MARKHAM, Ont. - The Laurier Golden Hawks continued their strong showing on Day 2 of the 2026 U SPORTS Swimming Championships, hosted by McMaster University at the Markham Pan Am Centre, posting personal-best times, a team record, and multiple finals appearances.
In the preliminary session, Laurier opened with the men's 200-metre breaststroke, where Owen Jibb and John Ryan represented the Golden Hawks. Jibb swam in the second heat, while Ryan competed in the fourth. Ryan's time of 2:14.63 advanced him to the B final.
Later in the session, Jibb and George Radic returned to the pool for the men's 200-metre individual medley. Racing in the second heat, Radic surged ahead over the final 50 metres to touch first in the heat and qualify for the C final.
In the evening finals session, Ryan was first in the water for Laurier in the 200-metre breaststroke B final. In a fast field, Ryan rose to the challenge and finished 13th overall.
Radic followed in the 200-metre individual medley C final. Staying within striking distance through the opening legs, he closed the gap during the breaststroke before sprinting home in the freestyle to touch the wall first in the final and record a new personal-best time.
The night concluded with Laurier competing in the men's 4x200-metre freestyle relay in the fastest heat of the event.
Radic led off the relay with a blistering 1:49.84 split, setting a new Laurier record and becoming the first Golden Hawk to break the 1:50 barrier in the 200-metre freestyle. Jibb followed with the fastest 200-metre relay split in program history at 1:50.49. Jacob Wahba swam the third leg in 1:52.14 before veteran Will Bryer anchored the team in 1:51.97.
The quartet combined for a time of 7:24.44, setting a new Laurier team record and shaving more than five seconds off the previous mark set just weeks earlier at the 2026 OUA Swimming Championships. The performance earned the Golden Hawks an eighth-place finish, just behind Western and ahead of Ottawa and McMaster.
After two days of competition, Laurier sits 11th overall in the national standings with 84 points.
The championships continue through the weekend at the Markham Pan Am Centre. Fans can watch the action live on cbcsports.ca and CBC Gem.
