KELOWNA, B.C. – The UBC Okanagan Heat cross country program is adding another Canadian Olympian to the mix as Trevor Hofbauer has committed to UBCO for the 2022-23 season.
Hofbauer, a native of Burnaby, B.C., competed for Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the men's marathon and becomes the third Canadian Olympian on the team, joining head coach Malindi Elmore as well as women's team member Joanna Brown.
"I am excited to be joining the Heat," said Hofbauer, who will be in the Bachelor of Arts program while attending UBC Okanagan and has three years of eligibility remaining. "The UBCO cross country program had a strong year in 2021 with Olympians Malindi and Joanna leading the teams in their respective ways. I'm looking forward to being a leader on the men's team while providing knowledge and expertise to both teams."
"Adding Trevor to the roster is exciting because he's a world class athlete and also a strong leader," said Elmore on the addition to her team. "He's been through ups and downs in his career and will be such a positive role model for the team. Trevor will bring experience, grit, resilience and humour to our squad and we are looking forward to welcoming him and other strong recruits this Fall."
Hofbauer brings a decorated running resume to UBCO, one that began when he attended the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and competed in cross country for two years with the Trojans in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). After finishing 75th at his first Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Hofbauer eventually became the Alberta provincial champion in 2015 and 2016 before winning bronze at the Canadian Cross Country Championships in 2016.
In the meantime, Hofbauer was also turning his attention to marathon running and was crowned the Canadian marathon champion at both the 2017 and 2019 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. His performance in 2019 earned his way onto the Tokyo 2020 Olympic team as he posted a time of two hours, nine minutes and 51 seconds, becoming just the second Canadian to ever post a time under 2:10:00.
He's off to Tokyo 2020. Canadian Trevor Hofbauer finishes the Toronto Waterfront Marathon at at time of 2:09:51 pic.twitter.com/nJYkGf6uYM
— David Alter (@dalter) October 20, 2019
In Tokyo at last year's Olympics, he was team members on the Canadian Athletics team with Elmore, who was competing in the women's marathon, and Brown, who was competing in triathlon. Hofbauer would go on to finish 48th in the men's marathon in his first Olympic Games.
MARATHON: ���� Trevor Hofbauer didn't like running in high school, he only did it to train for basketball.
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) August 7, 2021
Tonight, he runs at the Olympics for Canada in the men's marathon.
He's joined by ����Cameron Levins and Ben Preisner.
⏰6:30pm ET
��https://t.co/YMeWBM28oE#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/d8ajK2qMzo
The Heat are coming off a 2021 campaign that saw the men's team finish sixth at the Canada West Championships, an improvement of two spots over their eighth-place finish at their inaugural appearance in 2019. Canada West Second Team All-Star Connor Baerg of Burlington, Ont., would go on to represent the men's team at the U SPORTS Championships where he recorded the Heat's best-ever finish at the national championships, finishing 60th.
