Two top swimmers from the Newmarket Stingrays will be making their way to NCAA competition after being recruited by Simon Fraser University in British Columbia.
Aly Whitmore and Clarke Morrison have made the roster for the university’s NCAA team. The two students, who attended Huron Heights Secondary School, will compete in NCAA Division II Swimming.
Whitmore, a Newmarket native and freestyle swimmer who finished 14th at the 2022 Eastern Canadian Championships, said she has loved British Columbia since she was little.
“SFU was the only school in Canada where I could compete in the NCAA and continue doing what I love,” she said.
Simon Fraser University is the only Canadian university that competes in the American-based NCAA program. The two local swimmers will join six other recruits on the team that finished eighth in Division II standings in 2022.
Morrison is a backstroke swimmer who earned silver in the 50-metre backstroke final at the Ontario Provincial Championships last month.
“Simon Fraser has been my dream school growing up, as competing in the NCAA while in Canada is a huge benefit,” she said.
Team head coach Demona Tissira said they are excited to welcome the new recruit class.
“Our goal is to offer the right environment for them to succeed by creating an athlete-centred, goal-oriented and performance-driven environment,” she said.
The local swimmers’ first competition with their new team will be Oct. 1-2 at the NCAA Div. 1 Pacific in California. The full schedule for the team is available on the university’s athletics website.
