PREVIEW: Memorial to host 2026 Bell AUS Swimming Championships
The 2026 Bell AUS Swimming Championships will take place Feb. 13–15 at The Works Aquarena in St. John's, N.L., with the Memorial Sea-Hawks serving as host.
Joining Memorial at this year's championship are the Dalhousie Tigers, UNB REDS and Mount Allison Mounties.
Heats are scheduled for 10 a.m. each morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with finals beginning at 6 p.m. daily. The championships will be webcast live on AUStv.
Championship Sunday will conclude with the presentation of individual meet awards and major year-end honours, including Swimmer of the Meet and Swimmer of the Year. Championship banners will also be awarded to the winning women's and men's teams.
Tigers look to extend championship streaks
Dalhousie enters the meet as the defending champion on both sides of the pool. The Tigers women are seeking their 24th consecutive AUS title, while the men's team is aiming for a fifth straight championship banner.
Dalhousie has led the conference through the invitational circuit this season, capturing team titles at each meet and showcasing depth across all strokes and distances.
On the women's side, Emilie Schofield has been a standout in freestyle, backstroke and individual medley events, while Emma Carrier Clarke has delivered strong performances in sprint and middle-distance freestyle. Sara Bennett and Alexia Morgans add strength in butterfly and IM races, and Lily MacLean and Ava MacKenzie provide key contributions in breaststroke.
For the Dalhousie men, Quinn Nolan has been a force in the sprint events and butterfly, while Cameron Carlyle and Morgan Sparkes have anchored the squad in backstroke, IM and freestyle races. David Harvie has also been a major contributor in distance and middle-distance freestyle.
UNB REDS
UNB will look to challenge for podium finishes across several events.
Blake Kingston enters the championships as one of the conference's top breaststroke swimmers following an impressive performance at the Amby Legere Invitational. Teammate Ethan Nestoruk has also been competitive in breaststroke, while Maxime Kenny has shown strength in backstroke events and Camden Reid in butterfly.
On the women's side, first-year Maggie Shackell is a swimmer to watch in backstroke, and Maria McDougall has proven to be a versatile contributor across multiple events.
Mount Allison Mounties
Mount Allison will aim to make its mark at the conference championship meet.
On the women's side, swimmers to watch include Jes Lawrence, Makayla Churchill and Allie Gauthier.
For the Mounties' men, John Roberts and Rowan Campbell will look to make an impact in their respective events.
Memorial Sea-Hawks
As host, Memorial will look to deliver strong performances at The Works Aquarena.
On the women's side, swimmers to watch include Jordan LeRoy, Amelia Smith and Polina Konstantinova.
For the Sea-Hawks men, Jake LeCoure, Felix Sheppard, Jackson Prowse and Liam Tweedie will be among those aiming to perform well in front of the home crowd.
With three days of racing ahead and championship banners on the line, the 2026 Bell AUS Swimming Championships promise an exciting conclusion to the AUS swimming season as Atlantic Canada's top university swimmers compete for conference supremacy in St. John's.