Vikes alumnae Meghan Montgomery and Canada's LTA mixed coxed four rowing team took home a historic bronze medal in the 1000-metre race on Sunday.
"We came back on the US in a big way," Montgomery said. "We got from the stern to just being a bow ball away from silver. It was a good race."
The Canadians finished just 0.29 second back of the silver medal-winning Americans. Great Britain finished first ahead of the two North American squads.
The Canadian women’s Paralympic wheelchair basketball team secured a 43-36 win over Great Britain Thursday morning at the Rio Olympic Arena in the opening match of women’s wheelchair basketball competition at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
“It’s good to get the first one out of the way,” said Vikes alumnae Janet McLachlan. “It was such a build up to this point and it feels good to win and to have that first game under our belts, build a bit of confidence and move forward from here.”
McLachlan, of Vancouver B.C., led the Canadian side with a double-double on the strength of 21 points and 22 rebounds. Cindy Ouellet, of Quebec City, Que., had 14 points, while Donkin N.S. native Jamey Jewells tallied six points. Helen Freeman and Amy Conroy both posted a team-high 14 points for Great Britain.
Read More via Wheelchair Basketball Canada
The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio are over and the Vikes picked up a total of three medals during the games.
Lindsay Jennerich was the first UVic connection to win a medal during the Olympics, rowing to silver along with partner Patricia Obee in lightweight women's double sculls on August 12. The pair didn't make it easy on Canadian fans, as they sat fifth at the 500-metre mark before making their push at the finish.
That night, Hilary Caldwell added to the UVic medal count, as the former Vike took bronze in the 200-metre backstroke. Caldwell's performance closed out a strong week that saw her go from underdog to potential podium finisher in the span of a few days.
UVic grad Catharine Pendrel closed out the games with a bronze on August 20, recovering from an early crash to beat out fellow Canadian Emily Batty in the women's cross country mountain bike event. The medal was Pendrel's first in her third Olympic Games.
Next up are the Paralympic Games, which get started on September 7 and run through September 18. The Games will feature a pair of former Vikes in wheelchair basketball player Janet McLachlan and rower Meghan Montgomery.
University of Victoria alumna Catharine Pendrel added to the medal haul for the university on Saturday by winning a bronze medal in cross country mountain bike final. Her medal marks the third for UVic athletes in Rio.
Pendrel had to work her way back from some early trouble on Saturday after she fell at the beginning of the race. The gruelling race, which spans six laps and numerous tough hills, saw her rush back to get in podium position. Canadian teammate Emily Batty finished in fourth.
The UVic grad was part of the school's Triathlon Club during her time on campus along with her coach Dan Proulx.
After Vikes won a pair of medals on Day Seven, UVic athletes closed out the final days of swimming (Day Eight --> Day Eleven) off the podium but in good position nonetheless.
Ryan Cochrane swam in his highly anticipated 1,500-metre freestyle final on Saturday night, finishing in sixth. He had a hold on fifth place until the end but was passed at the last second by Australia's Mack Horton.
Stephanie Horner swam her 10km race early on Monday morning, swimming to 23rd with a time of 1:59.22.
Richard Weinberger hit the water for his own marathon swim on Tuesday, holding down a top-five spot for a portion of the race but eventually closing out the race in 17th after a series of photo-finishes.
Shawnee Harle and the Canadian women's basketball team lost out to Spain on Sunday by a score of 73-60. They will face France in the quarterfinals, which get started at 6:15 p.m. PT on Tuesday night.
University of Victoria Vikes fans were treated to an exciting day on Friday, as UVic alumna Lindsay Jennerich and partner Patricia Obee won rowing silver in lightweight women's double sculls and Hilary Caldwell swam to a bronze medal in the 200-metre backstroke.
Caldwell had an extremely strong week at the games, entering the finals ranked second and placed in lane five.
"The time's not what I wanted for sure but in the end in the Olympic finals it's about racing and I got my hand on the wall in the top three," Caldwell told CBC's David Amber in a post-race interview.
"I wanted that gold medal but being on the podium is pretty amazing."
The silver from Jennerich and Obee medal from was the first for both Canadian rowing and Vikes athletes at the Rio Olympics. The pair didn't make it easy on the nerves either, holding back for the first half of the race before making their move around the 700-metre mark.
They went from fifth at 500-metres to second at the end with a thrilling finish.
"We went seriously nuclear," Jennerich told CBC's Ron MacLean. The Netherlands finished first, beating out Canada by 1.15 seconds.
The big performance came on a rainy morning in Rio, and the humour in that situation didn't escape Jennerich or Obee.
"We came down to the lake today and it was drizzling and rainy and Obee and I looked at each other and thought Victoria's weather has found us here in Rio," said Jennerich. "It's sending us off the dock in style."
The pair came into the Olympics having won their first World Cup gold over the summer in Lucerne, Switzerland. They were looking to bounce back from a disappointing result at the London Olympics in 2012.
Kai Langerfeld and the men's four missed out on a medal in the morning, finishing last in the A Final.
Meanwhile, Vikes cross country and track assistant coach Hilary Stellingwerff finished seventh in her 1,500m heat and missed out on the next round. It was the second straight Olympics for Stellingwerff.
Canada's women's basketball team and assistant coach Shawnee Harle lost out to the Americans on Day 7 by a score of 81-51.
It was a strong day on and in the water for the Vikes on Day 6 of the Rio Olympics, as all three rowers helped qualify their boats for the finals and Hilary Caldwell finished first in her semi-final to head into the 200-metre backstroke final on Friday ranked second.
Lindsay Jennerich and Patricia Obee finished second in their semi-final behind the Netherlands to qualify for the finals on Friday, August 12, at 6:32 a.m. PT.
Antje von Seydlitz and the Canadian women's eight dominated the repechage to qualify for their own final on Saturday, August 13, at 7:04 a.m. PT.
Kai Langerfeld and the men's coxless four qualified for the A final, which will take place on Friday, August 12, at 7:24 a.m. PT.
The men's field hockey team suffered their fourth loss of the Olympics, falling 4-2 to Ireland. Now out of contention for a quater-final spot, the team will play their last game against India on Friday at 8:30 a.m. PT.
Tuesday was a quiet day in Rio for the Vikes, with just the men's field hockey team in action in a losing effort against the Netherlands.
The Dutch team entered the Olympics ranked second in the world and showed why on Tuesday, scoring early and often in a 7-0 win. Canada started strong, earning the first penalty corner of the game, but the Netherlands came back to dominate in the latter half of the game and walk away with the win.
Next up for the Canadians (0-3) is a matchup with Ireland on Thursday (7:00 a.m. PT), the only other winless team in Group B.
After all rowing events were postponed due to bad weather on Sunday, the Vikes had another busy day in Rio on Monday.
Lindsay Jennerich and partner Patricia Obee dominated their lightweight women's double sculls heat to earn a spot in the semi-finals on Wednesday. Kai Langerfeld and the men's four also advanced from their heat, coming in second ahead of the Americans after a photo finish.
Antje von Seydlitz and Canada's women's eight finished third in their heat on Monday and will look to earn a spot in the repêchage on Wednesday. Nicolas Pratt and the lightweight men's four finished fourth in the repêchage to miss out on their semi-final.
Former Vikes basketball player Shawnee Harle and the Canadian women's basketball team fought back from an early deficit to shock Serbia and improve to 2-0 at the Olympics. Kia Nurse led the way for the Canadians with 25 points and a dominant performance in the second half.
The men's field hockey team, with current Vike Brenden Bissett and former Vikes Keigan Pereira and Matthew Sarmento, lost their second game of the Olympics to a familiar Argentinian team. Canada will get back on the pitch on Tuesday against the Netherlands.
It was a busy first day for Vikes in Rio on Saturday after the Opening Ceremonies officially kicked off the Olympic Games on Friday night.
Canada's women's basketball team, with Vikes Basketball's Shawnee Harle serving as assistant coach, charged to a big 90-68 win over China on Saturday. It was one of three big wins by Canada's women's teams, as the soccer and rugby teams also pulled off strong victories.
Nicolas Pratt and Canada's lightweight men's four started the day off, finishing fourth in their heat to miss out on a chance to book a spot in the semi-finals. They'll have another opportunity to advance on Sunday, when they race Germany, France and the Czech Republic in the repêchage round.
Ryan Cochrane raced in the 400m event and also missed out on the semi-final, ending up fifth in his heat. His strongest race, the 1500m freestyle, is yet to come, and he'll hit the water on Friday, August 12 for that event.
Brendan Bissett, Keegan Pereira and Matthew Sarmento took on #3 ranked Germany in the first game of their men's field hockey schedule. Peirera scored a pretty goal from a distance to get Canada within three goals late but the Germans walked away with a 6-2 win. Next up is Argentina on August 8th.
Sunday will see rowers Kai Langerfeld and Lindsay Jennerich hit the water for heats, while Pratt will be back on the water for repêchage.
The 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics are fast approaching and a number of athletes, coaches and staff with University of Victoria connections are set to take part. The Olympic Games run August 5 - 21 while the Paralympic Games take place September 7 - 18.
Nineteen individuals will represent Canada and UVic in Brazil, 15 as athletes and four as staff members. Sixteen of those 19 have competed, coached or contributed to a Vikes varsity program while the others are members of the greater university community.
Three more UVic connections, Chris Hindmarch-Watson, Ulf Schuetze and Bruce Kikpatrick, will travel to Brazil as English Language Swimming Announcer, Triathlon Technical Official, and Rugby Citing Commisioner respectively. Hindmarch-Watson swam with the Vikes before switching to announcing, Schuetz is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition at UVic and Kilpatrick studied and played rugby with the Vikes.
Brenden Bissett is the only current Vike on an Olympic roster, as the fifth-year men’s field hockey player will join former Vikes Keegan Pereira and Matthew Sarmento on the Canadian squad. After the team was officially announced, Bissett and the team completed a four-game sweep of the U.S. as part of the Summer Games Send-off.
Hilary Stellingwerff won 1,500-metre bronze at the 2016 Canadian Olympic Trials on July 10 to qualify. Stellingwerff, who also ran at the 2012 Olympics, is an assistant coach with the varsity cross country and track and field program.
Janet McLachlan, a former basketball player with the Vikes, is set for her third Paralympic Games. The 2011 Wheelchair Basketball Canada Female Athlete of the Year will be looking for her first Paralympic medal in Rio. Meghan Montgomery is also headed to the Paralympics as part of the Canadian LTA4+ boat. Montgomery has already attended a pair of Paralympic Games, helping her boats to a sixth-place finish in Beijing and a seventh-place finish in London.
Kai Langerfeld, Nicolas Pratt, Lindsay Jennerich and Antje von Seydlitz will also represent the Vikes rowing program in Rio. Langerfeld will compete in the men’s four while Pratt will suit up for the lightweight men’s four. Jennerich and partner Patricia Obee, who joined up for gold in the lightweight women’s double gold at the World Cup II this summer, will be looking for the same in Rio while von Seydlitz will be a key part of the women’s eight. Former Vikes rowing coach Al Morrow will serve as Director of the Lightweight Men’s program while alumnus Adam Parfitt will once again take up the role of team manager.
UVic's swimming team will also see four alumni travel to Rio. Two-time Olympic medalist Ryan Cochrane will serve as co-captain of the Canadian team and will be joined by fellow alumnus Hilary Caldwell, Stephanie Horner and Richard Weinberger. Weinberger won bronze in the 10-kilometre open water marathon at the London Olympics.
Fresh off of being inducted to the Basketball BC Hall of Fame as part of the 1981-82 Vikettes basketball team, Shawnee Harle will head to Rio as the lead assistant with the Canadian Women's Basketball Team. She was a member of two CIS national championship teams with UVic and is the first and only coach in Canada to earn their NCCP Level 5 coaching distinction.
Two-time World Champion Catharine Pendrel and her coach Dan Proulx, who met in UVic’s triathlon club, will be back together as part of the Canadian Mountain Bike Team in Rio. Pendrel studied at UVic and went on to win gold at the 2007 Pan Am Games before finishing fourth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
To keep up with all the UVic connections in Rio, visit
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