SFU Men's and Women's Swimming took on NCAA Division I UC San Diego and Division III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps over the weekend at the Canyonview Aquatic Centre in La Jolla. The competition featured standout performances across both squads, highlighted by seven NCAA B-cut times and multiple podium finishes.
 
The women's team earned a win over CMS (127-78), while falling to host UCSD (114-83). On the men's side, the Red Leafs came up short against both programs (123.5-66.5 for UCSD, and 103-101 for CMS) but showed strong early-season form with season-best swims.
 
Sophomore Keira Kennedy (Calgary, AB) led the charge for the women with two B-cuts of her own, capturing victory in the 1650 freestyle (17:01.34) and adding another qualifying mark of 4:58.48 in the 500 free, where she joined freshman Jessie Dreghici (Kitchener, ON) and junior Laine Perry (Comox, BC) for an SFU 1-2-3 sweep. Kennedy's 1650 win capped a dominant distance showing, with junior Abby Andrews (St. John's, NL) finishing third with a time of 17:18.45, also achieving a B-cut in the event. Senior Aly Whitmore (Newmarket, ON) had a great showing in La Jolla, finishing with an NCAA B-cut in the 100 freestyle (51.91), and a second-place finish in the 50 free (23.97).
 
Freshman distance swimmer Dominik Kwiecien (Grande Prairie, AB) had a breakout meet for the men, earning NCAA B-cut qualification in the 1650 freestyle (15:53.12) with a third-place finish, and later winning the 500 free. Junior Luka Tomic (Kitchener, ON) also added a B-cut, touching third in the 200 freestyle (1:39.37). First-year Madi Connell (Calgary, AB) delivered a strong performance as well, finishing second in the 100 freestyle with a season-best time of 52.89.
 
In the breaststroke events, freshman Evan Vellescig (Coquitlam, BC) continued to impress, winning the men's 100 breaststroke in 56.22, ahead of senior teammate Thomas Bakica (Whitehorse, YK) in second. On the women's side, senior Robynn Reid (Pitt Meadows, BC) took second in the 100 breast with a time of 1:06.82, followed by teammate Mateah Purdy (Moose Jaw, SK) in third and freshman Priya Thomas (Red Deer, AB) in fourth.
 
The men's backstroke group was led by sophomore Lukas Buck (Squamish, BC), who placed third in the 100 backstroke with a season-best effort of 50.27. Overall, the Red Leafs posted seven NCAA B-cuts between Whitmore, Kennedy, Kwiecien, Tomic, Dreghici, and Andrews—a strong indicator of postseason potential.
 
The women's team returns to the pool at the end of October for additional dual meet action at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The whole squad will be back in early November for two days of competition at Grand Canyon University, continuing their buildup toward the mid-season invitational schedule.