Vernon swimmer stays hot with Team Canada selection
Published 10:00 am Saturday, July 18, 2026
Vernon swimmer Alexanne Lepage is as hot as the California mercury, which happens to be where she’ll next compete.
Lepage has earned a spot on the Team Canada roster for the 2026 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, announced by Swimming Canada.
The Pan Pacific runs Aug. 12-15 in Irvine, Cal.
Lepage, a third-year member of the University of Calgary Dinos swim team, earned her Team Canada selection with a standout performance at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials July 5-9 in Montreal.
She won gold in the 200-metre breaststroke with a personal-best time of two minutes 23.03 seconds. Her winning margin of almost seven-tenths of a second placed her well clear of the field.
Lepage’s time was the seventh fastest in the world in the event in 2026.
Team Canada’s lineup for the Pan Pacifics also includes Olympic medalists Summer McIntosh and Taylor Ruck. The team is made up of 20 women and 22 men.
Lepage caught the world’s attention in the spring, finishing 10th overall in the women’s standings on the 2026 Mare Nostrum Swim Tour, which is one of the most prestigious individual swimming circuits on the planet.
The Mare Nostrum Tour draws Olympians and world-record holders across stops in Monaco, France, and Spain. Swimmers accumulate points across the three stops, with their combined total determining their final placing.
Lepage competed in the 50, 100, and 200-metre breaststroke, racing in 22 events over six days. She posted top-13 finishes at all three stops, with her 2,669-point total earning her 10th-place.
“The Mare Nostrum Swim Tour was a super incredible experience and a great racing opportunity,” said Lepage to the athletics department at the University of Calgary.
“My coach and I went into it with the goal of being consistent in my races and just working on the details. I am super happy with how it went.”
Dinos head coach Mike Blondal said the tour offered a unique opportunity to refine Lepage’s race execution ahead of the Canadian trials.
“Alexanne accomplished what we set out to do, which was to practice executing her race plan many times in one week,” said Blondal. “By focusing on the tactics she was able to be successful and really establish her plan for the trials and the Pan Pacific Games.”