UBC celebrates historic year in sports

University of British Columbia athletes had a lot to celebrate in 2024. From Olympic medals to winning several national titles and getting drafted to the professional ranks, the school had no shortage of achievements to celebrate.

T-Birds baseball players Vicarte Domingo and Sean Heppner became the 32nd and 33rd players in school history to be selected in the Major League Baseball draft.

Domingo tells CTV News none of his success would be possible without the UBC coaching staff.

“As much of a good baseball player that you are, they love you as a person and not as a baseball player,” said Domingo, drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 19th round. “That was something that helped me realize that this is real – I’m lucky to be here and I want to be here.”

On the gridiron, Giovanni Manu made school history becoming the first UBC player drafted to the NFL. The offensive lineman was selected in the 4th round by the Detroit Lions.

“I cherish my six years that I’ve been here,” Manu told CTV News in April. “It’s definitely something I’ll always remember and tell my kids in the future.”

In November, UBC made history again in becoming the first U Sports school to win both men’s and women’s soccer national championships in the same year.

“It’s not like a competitive environment where everybody’s just trying to beat each other, it’s a good environment where everyone’s just trying to keep pushing each other and keep winning as a whole university,” said Jacqueline Tyrer, a three-time national champion with the women’s soccer team.

And winning has proven to be a key driver for recruitment. It’s a main reason why first-year standout Olivia Gomez decided to join UBC this season.

“I knew it was going to be a good year,” said Gomez, the Canada West rookie of the year. “I knew the team was really strong then, having won nationals last year, but honestly it exceeded all expectations.”

“Once you have success, you do get more recruits in,” said Kavie Toor, managing director of UBC Athletics and Recreation.

Toor, who’s worked for the university for 20 years, says this is the strongest he’s seen the program since he started at the school.

“We are trying to, you know, elevate future leaders and trying to give these opportunities for student athletes to see how well they can excel. We're trying to build community, we’re trying to promote how people connect and feel pride on campus,” said Toor. “So that sense of greater purpose really drives the performance for our student athletes and our teams.”

In the last year and half, UBC has won 14 national championships.