UBC Reports | Vol. 48 | No. 5 | Mar. 7, 2002

Swim teams make history

Long-standing Canadian records broken at national meet

The Thunderbird women’s and men’s swim teams made history recently, winning their fifth consecutive dual national championship.

It is the first time that a single university has won five consecutive Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships by both men and women in a single sport.

The 2002 CIS Swimming Championship, held at UBC Feb. 22-24, saw 13 CIS records and five Canadian records fall.

UBC Arts student Brian Johns thrilled the crowd on the final day of competition, breaking Curtis Mayden’s 1994 Canadian record in the 200-metre individual medley, with a time of 1:57.55. Johns, 19, earlier set a new cis record in the 400-metre individual medley, breaking Alex Baumann’s 15-year-old mark, and was part of two record-setting relay teams.

He finished the meet with seven gold medals and was named outstanding male swimmer of the year, the sixth male swimmer in UBC history to take the national award. University of Toronto’s Liz Warden was outstanding female swimmer of the year.

UBC’s Mark Johnston, who was undefeated in his home pool in four years of university competition, ended that streak when he finished second in the 200-metre freestyle behind Canadian record-holder and Olympian Rick Say of Calgary. Johnston also took silver in the 400-metre freestyle.

UBC swimmers finished with 32 medals in 38 events, including 13 gold, 14 silver and five bronze. The UBC women’s team won by a 180-point margin, with 630 points to the Dinos’ 450. The UBC men’s team led with 706 points and Calgary came in second with 636.

Five UBC swimmers will leave the university as five-time national champions -- the highest level of team achievement possible in university competition.

UBC’s Tom Johnson, who took the honours for women’s coach of the year for the fifth time, says the Thunderbirds’ outstanding record was the result of unique teamwork.

"To win both men’s and women’s national level programs at the same time requires a special environment where neither side of the team is held above the other," he says.

"Our philosophy is to respect each other and work together to make a team environment that’s safe and fun to be in. These guidelines lend themselves to success in the pool -- everybody stepped up and met the challenge at the right time."

Johnson says the championships gave the Thunderbirds good preparation for the Commonwealth Games trials, which start this month.