada-Great Britain Dual Meet)

Women’s Team / Équipe féminine

Men’s Team / Équipe masculine

Coaching & Support staff / Entraîneurs et équipe de soutienne

University Count