VICTORIA – The motto "just keep swimming" might be a line from a Pixar movie, but for Erin Epp, it's become a way of life—literally. After three seasons of setbacks, heartbreak and resilience, Epp has finally earned her moment on the international stage.

Epp is the lone swimmer set to represent the University of Victoria on the U SPORTS All-Star swim team this July, travelling to the United Kingdom for an international showdown against England's top university athletes.

The inaugural dual meet will feature 40 of Canada's best university swimmers, with the roster drawn from the top two eligible finishers in each event at this year's U SPORTS championship. Epp earned her place in the 200 breaststroke— a hard-fought reward after a season that tested her in and out of the pool.

"I've never competed outside of North America, so I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to travel. My only real goal for the event is just to enjoy the experience," said Epp.

While a trip to England is a chance to represent the Vikes among some of the top university swimmers in the world, for Epp, it's also a marker of everything it's taken to get there.

Since coming to UVic in 2022, Epp has endured a tumultuous three-years littered with adversity. Despite it all, she has remained one of the program's most consistent and dominant swimmers, earning a Canada West gold medal and First Team All-Star in her rookie season.

Epp has excelled in the classroom as a U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian while pursuing chemistry for the medical sciences, but she has yet to complete a swim season without any major setbacks. In her rookie year, the Kelowna product was sidelined by a severe case of COVID-19 just weeks before the Canada West Championship. After missing two weeks of training, she returned to win gold in the 200 breaststroke and earn Canada West First Team All-Star honours. She capped off the season with a fourth-place finish at the U SPORTS championship — her best national result to date.

Following a breakout rookie season, Epp spent most of her second year battling a nagging injury.

"For six months of the season I was swimming with one arm because I had a pretty bad shoulder injury. Then, a week and a half before the competition, I would try to swim normally to prepare. So, looking back on my times they were okay, but I have to remind myself that it's not a true reflection of the year because I wasn't even swimming properly," said Epp.

While most athletes would have thrown in the towel, Epp remained focussed on competing despite her injury, helping the women's 400 medley relay team to a Canada West bronze medal before earning a sixth-place finish in the 400 IM at nationals.

Coming into the 2024–25 season, Epp was hoping for a clean slate. Instead, it became her most challenging year yet.

Midway through the second term, heading into reading break and with nationals just two weeks away, Epp's entire world shifted. Her older sister, who had dealt with ongoing health issues, unexpectedly passed away on Valentine's Day. Epp was in the middle of a midterm when she received an urgent message from her mom to come home. Her sister passed while she was enroute to Kelowna that same day.

While nothing can prepare someone for the loss of a sibling, with the support of her family, friends, coaches and teammates, Epp returned to Victoria following the break—back to classes, back to training, and back to reality.

"I spent that [reading break] week at home with my family, but I knew it was important to get back into my routine to start to feel somewhat normal again," she said.

With the U SPORTS Swimming Championships fast approaching, Epp contemplated taking some extra time before joining the team at nationals in Toronto. Instead, she decided to travel with the team and make the best of a challenging situation by approaching it with gratitude rather than expectations.

"Going to U SPORTS this year was something to look forward to in a way, but it was also a lot to manage. Once I got past that first [race] morning, I felt a bit better. I told myself I could do it, took the pressure off and just tried to have fun," she said.

Too her surprise, she had one of her best swims of the weekend in the 200 breaststroke which earned her a trip to England with a spot on the U SPORTS All-Star squad. Epp also went on to tally four finals swims over the weekend, tying Keir Ogilvie for most on the Vikes.

Epp is currently working in a research lab over the summer as she prepares for the dual meet and the upcoming varsity season. With her final year in a Vikes uniform fast approaching, Epps says she's not sure what she will do without swimming, but her goals for the year echo those she has for England, which is "just to enjoy it."

The dual meet will be held at Loughborough University, about 170 kilometres north of London. It will follow a traditional dual-meet format, with points awarded for placings in each race.