KWIC swims to silver medal
The Okanagan’s high-performance swim team finished second among 37 teams at the Swim BC provincial championship last weekend in Kamloops.
Axana Merckx was the top girl, swimming to silver in 100 back, 200 and 400 IM, and bronze in 100 free, 200 breast and 400 free.
Para-swimmer Cameron Chambers had the highest points for the boys, swimming to gold in 50 and 100 free silver in 100 fly, 100 breast and bronze in the 100 back.
Other medal winners were Andrea Kraetzer, who won gold in 50 free and bronze in 200 breast; Erin Epp and Meagan Corrigan both won bronze in 100 breast; and, Daniil Savelev won bronze in 200 free.
The girls 14-and-under medley relay team consisting of Ava Toyata (back), Meagan Corrigan (breast), Abigail Jerome (fly) and Andrea Kraetzer (free), swam to a bronze while the 14 and under free relay — Toyata, Jerome, Kraetzer and Anna Kulina — swam to silver.
The girls 15-and-over medley relay team consisting of Merckx (back), Epp (breast), Molly Hill (fly) and Georgia Pengilly (free), swam to the top of the podium while the 15-and-over free relay team of Pengilly, Epp, Rachel McInnes and Merckx swam to a bronze medal.
The boys 15-and-under free relay consisting of Pierson Piche, Savelev, Volod Matushevskyy and Paul Neupert swam to a gold medal.
Swimmers posting 100 per cent best times were Chambers, Matushevskyy, Dirk MoraMoolma, Madison Seeley, Jessica Thiede and Tayla Ingram.
Those swimmers who were just shy of all personal best times were Keagan Ingram, Jacklyn Pengilly, Noah Semashkewich, Will Thorsteinson, Sydney Wilson and Clara Dickieson.
Big time drops were had by Lucy Hill, taking 14 seconds off her 200 back and whopping 3:31 off her 800 free.
Flyn Huber dropped 12 seconds in his 200 free and 18 seconds in his 200 IM. Keagan Ingram took off 10 seconds in his 200 free while Toyata dropped 11 in her 400 free.
Noah Semashkewich shaved 13 seconds off his 400 free and 47 in his 1,500 free.
First-time provincial swimmers were Anna Kulina, MoraMoolma, Veronica Robertson, Semashkewich, Jessica Thiede, and Will Thorsteinson.
Merckx, Epp, Hill, Kraetzer and Patrick Waters are now planning for the Canadian trials in Toronto next month.
Chambers, Corrigan, Huber, Epp, Hees, Hill, Jerome, Kraetzer, Kulina, McInnes, Merckx, Neupert, Pengilly, Piche, Savelev, Smith, Ava and Marc Toyata are to all swim at the Western Canadian championships in Edmonton, also in April.