The 2016 Rio Olympics are over and three UVic connections took home medals for Canada. Lindsay Jennerich took home a silver in rowing while Hilary Caldwell and Catharine Pendrel won bronze in their swimming and cross country mountain bike events, respectively. Now it's time for the Paralympics from September 7-18.
Watch all the events at the Olympic and Paralympic Fan Zone at Bear Mountain. To learn more click
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**Notice anybody missing from the list? Are you going to Rio with a national team or as a staff member? Emails us with details at vicvikes@uvic.ca**
Brenden Bissett (Men's Field Hockey)**
Bissett, a veteran with the Vikes, has been a strong presence during his time with the program and has already made solid contributions on the international stage for Canada. He was part of the Canadian squad that secured a silver medal and a trip to the Rio Olympics at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and was called up to the Canada men’s national team roster for a New Zealand Tour last December. The New Westminster, B.C. native was also a member of Canada’s junior team that competed in the 2013 Junior World Cup. The Canadians are the underdogs to watch heading into Rio.
Hilary Caldwell (Swimming - Women's 200m Backstroke)** - BRONZE
Caldwell swam for the Vikes while studying French and currently trains at the High Performance Centre in Victoria. She punched her ticket to Rio by finishing first in the 200-metre backstroke at the 2016 Olympic & Para-swimming Trials in Toronto and is on a roll heading into the games, recording a personal best time of 2:03.57 in early June. In 2015, she won gold in the 200-metre backstroke and earned a seventh place finish in the same event at the 2015 FINA World Championships in Kazan, Russia. Caldwell swam at the 2012 London Olympics and will be looking to top her 18th-place finish when she hits the pool in Rio.
Ryan Cochrane (Swimming - Men's 400m & 1500m Freestyle)**
Already a decorated swimmer at the international level, Cochrane qualified for his third Olympic games at the Olympic and Paralympic Swim Trials by picking up a pair of gold medals in the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle. He will serve as co-captain of the team alongside Martha McCabe. Cochrane's list of accomplishments is long, but includes two gold medals at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, a silver medal at the London Olympics, a double-medal performance at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships and eight straight Canadian Male Swimmer of the Year awards.
Stephanie Horner (Swimming - Women's 10km)**
Horner is set for her first open water competition at the Olympics, having already competed in pool events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. She switched from pool to open water less than two years ago and has found success in the 10-kilmetre race,
clocking 1:57:26.40 at the FINA marathon swimming Olympic Games qualification tournament in June to gain the Olympic spot as the top finisher from the Americas outside the top-10. The Quebec native was a team captain for the 2013 Summer Universiade and was selected as a CIS First Team All-Canadian in 2012-13.
Lindsay Jennerich (Rowing - Lightweight Women's 2x)** - SILVER
Jennerich is no stranger to the international scene, having competed for Canada in different capacities since attending the 2000 World Junior Rowing Championships. She's a decorated member of Team Canada, with gold medals from the World Rowing U23 Championships (2002, 2004), the World Cup (2008 x2, 2011, 2016) and the World Championships (2010) and numerous silver and bronze medals to her name. The Victoria native, who attended UVic from 2000-2006, and her partner Patricia Obee are on a roll heading into the Rio Olympics, as they won lightweight women's double gold at the World Cup II in Lucerne earlier in the summer.
Kai Langerfeld (Rowing - Men's 4-)**
Kai is quoted as saying that the first time he rowed with his dad, he thought it was "the worst sport I ever tried." But here we are. The Victoria native, who began rowing at UVic in 2009, is built to be an athlete, standing at 6'4 and 220 pounds. His rowing career has seen him cross off a number of impressive achievements, including a pair of gold medals at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and a trio of bronze medals at international competitions. Kai's father, York, competed at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and is an integral part of UVic's women's program as an assistant coach alongside head coach Rick Crawley. The Rio Olympics will be Kai's first.
Catharine Pendrel (Mountain Bike) - BRONZE
Pendrel, a two-time world champion, is originally from New Brunswick but studied at UVic, where she met future coach and fellow Canadian Olympic team member Dan Proulx. Her first international competition was at the 2004 World Championships in Les Gets, France where she finished 46th. She made her mark in the lead-up to Beijing, winning gold at the 2007 Pan Am Games before finishing fourth at the 2008 Summer Olympics, just nine seconds out of a medal position.
Keegan Pereira (Men's Field Hockey) **
Pereira has been on both sides of the UVic/UBC rivalry, suiting up for the Vikes before shifting to play for the Thunderbirds. Born in Mumbai, India, he grew up in Ontario and made his international debut in Victoria against India in 2009. Since then, he's combined for more than 90 senior caps and helped Canada win silver at the 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara. Sidelined by an ACL injury for most of 2015, Pereira is back and ready to make a mark as he gets set to participate in his first Olympics.
Nicolas Pratt (Rowing - Light Men's 4-)**
Originally from Norway, Pratt first represented Canada at the 2006 U23 World Championships and made his senior debut a year later at the World Cup in Lucerne. He began rowing in Kingston and spent a year of university at UVic before shifting to compete at Queen's University (2005-2009) and Western University (2011-2012), where he worked towards a post-graduate degree. His best international finish came at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, where he helped lead the lightweight men's four to a gold medal. He will row under former Vikes coach Al Morrow in Rio as he looks to make a mark in his first Olympic games.
Matthew Sarmento (Men's Field Hockey) **
Sarmento originally planned to be a part of the Vikes soccer team, but when that plan fell through he tried out for and made the men's field hockey team. Fast forward a number of years and Sarmento has more than 50 senior national caps. He has been part of a number of big Canadian moments since making his international debut in 2011, including winning a quarterfinal shootout over New Zealand at the FIH World League Semifinals to help Canada secure qualification for RIO 2016. He also helped Canada capture silver on home soil at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto, scoring three goals on seven shots.
Antje Von Seydlitz (Rowing - Women's 8+)**
From a part of UVic's novice eight boat to a member of Canada' women's eight boat, Von Seydlitz has come a long way since she kicked off her rowing career in Vikes gear. Owner of a gold medal from the U23 World Rowing Championships, a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto and trio of silver medals from World Cup and World Championship competition, she will be looking to pick up her first Olympic medal as she makes her first trip to the games in August. Von Seydlitz and her boat finished fourth at the World Cup in Lucerne, Switzerland, earlier in the summer and will be aiming for the podium in Rio.
Hilary Stellingwerff (Track and Field - Women's 1,500-metre)**
An assistant coach for the Vikes Cross Country & Track and Field program, Stellingwerff attended her first Olympics in 2012, overcoming food posoining to secure the Olympic entry standard at the Diamond League meet in Rome before advancing to the semifinals at the games and finishing 16th overall. She is a regular podium finisher at the Canadian Championships, where she has won two gold medals (2007, 2008) and five silver medals (2005-06, 2009, 2011-12). Stellingwerff won bronze at the 2016 version of the Olympic Trials in Edmonton to secure her spot in Rio.
Richard Weinberger (Swimming - Men's 10km)**
Weinberger grew up in Surrey but moved to Victoria to swim with UVic and train with Pacific Coast Swimming. He was a revelation for the swimming world when he won 10-kilometre bronze at the 2010 Pan Pacific Games in Irvine. Heading into the 2012 London Olympics, which saw him win bronze, Weinberger picked up a gold at the 2011 Olympic test event at Hyde park and also captured gold at the 2011 Pan American Games. He narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto and will be looking to add to his medal count when he hits the open water in Rio.
Janet McLachlan (Wheelchair Basketball)**
An accomplished basketball player with the Vikes, McLachlan helped UVic win a pair of national championships in 1998 and 2000. After suffering a serious knee injury while trying out for Canada's national rugby squad in 2006, she turned to wheelchair basketball and has been a mainstay with the Canadian program ever since, competing at the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games and helping Canada win gold at the 2014 World Championship, bronze in 2010 and silver at the 2011 Parapan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. She led all players in scoring at the London Olympics, averaging 26 points per game and 16.7 rebounds per game.
Meghan Montgomery (Rowing - LTA 4+)** - SILVER
Montgomery has a pair of degrees from the University of Manitoba but has Vikes connections nonetheless, having rowed with the program under head coach Rick Crawley. Her disability is a congenital one, affecting her right hand. She has attended a pair of Paralympic Games, helping her LTA4+ boat to a sixth-place finish in Beijing and a seventh-place finish in London. Her boats finished first and second at the 2010 and 2011 World Rowing Championships, respectively. She was also part of two gold-medal performances at the 2006 and 2007 Royal Canadian Henley Regattas.
Fresh off of being inducted to the Basketball BC Hall of Fame as part of the 1981-82 Vikettes basketball team, Harle will head to Rio as the lead Assistant Coach with the Canadian Women's Basketball Team. She was a member of two CIS national championship teams with UVic and has gone on to do great things in the coaching world, becoming the first and only coach in Canada, male or female, to earn their NCCP Level 5. Harle helped the women's national team earn a fifth place finish at the 2014 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2015 Pan Am Games and FIBA Americas.
Chris Hindmarch-Watson (Swimming - English Language Announcer)**
Hindmarch-Watson, heading to the Rio Olympics in the role of English Language Announcer for swimming, has been a lot of things for the Vikes varsity swim program. He was an athlete, competing with the team after graduating from high school in 1997; he was team manager; and he started swimming's Alumni Chapter and served as Alumni Chapter Chair. He also proved to be an adept announcer, calling his first CIS Championship in 2002. Since then, he's announced nine more CIS Championships. After calling the 2006 Pan Pacific Games, he was recruited by USA Swimming and has since been one of three announcers used for their major events.
Bruce Kuklinski (Rugby - Citing Commissioner)**
A former Vikes men's rugby player, Kuklinski is one of two citing commissioners from around the globe hand-picked to officiate the men’s and women’s rugby sevens matches – 68 games in total – in Rio, meaning it's his role to hand out punishment after games. Kuklinski, who is a Middle School Teacher at SMUS, was born in New Zealand, coming to Canada in the late 1980's and going on to play with UVic before transitioning to officiating.
Al Morrow (Rowing - Director, Lightweight Men)**
Al Morrow's
résumé speaks for itself. He's been many things to the Canadian Rowing program over the years, including a decorated coach of the women's national team and, more recently. director of the lightweight men's program, a role that he will be returning to for the Rio Olympics. He was also an accomplished rower in his own time. To the Vikes, he was head coach from 1978-1986, during which time he helped lead the team to two CURA banners. Already a member of six different Halls of Fame, he will be looking to add another chapter to his storied career as Director of the Lightweight Men's Program in Rio.
Adam Parfitt (Rowing - Team Manager)**
Team Managers are the unsung heroes of Olympic squads and UVic grad Adam Parfitt will be back in that role at the 2016 Rio Olympics. An accomplished athlete in his own right, Parfitt raced in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, amongst other international competitions. At the 1996 games in Atlanta, Parfitt and the men's eight boat finished just off the podium in fourth. The Parkland native currently resides in Victoria.
Dan Proulx (Mountain Biking - Coach)
Born and raised in Victoria, Proulx earned a teaching degree at UVic in 2005 but has been connected with the school in a number of capacities. He's the the personal coach to two-time world champion and UVic grad Catharine Pendrel, who will be competing under him once again at the Rio Olympics. The games will be Proulx's third overall, and he's been head coach of the national mountain bike team since 2007.
Ulf Schuetze (Triathlon - Technical Official)
A Professor of Second Language Acquisition at UVic, Schuetze is headed to Rio as one of two technical officials for the sport of triathlon. He has been involved with the sport for 20 years as a hobby, although Rio will mark his first Olympics. Schuetze has previously been involved in both the Commonwealth and Pan Am Games before. The triathlon community has deep connections at UVic; look no further than President Jamie Cassels, who is an accomplished athlete in the sport.
**Have competed, trained or coached with a Vikes varsity program.
