Championship Season - East Coast Championships
Championship Season – East Coast Championships
In the final meet of the Spring/Winter Championship Season 14 SWAT swimmers from the Senior and Junior groups took on the rest of Atlantic Canada against clubs from: New Brunswick, New Foundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. The group came out of the meet with 51 best times, 40 Finals swims in ‘A’ (Top 8) and ‘B’ (9-16) Finals heats, as well as 5 Timed Finals events. From those Finals SWAT climbed the podium 11 times and won 753 points. Team NS Canada Games selection information was released earlier in the week and 5 swimmers posted times that include them in the selection pool for the Games this summer. Canada Games Selection standards put athletes in the first priority pool for team selection and Identification standards put athletes into the second priority pool and inclusion into future group training opportunities.
The Junior group sent 3 swimmers to compete. Each earned 5 personal bests and totaled 10 scoring swims including 8 Finals and 2 Timed Finals events. Three East Coast Medals came out of the group and a total of 193 individual points were awarded. Each swimmer was taking part in their Third championship meet with appearances in SWIM NS AAA Provincial Championships earlier this month and traveled with Team NS to MESI Winter Short Course Championships in Maine over March Break. Addison earned 2 Finals appearances in Breaststroke events winning 26 points for the club. She had big improvements in the 50 Breaststroke (1.5 seconds), 200 Breaststroke (5 seconds), and the 400 Free (17 seconds). Nick H also made 2 finals appearances. He won 23 points from the 400 IM and 100 Backstroke dropping 6 and 4 seconds respectively along the way. He also dropped his LCM 100 Breaststroke time under 1:30 for the first time after cutting over 7 seconds in the event. Maria appeared in all 6 Freestyle events. She scored points in each event either from racing at Finals or appearing in the timed Finals of the 800 and 1500 Freestyle. She won a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal and won 144 points. Her 400 Freestyle time meets the recently released Team NS Canada Games Identification Team Time putting her on the radar for future Canada Games activities and selection.
The Senior group bore the brunt of the competition with 11 swimmers racing in the meet. The group bettered 36 personal records and raced in 35 scoring races including 32 Finals heats and 3 Timed Finals events. The group earned 8 East Coast Championship medals and won a grand total of 471 Individual points. Gabriel A was a perfect 6 for 6 best times for the weekend qualifying for 5 finals and winning 49 points. He broke the 30 seconds mark in the LCM 50 Back for the first time. He also dropped over 3 seconds int eh 200 Backstroke and over 7 in the 200 Individual Medley. All 6 of his events from the weekend are under the Team NS Canada Games Identification Team standard, including him in future Swim NS events and consideration for Team selection this summer. Victoria finished with 4 best times and 4 Finals swims. She won 23 points from her 100 Backstroke and 200 Backstroke Finals. Ethan K bested his old times in 4 events and scored in all 6 of his events for a total of 139 points. He won A Gold Medal the 200 Backstroke and added a Silver and 2 Bronze medals. Ethan’s 100 Backstroke and 200 Backstroke times put him under the Team NS Canada Games Selection standard which give him a greater opportunity to be selected to the Canada Games team this summer. His other events were under the Identification standard as well. Jason’s weekend unfortunately ended earlier than he had hoped due to illness, but he still managed 1 best time and made 1 Finals heat winning 7 points. Eugene earned 2 PBs and 6 Finals. He won Bronze medals from a gutsy 400 Free and a fast 50 Free Final, and 84 points from his Finals events. Like Ethan he makes the Team NS Canada Games Selection Criteria in the 50 and 100 Free getting him one step closer to team selection in the Summer. His other events were also all under the Identification standard. Ben L walked away with 3 best times including improvements in the 100 Breaststroke and 200 IM. Taite was a perfect 6 for 6 on the weekend and made Finals in the100 and 200 Butterfly winning 27 total points. He stormed to 2nd in the 100 Fly ‘B’ Final from lane 7 after cutting 2 total seconds from his morning entry time. More impressively he moved up into the Bronze medal spot in the 200 Fly final by dropping 4 seconds from a morning swim that was already a 7 second best time for a total of 11 seconds of improvement in one day. Nic M PB’d in 3 events and qualified for finals in 3 events. In the same 200 Fly Final he moved up from 5th to 2nd with a similar 7 second best time from a more modest morning PB. Nic’s 400 Individual Medley and 200 Butterfly times qualify him for Team NS Canada Games Identification. Alana contributed 37 points from 1 Final and 2 Timed Final Distance Freestyle events. Ben P earned a Best Time in the 50 Breaststroke. Haley had a perfect 6 for 6 weekend with 6 finals. She scored SWAT 58 points.
SWAT also participated in 8 relays as well. On Thursday night the SWAT Women won 12 points in the 800 Freestyle relay. The Men’s A team won the bronze medal and scored 20 points. The B team earned 7 points. Friday night held the 400 Freestyle relay. The 14u Women scored 7 points, the 15o Men’s A won 13 points and the B won 4 points. On Saturday night during the 400 Medley relay the 14u Women won 12 points and the 15o Men won 14 points.
This concludes the first championship window for 2025. There will be a brief respite before racing returns in April. The Nova Tech series starts up again on April 5 with Level 1 and Level 2 swimmers from Tidalwaves and Miniwaves returning to Centennial. Participation swimmers will be mixing it up at Zatzman in Dartmouth in the morning. Age Group swimming Returns the weekend of April 25th with AA and AAA coming together for a long course meet at Centennial.