Toronto Varsity Blues Keep Banner Streak Alive At 2023 OUA Championships

2023 OUA Swimming Championships

• February 9-11, 2023
• Western Student Recreation Centre (WSRC) Pool – London, Ont.
• SCM (25 meters)
• Teams: Brock, Carleton, Guelph, McMaster, Queen’s, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Wilfrid Laurier, York
• Full Results (PDF)

Courtesy: Ella Milloy

The Toronto Varsity Blues once again dominated in the pool at the 2023 OUA Provincial Championships in London, Ont. With a total of 790.50 points, the men’s team won their 19th consecutive team banner. The women won their ninth consecutive banner with 1,207.0 points.

The Western Mustangs placed second on both the men’s and women’s sides with 726.0 points and 777.5 points, respectively.

This year’s OUA Championships returned to its regular schedule after adapting to COVID-19 restrictions in previous years. The 2022 event was run as timed finals, with the men’s and women’s sessions run separately to accommodate indoor capacity limits.

The Varsity Blues women’s team swept the podium 10 times over the course of the weekend. In total, Toronto topped the podium in 34 events.

Fourth-year Aleksa Gold led the way with four individual and two relay golds.

Individually, Gold placed 1st in the 50 backstroke in 28.40, the 100 back in 59.85 and the 200 back in 2:09.70.

She successfully defended her titles in the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:58.84 and in the 100 back.

Gold was named OUA Female Swimmer of the Year for her performances.

Teammate Ainsley McMurray won gold in the 50 butterfly in 27.50, 100 fly in 1:01.50, 50 free in 25.22 and 100 free in 54.06.

McMurray defended her 2022 title and tied the 100 free OUA record held by Rebecca Smith from 2019.

Gold and McMurray, alongside Gemma Norman and Lily Chubaty, helped break the OUA record in the 4×100 free relay in 3:42.25. The old record from 2019 of 3:44.05 was also previously held by Toronto.

In the men’s backstroke events, Toronto’s Carter Buck repeated his 2022 wins in the 50 back in 25.76 and the 100 back in 54.81.

Buck captured silver in the 200 back in 1:58.92, finishing shortly after teammate Benjamin Loewen who won in 1:58.08.

Loewen was named OUA Male Rookie of the Year.

Female Rookie of the Year and Varsity Blue Nina Mollin won her first OUA title in the 400 individual medley in 4:44.86. Mollin went on to win gold in the 200 IM in 2:13.66 and the 200 fly in 2:13.54.

OUA Male Swimmer of the Year and Canadian Olympian Gabe Mastromatteo of Toronto won gold and broke the OUA record in the 50 breaststroke in a time of 27.60

Mastromatteo also won the 100 breast for the second year in a row in 1:01.05.

He placed 2nd in the 200 breast in 2:12.51.

McMaster’s Cameron Johnsen took gold in the event in 2:11.98.

Collecting a full set of medals, Mastromatteo earned bronze in the 50 fly in 24.81.

Lukas Wormald of Waterloo was 1st in 24.34 and York’s Eric Ginzburg 2nd in 24.60.

Ginzburg, who represented Canada at the 2022 Junior Pan Pacific Championships in Honolulu, Hawaii, earned a silver in both the 50 free in 22.59 and the 100 free in 49.73.

Western’s Luke Stewart-Beinder won the 100 free in 49.70.

Western’s Shona Branton lead the women’s breast events, winning gold in the 100 in 1:08.19. Her time broke the OUA record of 1:08.44 previously held by McMaster’s Olivvya Chow from 2018.

At last year’s OUA Championships, Branton placed 2nd in the event in a time of 1:09.44.

Branton also won the 50 breast in 31.52 and was a member of Western’s 4×100 IM relay that placed 2nd in 4:13.82.

Second-year Varsity Blue Tina Guan won her 1st OUA title in the 200 breast in 2:30.15, moving up from her 2nd place finish at the 2022 championships

Other performances to highlight include Toronto’s Claire Howard gold in the 400 free in 4:12.80, Toronto’s Anna Hein gold in the 800 free in 8:44.90, Waterloo’s Alex Boden win in the 100 fly in 54.38, McMaster’s first day opening relay win in the women’s 4×50 free in 1:46.00 and Queens’ Jack Li bronze in the 200 free in 1:51.77.

The U SPORTS Championships are in Victoria, B.C. from February 23-25, 2023.

Team Scores:

Women:

1. Toronto – 1,207.0
2. Western – 777.5
3. Guelph – 478.0
4. McMaster – 428.0
5. Waterloo – 339.5
6. Queen’s – 144.0
7. Brock – 129.0
8. Carleton – 122.0
9. Laurier – 103.0
10. York – 36.0

Men:

1. Toronto – 790.5
2. Western – 726.0
3. Waterloo – 604.0
4. McMaster – 512.0
5. Guelph – 227.5
6. Brock – 190.0
7. Carleton – 181.0
8. Queen’s – 180.0
9. Laurier – 173.0
10. York – 129.0

Major Awards:

• OUA Female Swimmer of the Year: Aleksa Gold (Toronto)
• OUA Male Swimmer of the Year: Gabe Mastromatteo (Toronto)
• OUA Female Rookie of the Year: Nina Mollin (Toronto)
• OUA Male Rookie of the Year: Benjamin Loewen (Toronto)
• Dr. Jeno Tihanyi IM Excellence Award: Nina Mollin (Toronto) / Jacob Gallant (Toronto)
• OUA Female Coach of the Year: Chantique Carey-Payne (Guelph)
• OUA Male Coach of the Year: Paul Midgley (Western)

ABOUT ELLA MILLOY

Ella Milloy is a reporter, digital content creator and former competitive swimmer based in Ottawa. Her work has appeared in Capital Current, The Canadian Baseball Network and The McGill Tribune. She has also done coverage for Swimming Canada, Swim Alberta and SportBrand Canada Inc.