NAME: Erica Morningstar
UNIVERSITY: Calgary
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Women’s Swimming
YEARS ACTIVE: 2008-2013
HIGHLIGHTS:
Three CIS championships with Calgary (2009-2011)
CIS and Canada West Swimmer of the Year in 2011
26 medals at the CIS championships, including 23 gold
Two-time Olympian representing Canada (2008 and 2012)
BIOGRAPHY:
In the midst of an international career that included appearances at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games, Erica Morningstar authored a university career worthy of her Olympian status with the Calgary Dinos swim team.
A native of Regina, Morningstar led the Dinos to three consecutive CIS titles from 2009 and 2011. During Calgary’s national championship three-peat, she swam in 21 individual or relay events, placing atop the podium 20 times, with the lone outlier being a second-place finish.
Morningstar was awarded CIS and Canada West Female Swimmer of the Year in 2011, Rookie of the Year in 2009, and named University of Calgary Female Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2011. Over four seasons with the Dinos, she won 23 gold medals, two silver and one bronze at the CIS championships, and twice (2009 and 2010) captured the Sprinter’s Cup, awarded only to student-athletes that place first in both the 50-metre and 100-metre freestyle.
Just prior to joining the Dinos, Morningstar made her Olympic debut at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, where she competed individually in the 100-metre freestyle and 200-metre medley. She also swam on Canada’s team in the 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle, and 100-metre medley relays. At her second Olympic Games, 2012 in London, Morningstar raced in the 200-metre individual medley.
Among her podium performances in international competition, Morningstar won Pan Pacific Championships silver in 2006 and bronze in 2010 with Canada’s 100-metre relay team and captured two bronze medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, in the 100-metre medley relay and 100-metre freestyle relay.
Morningstar graduated from the U of C with a Bachelor of Arts, Communications and Business. She currently works in Calgary with Minute Maid as Business Development Manager for Western Canada.