Isabel (left) and Maria (right) Schwager have spent their entire lives together, but will chase separate dreams beginning this fall at University. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Alex Rawnsley

new challenges

Nanaimo twin golfers fore-ging individual collegiate paths

Mar 14, 2025 | 5:42 AM

NANAIMO — Together since before they can remember and always each other’s biggest supporters, two local golfers are going their different ways in pursuit of a university education.

Isabel and Maria Schwager celebrated their commitment to university golf on Wednesday, March 13, signing letters of intent to attend UBC-Okanagan and University of Victoria, respectively, beginning in September 2025.

Current anchors of the Wellington Secondary School team Isabel told NanaimoNewsNOW the Kelowna-based Heat were the right fit both on the course and in the classroom for her.

“I want to go into nursing, so they have a great nursing program, and they have a great golf program. I met with the coach, and he was super kind and super nice, just the whole community there, I was really happy about it and interested in it, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”

Isabel Schwager will study nursing while managing her golf game and working in the Kelowna area. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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Having grown up together, literally since day one, the pair ultimately decided to go their separate ways over the winter as they each chased a career path they were passionate about.

Isabel noted it will be a massive transition, calling it “a huge jump”, but confident the pair would make it work.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to go into nursing and go into healthcare, so I just kind of stuck to my own guns. I didn’t really think too much about what Maria was doing, or we didn’t really plan on doing the same thing.”

Maria will work towards a Bachelor of Commerce at UVic, in addition to pursuing her goals on the course.

She said it became obvious early in the process their time playing together and seeing each other daily was coming to a temporary pause.

“My sister is fully into nursing, she’s been like that for years, and I’m total opposite, I want business, I want to be that future CEO. So I feel that drifted us apart too, but I also feel like we need that because we’re twins and we’ve been glued together our whole lives and we need to figure out what life is, and how to live it on our own too.”

Maria Schwager tees off at the first hole of the Nanaimo Golf Club on Wednesday, March 12. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Maria said the vibe and closeness to nature at UVic was a major selling feature on the school, in addition to having several friends already attending classes there.

Before heading to university, both twins will try and lead Wellington’s team to a provincial golf title.

Tournaments are held across the Island and Lower Mainland in the spring, with multiple golfers competing on a team to build a combined score.

The Schwager sisters will lead from the front this year, in a high school golfing world where a vast majority of competitors are boys.

Brian Lennox, coach of Wellington Secondary’s golf team, said the Scwagers have been a staple of the school’s program since they’ve been in grade nine.

“I don’t know what I’ll do without them…they’ve been tremendous. The team is incredible in the sense that we’ve had gender equity, and we play against all boys teams, so their accomplishments are extraordinary.”

Lennox added the pair started as the team’s fourth and fifth golfers when they joined in grade nine, but their role has evolved through the years with Maria indicating she wanted to be the number one on the team sheet this season.

“I can’t argue with it…you’re playing as the best boys on Vancouver Island or British Columbia. I think they’ve really matured, and they show a lot of leadership qualities to our younger kids who are coming into the program.”

The AAA BC School Sports Golf Provincial Championships are June 2-4 in Salmon Arm.

Maria (left) and Isabel (right) signs their letters of intent to attend UVic and UBC-O respectively in the fall. (Alex Rawnsley/NanaimoNewsNOW)

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