Vertue virtually unstoppable in pool
Jordan Vertue rewrote the Prince George Barracudas’ swim club record book this past weekend.
Given the chance to compete with her 11- and 12-year-old girls peers in the pool at the Aquatic Centre, Vertue annihilated five individual club records and helped her relay teammates establish two new high-water marks.
While winning the aggregate title at the three-day meet, Vertue set new club standards in the 200-metre backstroke, 50m back, 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 200m fly.
Then in the 4x50m freestyle relay Vertue teamed up with her sister Chloe, Masha Wood and Liberty Vaughan to break the club record.
As a team, the 79-swimmer Barracuda contingent rose to the occasion, winning the aggregate title with 5,085 points. Points North (Kitimat, Terrace, Prince Rupert) was next in line with 3,310, followed by the third-place Williams Lake Bluefins (2,293).
Other Barracudas aggregate winners were Katya Wood (15-and-older girls) and Mackenzie Lewington (15-and-older boys). Josiah Wilkinson was second overall in 11-12-yearold boys, Sam Marchand placed second in 15-and-older boys, Chloe Vertue was third among 11-12-year-old girls, Claire Brown was third in 13-14-year-old girls, and Eryn Isaac placed third overall in the 15-and-over girls aggregate standings.
It wasn’t just the usual suspects in the Barracudas club who stood out among the crowd. Twenty-six Barracudas posted all best times in their events, including: Vaughan, Isaac, Amira Begum, Naveah Bellerive, Isaac Bennett, Sophie Bolton, Tomar Branco, Anna Callaway, Addison Chadwick, Piper Flynn, Zephyr Flynn, Eric Haseldine, Taylor Kelly, Elina Kim, Madison Link, Michelle Luo, Josip Meldrum, Thomas Meldrum, Gabriel Monai, Jocelyn Murguly, Regin Olson-Gray, Caden Reddekopp, Jiya Shergill, Hailey Thomson, Josiah Binnema and Valerie Wood.
Wilkinson, Kim and Amira Begum posted their first age-group championship times, while Isaac became a first-time provincial championship qualifier.