UVic Swimming

Former and Current Swimmers Talk About Their Experiences As A Vike (Brief Bios Below)

Interviewee Biographies

Amanda (Perkins) Wright
Hometown: North Delta, BC

A four year veteran of the swimming program, Amanda Wright graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She continued to be involved with the University working as an Admissions Officer before moving to the position of Faculty of Business Development Officer. Amanda is currently working as a Business Consultant at Bearing Point Management, a company that operates in 60 countries around the world. Amanda now lives in Victoria with her husband, and former UVic team- mate, Kerry Wright.

Christin Petelski
Hometown: Nanaimo, BC

One of the longest serving Canadian National team veterans, Christin Petelski swam with Peter Vizsolyi for 10 years from 1996 until her retirement in 2006. Competing at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, Petelski was a two-time Olympic finalist.

In 1996, Christin was named the UVic Rookie of the Year, and went on to win Outstanding Athlete of the Year on three occasions. Christin finished her career as one of the most distinguished athletes in the history of UVic sport. Christin currently lives in Victoria and is completing her second degree, a Masters of Business Administration.

Mackenzie Downing
Hometown: Whitehorse, Yukon

Mackenzie is entering her fifth year of swimming eligibility with the University of Victoria. She has represented Canada at many international meets, including the World and Pan Pacific Championships, and the World Student Games. In 2007 Downing was Canada's most decorated athlete at the FISU games, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals and setting a new Canadian record in the 100m butterfly. A two-time winner of the Outstanding Athlete of UVic award, Downing also received the coveted 2008 President's Cup, presented to the student-athlete who best combines academics and athletics - her GPA, a sterling 8.33 out of 9.00.

Stephanie Dixon
Hometown: Brampton, Ontario

Born with only one leg, Stephanie Dixon will be attending her third Paralympic Games in 2008. The current world record holder in the 100 and 200 backstroke, Dixon has already collected 15 Paralympic medals. At the 2004 Paralympics she garnered more medals than any athlete in any other sport. The same year, she was named one of the 25 Most Influential Canadian Women in Sport. Stephanie is an accomplished public speaker who is dedicated to helping others. She was named the Ambassador for the Rio Pan-American Games and the Beijing Olympics.

Greg Streppel
Hometown: Cambridge, Ontario

A World Champion in the 25km open water event, Greg swam with UVic Varsity for five full years, and continued swimming with Peter Vizsolyi and Ron Jacks for four additional years. Greg's accomplishments were recognized when he was inducted into the Swim BC Hall of Fame and the Swimming Canada Circle of Excellence. At the 1995 Pan Pacific Championships, Greg was so far ahead of the field that one of Australia's greatest coaches, Lawrie Lawrence, dubbed him the toughest athlete he had ever come across. Greg returned to Cambridge, Ont., where he currently lives with his family, and owns a pharmacy.

Chris Hindmarch-Watson
Hometown: Vancouver, BC

Chris was involved with the UVic swim team for six years, three of those as team manager. After graduating from the university, Chris built on his sports administrative experience serving as the Program Director of Swim BC and the Events Manager for Swimming Canada. Known as the "Voice of Swimming" in Canada, he has announced major National and International competitions across the country and throughout the U.S. Chris continues to be involved with the University of Victoria as the President of the Vikes Swimming Alumni.

Marlena (Prill) Stubbings
Hometown: Nanaimo, BC

A CIS gold medalist and 1997 University of Victoria Rookie of the Year, Marlena graduated from UVic with a Biology degree after representing the swim team for three years. Marlena later returned to obtain an Education degree, and competed for UVic another two years. Marlena currently works with the University of Victoria Athletics Department as Special Events Coordinator and teaches part-time. Marlena and her husband Trevor welcomed their first child in April of 2008.

Michael Edgson
Hometown: Nanaimo, BC

During his time at UVic Michael accumulated an amazing 11 Paralympic gold medals over two Paralympic Games; 8 of these won in World Record time. In 1992, Edgson was the runner-up to Mark Tewksbury for the Lou Marsh trophy, awarded annually to Canada's top athlete, professional or amateur. Michael played a huge role in inspiring coaches to guide athletes with unique needs to develop their potential and achieve high performance results. Despite his visual handicap, Edgson served as Assistant Sport Chair for the 1994 Commonwealth Games and is now a manager for the Royal Bank of Canada.

Jon Kelly
Hometown: Kitimat, BC

Jon Kelly swam with Peter Vizsolyi at UVic and as a member of the Canadian National Team for seven years. An Olympic finalist at the 1988 Olympic Games, Jon was the only member of the Canadian Men's team to post a personal best time. Post-Olympics, Jon continued to be an outstanding international performer, winning three medals at the 1990 Commonwealths.

During his five-year varsity career, Jon was named UVic Outstanding Athlete of the year three times. Since leaving the university, Jon has held positions with Realizon, White Paper & Printing, and Brook Corning. He currently lives in Vancouver with his wife and daughter.

Patty (Armstrong) Schmidt
Hometown: Victoria, BC

A CIS medalist who swam for the University of Victoria for three years, Patty graduated from UVic with a Bachelor of Science in Human Performance. Patty went on to hold several positions at the University of Victoria, including Coordinator of Vikes Athletics. Patty now works in business and lives in Victoria with her husband Petr, whom she met while swimming at UVic. Patty has two daughters, Julia and Stefanie, both of whom are currently swimming with the UVic - Pacific Coast Swimming Association program.