AquaJets haul home medals
The Kelowna AquaJets recently sent swimmers to three different long-course meets in Nanaimo, Kamloops and Calgary.
The largest contingent headed to Nanaimo where the medal haul was impressive as the swimmers brought home a total of 62 medals.
Leading the way with five gold, a silver and two bronze medals was 15-year-old Makenna Haight. Haight’s gold-medal swims came in the 50-metre freestyle (29.60); 50 backstroke (33.79) and 100 backstroke (1:12.28), plus the 50 butterfly (31.17) and 200 butterfly (3:15.71).
Teammate Erin Epp (13) also picked up eight medals with six gold and two silver. Epp’s first-place swims came in the 50 (29.68), 200 (2:20.85) and 400 free (4:52.91), 200 breaststroke (2:54.70), 50 fly (32.05) and 200 Individual Medley (2:35.55).
Also picking up gold were Matthew MacDonald (15) in the 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly; Volodymyr Matushevskyy (13) in the 400 freestyle and 50 fly; Cameron McConechy (18) in the 100 breast; Cameron McInnes (15) in the 50 and 100 free; and Brandon Mullin (15) in the 400 free. Other first-place finishes on the girls’ side were turned in by Taylor Desrosier (15) in the 100 back; Rachel McInnes (13) in the 50, 100 and 200 back; and Madison Comeau (13) in the 50, 100 and 200 breast.
In Kamloops, two of the AquaJets’ younger swimmers broke club records. Sara Gray (10) took first place in the 400 IM in a time of 7:00.88, while Aiden Kirk (9) swam his 50 fly in a record-breaking time of 41.96. Gray also touched first in the 100 breast, while Kirk took first place in the 50 and 100 free, 50 breast and 100 back.
Andrea Kraetzer (12) and Quin Toyata produced 100 per cent best times in Kamloops.
At Calgary, eight of the AquaJets’ senior swimmers competed in the Canadian Western Swimming Championships.
Jasper Stone (16) had a strong meet achieving 100 per cent personal-best times.Three swimmers made finals at this highlevel meet, with Christina Russo (21) taking silver in the 100 fly in a time of 1:03.41 and bronze in the 50 fly in a time of 28.35. Also reaching finals were Molly Hill (15), who touched sixth in
the 100 fly in a time of 1:05.81, and Axana Merckx (15), who came in eighth place in the 400 IM in 5:12.27.
Up next for the AquaJets is a jamboree meet in West Kelowna for the younger swimmers and KAJ’s hosted Long Course Invitational at H2O.