Among the graduating Class of 2026, a number of student-athletes are carrying their sport into their post-secondary studies. From rowing on international waters to competing for national titles on the field, nine of SMUS's graduates leave with memories, medals, and, most importantly, the confidence and skills to take their game to the next level
Sebastian Allard
School: University of Victoria
Sport: Rugby
Seb Allard spent his Grade 11 and 12 years at SMUS leading from the front. He is captain of both the Senior Boys Rugby and Senior Boys Volleyball teams for the 2026-27 year, competed in track and field, where he finished second in the city in shot put and third in discus, and he also served as a Link Leader, supporting new students at SMUS.
The Senior Boys rugby team tour to Australia over 2026 spring break is the experience that stays with him most.
"The tour brought me closer to my teammates and helped me experience a different country and its culture," Seb highlighted. "I made many close friends on the tour and I will forever be grateful for rugby because of memories like that."
On the academic side, Seb has also shown leadership and initiative, skills he agrees were fostered through his time in sport. In Grade 11, Seb and his group were selected to present their Economics 12 project, a pitch for the school to use reusable cups, to the school's Senior Leadership Team. For Seb, this was a highlight moment for him as a student.
This coming Fall, Seb has committed to the prestigious University of Victoria Vikes men's rugby team and is set to pursue a degree in Commerce. He tributes lessons from his teachers and coaches, in particular Oliver Nott, Brady Doland, Clayton Daum, and others, who helped shape him both as an athlete, a student and as a person.
"Leaving SMUS is a bittersweet feeling," he said. "SMUS has taught me a lot about myself and the path I want to take, and it will always have a place in my heart."
Mackenna Brown
School: University of British Columbia
Sport: Field Hockey
Mackenna Brown is a three-year boarder at SMUS and was Head of Winslow House in her Grade 12 year. A member of both the field hockey and soccer teams, she was named captain of the Senior Girls field hockey team in her final year and as a Grade 11 was awarded the Nancy Mollenhauer Cup, an award that recognized the dedication she brought to every practice and every game.
Mackenna was named to the Canadian U21 Women's Field Hockey team's tour to Spain and will juggle that opportunity before preparing for pre-season with the UBC Thunderbirds in August. Notably, Mackenna will join her sister and Class of 2024 grad, Wynn Brown, on the UBC varsity team. Mackenna is no stranger to international competition, having missed school to compete for the Junior National Team at the Junior Pan American Cup, a Junior World Cup qualifying event, hosted in Santiago, Chile.
"I am really looking forward to beginning this new chapter," said Mackenna. "I am eager to begin this new journey at the varsity level, but I will miss the friends and connections I have made at SMUS."
Mackenna was also member of the Athletics Council and in addition to being a Boarding prefect attributes those roles to helping her build necessary leadership skills that she plans to carry into university sport.
"If SMUS has taught me one thing," she said, "it is that no matter how far in distance you may be, once a jag always a jag."
Bianca Batoni
School: University of California, Los Angeles
Sport: Rowing
Bianca Batoni rowed for all four years at SMUS and was part of the historic first SMUS women's coxed quad to compete at the Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston, one of the highlights she carries from her time here. She heads to UCLA this fall to study Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics.
Beyond rowing, Bianca served as Co-Head of Service Council, a role that reinforced the same values she found on the water: leadership, teamwork, and showing up for something bigger than yourself.
"UCLA has been a goal of mine for a long time, so it feels pretty surreal that it's actually happening," said Bianca. "I'm excited to meet new people, take on new challenges, and see where this next chapter takes me."
Braelyn Rowan
School: Northeastern University
Sport: Rowing
Braelyn Rowan started at SMUS as a novice rower in Grade 9 with no idea where the sport would take her. Four years later, she is heading to Boston to row for the NCAA Division 1 crew at Northeastern University. She also plans to pursue her degree in political science.
Braelyn's high school rowing journey has had a pinnacle each year - competing the Canadian National Championships. On top of that, rowing opportunities beyond SMUS included racing in the Netherlands and United Kingdom and attending Rowing BC Junior Development Camps. With SMUS, though, one moment stands apart from the rest. In the Fall of 2025, Braelyn was part of the first women's coxed quad in SMUS history to compete at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in Boston. It is a moment and a race she will never forget and one that was historical for the school's rowing program and history.
In the classroom, Braelyn's love of social studies has always run parallel to her athletics career. Advanced Placement (AP) Comparative Government and Politics, AP Human Geography, and Law Studies were among her favourite courses, a thread that connects naturally to the political science degree she will pursue at Northeastern.
"I am very grateful for all the incredible opportunities SMUS has given me, and the relationships that I have made while I have been here," said Rowan. "It is a bittersweet end to the year since I am leaving behind such a great community, but I am also very excited for the future and all the upcoming opportunities."
She singled out coach Susanne Walker Curry for her support and guidance over her time at SMUS.
"I truly would not be where I am today without her and her unwavering love and support these past four years."
Mya Beare
School: Camosun College
Sport: Basketball
As a Lifer, Mya Beare has known SMUS as home for as long as she can remember. What she built here is equally hard to leave behind.
A three-sport varsity athlete since Grade 9, Mya competed in volleyball, basketball, and soccer throughout high school and was a member of the student Athletics Council. Mya was recruited by the Camosun College Chargers women's basketball program, giving her the opportunity to stay close to home while studying general sciences.
One of her proudest memories, and a highlight for SMUS's basketball program as a whole, came in Grade 11, when the basketball team won the 2025 BC AA Senior Girls Provincial banner. This past season, SMUS was elevated to the AAA division and the team still finished with a provincial medal, as Mya and the team brought home bronze, an excellent reward for a team with lots of turnover but an experienced and steady Grade 12 cohort.
"SMUS has taught me how to balance schoolwork while continuing to play sports at a high level," Mya said. "Grade 9 was definitely a steep learning curve, but as I made my way to Grade 12 I was more aware of managing my time."
Mya credited Lindsay Brooke, SMUS Senior Girls Basketball Head Coach, who has coached her since Grade 3, along with her family, for supporting her ahead of her graduating milestone. She also credited the SMUS teaching community for challenging her and helping build the confidence she is taking into the next chapter.
Nicola Bevington
School: Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario
Sport: Volleyball
Nicola Bevington has harboured the dream of playing post-secondary volleyball since she first discovered the sport in Grade 9. Next fall, she will make it real after being recruited for the Trent University Excalibur varsity women's volleyball team. Nicola will do so while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.
A 6-foot outside hitter, Nicola spent three seasons on the SMUS Senior Girls team, contributed to the Blue Jags' run to the BC AA Championship in Grade 11, and served as team captain in her final year. She also competed on the club circuit with the Victoria Volleyball Association, playing in national club championships in 2024 and 2025 and representing Team BC in 2023 and 2024.
"Balancing academics and high-level volleyball is not easy, but I have learned how to manage my time and put in hard work through my experiences so far," said Nicola.
Read Nicola's full profile:
Next Stop, U SPORTS: Nicola Bevington Takes Her Game to Trent
Anderson Brown
School: Western University
Sport: Squash
Anderson Brown is a Lifer who leaves SMUS this June ranked second in Canada in the U19 squash category and selected to represent Team Canada at the 2026 World Junior Squash Championships in St. Catharines, Ontario this July.
Beyond the court, Anderson co-founded the Victoria Squash Premier League and coached younger students in the Middle School squash program. He credits SMUS with giving him the balance to pursue both academics and high-level athletics simultaneously.
"SMUS gave me the ideal balance between academics and athletics and lent me the chance to train at a professional level," said Anderson.
Next fall he heads to Western University to study in the Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies program, with his sights set on Ivey Business Administration and varsity squash.
Read Anderson's full profile:
Anderson Brown ‘26 Carries SMUS Roots to the World Stage
Mark Chou
School: Occidental College, Los Angeles
Sport: Water Polo
Mark Chou arived at SMUS from Taiwan in Grade 10 and three years later is set to attend Occidental College in Los Angeles in September. The proud member of Bolton House will study economics and compete on the water polo team, a sport he has played since elementary school. Mark has balanced his studies at SMUS while also training for and with the Taiwanese national team, who are set to compete ad an upcoming Asian Championship event.
For Mark, the appeal goes beyond the physical demands of what he describes as "rugby, but in the water." Strategy and quick decision-making are what make a great player, he said, and what keep him coming back.
For Mark, many things stand out as key experienced but he highlighted life as a boarding student, being with students from around the world and his time in Graham Lilly's macroeconomics class — a catalyst for his future academic interest at Occidental College.
Lucy Turnbull
School: University of Victoria
Sport: Rowing
Lucy Turnbull's rowing career began in an unexpected place: rehabilitation from ACL surgery in Grade 10. When she was cleared for low-impact activity, the SMUS rowing program welcomed her in, even when all she could do was bike alongside her teammates. She never left.
Over the next three years, Lucy competed with both SMUS and Victoria City Rowing crews, won gold at the 2024 BC Summer Games, competed at the Head of the Charles Regatta and the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Championships in 2025. She also raced to gold in the 63kg Women's Single at the 2026 Brentwood International Regatta.
"Rowing has been an example for me that if you put in work, you can get results," she said. "That has been really inspiring."
This fall, Lucy has eyes on the Vikes women's rowing program at the University of Victoria and will pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. Her time as Head of Service Council and her longer-term goal of working in healthcare both point in the same direction, toward a life built around helping others, inspired in part by the physiotherapist who helped her recover.
"I felt so impacted by my physiotherapist," she said. "I want to be able to give that back and help people."
These are just some of the graduating student profiles from the Class of 2026. There are 156 SMUS graduates made up of 84 day students and 72 boarders from over 14 countries. Together, the Class of 2026 has been admitted to 158 post-secondary institutions across 10 countries.
