CALGARY – It was the home team that took victory in the pool over the weekend as the University of Calgary Dinos men's and women's swim teams both topped the UBC Thunderbirds and Lethbridge Pronghorns in an exciting tri-meet to open the 2022-23 season. 

The Canada West Champion Dinos women out-scored the T-Birds and Pronghorns (132-102-29), while the Calgary men's squad picked up 140 points to defeat UBC and Lethbridge as well (140-110-88). 

On the women's side, Dinos' Olympian Rebecca Smith was the top-point scorer, racking up 24 points for UCalgary. Smith touched for wins in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyle, as well as the 100 butterfly. 

Third-year Anna Dumont-Belanger from UBC also made waves over the weekend, picking up 17 points and a pair of first-place finishes for the Thunderbirds. She had a decisive win in the 400 freestyle over Calgary's Emily De Jager, touching the wall over three seconds ahead of the Dinos rookie with a time of 4:18.85. 

On the men's side, Apollo Hess of the Lethbridge Pronghorns was the star of the show, collecting 24 points himself. Hess claimed victory every time he dove in the pool, picking up wins in the 50, 100 and 200 breaststroke and 100 IM, and helped his relay teams secure the top spot in the 200 freestyle and medley relays. 

Second-year Thomas McDonald showed his dominance in the butterfly events, touching to win the 50, 100 and 200 butterfly, adding 18 points for the Dinos. In a thrilling finish, McDonald narrowly beat out UBC's top point scorer rookie Siu Lun Ho for the win in the 100 butterfly by 14 hundredths to secure the top spot in 54.64. 

With the first varsity meet of the season under their belts, the Dinos swim teams will be back racing next weekend at the Odlum Brown Colleges Cup in Vancouver, BC. 

-UC-