More medals, records for KWIC

A couple Okanagan High Performance KWIC swimmers have been busy the last couple weekends.

Axana Merckx and Molly Hill attended back-to-back competitions the past two weekends.

They both competed against the fastest swimmers in all of Canada at the Canadian Swimming Championships in Montreal.

Merckx made finals in 200 back, 200 and 400 IM and 50 back, while also setting new club records in the 200 and 400 IM. Hill made the final in 200 back. Then turned around five days later to head to Victoria for the Westerns Canadian Championships this past weekend.

KWIC sent a total of 17 swimmers to Victoria, placing 18th out of 70 teams and swimming to 48 best times.

Merckx was the big medal winner there, bringing home three silvers in the 50, 100 and 200 back and a bronze in the 400 IM.

Also making the podium was Andrea Kraetzer, who swam to silver in the 50 free.

Merckx and Kraetzer also both swam to five best times.

Hill, in the 200 fly, and Erin Epp, in the 50 breast, both just missed the podium — placing fourth in their respective events.

Hill swam to four best times and a new Canadian Trials time in her 200 fly, while Epp swam to six best times and a new Canadian Trials time in her 50 breast.

Swimming to 100 per cent times were Cameron Chambers, Marc Toyata, Jasper Stone, Ella Rolleston and Nathaniel Hees. Brooklyn Parliament swam to just one shy of 100 per cent best times.

Georgia Pengilly swam to four best times and is a new qualifier for the Canadian Junior Nationals in her 200 back, while Matthew MacDonald swam to five best times and is also a new Canadian Junior National qualifier in the 100 back.

Big time drops were had by Rolleston, who shaved off 17 seconds in her 1,500 free, and Hees, who dropped 16 seconds in his 800 free to become a new Canadian Junior Nationals qualifier.

New club records were set by Kraetzer in the 50 free, Epp in the 50 breast as well as the 400 IM — breaking a 30-year-old mark — plus Hill in the 200 fly and Merckx in the 100 back, 200 back, 200 free, 200 and 400 IM.

Taylor Smith swam to four best times and Ava Toyata swam to one. Other good swims were had by Rachel McInnis, Gabrielle Hanvold and Paige Foster.

Special to The Daily Courier Molly Hill, coach Emil Dimitrov and Axana Merckx of the Kelowna-West Kelowna Integrated Club (KWIC) pose together at the recent Canadian Swimming Championships in Montreal.