VICTORIA - Three years ago
Ayiana Gagne arrived in Victoria from Fort Frances, ON, with a goal of making the Vikes swimming team. She wasn't a top recruit, and she didn't come with a long list of impressive accolades, but she did bring something just as valuable—a love for swimming and a willingness to put in the work.
In just her third year, Gagne has qualified for her first U SPORTS National Swimming Championship taking place this week in Toronto.
Like many varsity swimmers, Gagne started young, but growing up in a border town of just 8000 people, meant limited pool time and long commutes, making it more difficult to gain exposure to top-tier competition.
"I wasn't training alongside Olympians from the time I was 13 like many other competitive swimmers. But I've always just really loved swimming, and I wanted to keep doing it after high school because I enjoy it," said Gagne.
In her first year at UVic, she began on the development squad, a proving ground for athletes who need time to build before competing at the national level. Her coaches saw something in her—raw potential and a relentless work ethic.
Gagne spent most of her first year training alone or with a small group, chasing nothing but the times laid out in front of her with no competitors to push her and no teammates in adjacent lanes. Just the water, the clock, and the belief that she could improve.
That summer, she competed at the North American Indigenous Games, representing Lac Seul First Nation as a member of Team Ontario in the U19 women's division. There, she found herself on the podium six times, winning medals in the 200-metre and 800 free and bronze in the 400 free, 50 free, 200 back, and 50 breast.
After a summer of breakthrough performances, Gagne earned a spot on the Vikes junior varsity team, where the real progress began.
"I improved so much just by training with a different group," she said. "Being surrounded by teammates who were way faster than me gave me something to chase. It pushed me to get better."
Those teammates include
Luella Faulkner and Teah Hoffman, who have also worked their way through the development pathway and will also be competing in their first U SPORTS championship this week.
Determined to keep that momentum, Gagne stayed in Victoria for an extra few months after the 2024 season to maximize training—and it paid off.
Now, in her third year, she has climbed the ranks to varsity and has continued to see major improvements. She delivered a statement swim in November, shattering her personal best in the 800 free by more than :30 seconds with a time of 8:59.68 and solidifying her spot at nationals where she will also swim the 400 free, 200 free, and 400 IM.
"I've always wanted to train more and do more volume, and I think now that I'm getting that, it's really paying off and I'm seeing big improvements," she said.
Gagne is currently ranked 14th nationally in the 800 free heading into U SPORTS and says that she's just trying to enjoy her first experience making it to nationals and is aiming to set personal best times.
It's not a new story—an athlete grinding their way from the bottom to the top. But it's one worth telling because it's about more than just the results. It's about believing in the process, even when no one is watching. It's about chasing something, not because you have to, but because you love it.
"My advice for others in the same boat is to just keep doing it for your own enjoyment and nobody else but the love of racing. Believe in yourself and don't compare yourself because that constant comparison to others, or where you think you should be, really does steal the joy," concluded Gagne.
