December Age Group Meet Reviews - Ontario Junior International and Candy Cane
Ontario Junior International (OJI)
Eugene Legge
Eugene Legge proudly represented Sackville Waves at the Ontario Junior International, Canada’s premier competition for junior swimmers. Facing the nation’s best, Eugene delivered strong swims in the 200 Free, finishing in 1:54.45, and the 50 Free, sprinting to 23.81. These results highlight his ability to rise to the challenge on the biggest stage, showing he belongs among the country’s elite juniors.
Candy Cane Invitational
Gabriel Anderson
Gabriel had a busy program with multiple finals appearances. His 200 Free finals swim of 1:59.14 earned him a podium finish, and he capped off the meet with a 1st place in the 200 Back finals. Gabriel’s consistency across strokes and distances was impressive, with strong showings in the 50 Back, 100 Back, 200 Fly, and 100 Free. His top improvements came in the 200 Fly, where he dropped significant time across both prelims and finals.
Dylan Balmaceda
Dylan competed in several demanding events, including the 200 Free, 200 Medley, 400 Free, and 50 Breast. His determination shone through in the longer races, with his best improvements coming in the 400 Free and 200 Free. Dylan’s steady progress and commitment to racing multiple events added to the team’s depth and spirit.
Ethan Kershaw
Ethan was dominant throughout the meet, with finals swims in the 200 Free, 50 Back, 200 Medley, 400 Free, and 1500 Free. He captured first place in the 200 Free, 400 Free, and 1500 Free, and added a runner‑up finish in the 200 Medley. His biggest improvements came in the grueling 1500 Free and the 200 Back, showcasing both endurance and technical skill. His prelims 200 Back result qualifies him for the Canadian Open, his first Swimming Canada Senior Event. Ethan’s performances were a highlight of the meet, setting the tone for the team’s success.
Junior Group
Rachel Black
Rachel competed in multiple events, showing her versatility across strokes. She saw improvement in the 50 Free and 50 Breast. Rachel’s determination and steady progress are setting her up for future breakthroughs.
Alex Blair
Alex raced a full program, highlighted by strong swims in the 100 Fly and 400 Free. His top improvement came in the 400 Free, where he made a major drop. Alex’s commitment to racing multiple distances shows his growing strength and endurance.
Erica Brown
Erica's standout improvement came in the 100 Back, where she cut a large chunk of time. She also saw a drop in the 200 Back. Erica continues to show promise in both backstroke and butterfly.
Jae Choi
Jaehyeok had finals swims in the 200 Breast and 100 Breast. His top improvement came in the 100 Breast slipping under 1:30 for the first time. His consistency in breaststroke events highlights his technical progress.
Gabriel Cormier
Gabriel reached finals in the 100 Fly and 200 Breast. His top improvement came in the 200 Breast, where he made a strong drop and he saw another big drop in the 400 Free. Gabriel’s finals appearances show he is competitive across multiple strokes.
Isaiah Daniels
Isaiah reached finals in the 100 Fly and 200 Fly. His biggest improvement came in the 200 Fly, cutting14 seconds in the morning and another 4 in the afternoon totaling over 18 seconds of improvement on the day.
Avery Dolan
Avery saw improvement in the 100 Breast, 50 Back, and 200 Fly. Improvement across all strokes bodes well for further success in IM events.
Claire Holman
Claire took strides in the 800 Free, finally showing some payoff from training. Claire’s freestyle and butterfly progress are both encouraging signs.
Madelynn Keirstead
Madelynn reached finals in the 200 Fly. Her found improvement in the 200 Free, 100 Free, and 200 IM. Madelynn’s finals swim in the fly shows her strength in longer races.
Wyatt Kerrivan
Wyatt reached finals in the 200 Free, 200 Breast (2nd), 200 Medley, 50 Breast (2nd), and 100 Breast (3rd). He saw drops in nearly all of his events and showed a penchant for strong afternoon Finals racing. Wyatt’s multiple finals appearances highlight his all‑around ability.
Farrah Levangie
Farrah reached finals in the 200 Breast. Her top improvement came in that same event, where she dropped a large amount of time. Farrah also found best times in the 200 Free, 50 Fly and 200 IM.
Kayden Levy
Kayden’s highlight was his improvement in the 100 Back, where he cut a large amount of time. He also saw a big jump in his 200 Free dropping under 3:00 for the first time. His progress in backstroke shows strong development.
August Mao
August’s top improvement came in the 200 Back, where he dropped a large amount of time. His steady progress across multiple strokes is encouraging for future meets.
Ethan Mullins
Ethan’s highlight was a Finals appearance in the 200 Back. His biggest improvement was in the 200 Free, but he saw big best times in the 100 Breast, 200 IM, and the 100 Back. His versatility across backstroke and medley events continues to grow.
Kennedy Murphy
Kennedysaw improvement in the 50 Fly. She also raced in her first 200 Fly.
Camden Ronaldson
Camden had great success in the 200 IM and the 400 Free. He did well to show improvement across Sprint 50s all the way up to 400m Middle distance events.
Matthew Strapps
Matthew’s top improvement came in the 50 Breast, where he dropped a large amount of time. His progress across breaststroke and back events shows strong technical development.
Tatum Wintermeyer
Tatum reached finals in the 200 Fly. Her top improvement came in the 200 Medley, where she dropped a large amount of time.
Novice Group
Patricia Betts
Patricia reached finals in the 50 Free, showing her sprint ability. Her top improvement came in the 200 Free, where she dropped a large amount of time and nearly matched that in the 200 IM. Patricia’s finals swim and improvements highlight her growth.
Yashod Dharmawansa
Yashod’s top improvement came in the 100 Free, dropping over 12 seconds. His steady progress across multiple events shows his determination.
Liam Hazlehurst
Liam’s highlight was his improvement in the 100 Fly, with nearly 30 seconds of improvement. He also improved his 50 Free by over 10 seconds.
Evan Larlee
Evan made his Age Group debut after qualifying the previous weekend at Nova Tech 2. His top improvement came in the 50 Breast. His progress across multiple strokes is encouraging.
Xavier Marsman
Xavier, also an Age Group debutante, showed improvement in the 100 and 50 Free. He also raced in his first 200 Back.
Mylee Pothier
Mylee reached finals in the 100 Fly and raced her first 400 Free. She saw over 12 seconds of improvement in the 200 Free. We are looking for more like this from the young Pothier.
Natalie Watson
Natalie also raced in her first 400 Free. Her top improvement came in the 50 Breast, but she improvement across all of her events. Her progress across multiple strokes shows her versatility.
Senior Groups
Julia Campbell
Julia reached finals in 5 of her events showing tonnes of versatility by qualifying in Free, Fly, and Breaststroke events. Her top improvement came in the 100 Fly, where she dropped a large amount of time. Julia’s finals appearances highlight her consistency and competitiveness.
Cohen Comeau
Cohen reached finals in all 3 Fly events. Her top improvement came in the 200 Free, where she dropped a large amount of time.
Addison Connors
Addison reached finals in the 400 Medley, 100 and 200 Breast, and surprise 200 Back. Her top improvement came in the 400 Free, where she dropped a large amount of time. Addison’s finals swim showcased her endurance and medley strength.
Jack Courage
Jack reached finals in the 200 Free and across all Breaststroke events. His top improvement came in the 200 Free, where he dropped a large amount of time. He also saw improvement in the 100 Free and 100 Breaststroke.
Elyse Daniels
Elyse reached finals in the 100 Fly. Her top improvement came in the 50 Fly, taking advantage of the scratch in opportunity she was given. Elyse has astarted to show signs that her training is paying off.
Maggie Donnelly
Maggie reached finals in the 100 Fly. Her top improvement came in the 400 Free, where she dropped a large amount of time. Maggie’s finals swim highlights her sprint ability, while her improvement shows endurance growth.
Nicholas Harnum
Nicholas reached finals in the 200 Breast. Nick brought his 400 IM time under 6 minutes for the first time. Nicholas qualified for East Coast champs in the 100 Back SCM.
Samuel Henriksen
Samuel reached finals in the 100 Fly and 200 Fly. His top improvement came in the 200 Free, dropping nearly 11 seconds. Samuel continues to work towards fast swimming and opening some stroke horizons with some Butterfly success.
Angus Hiltz
Angus’s top improvement came in the 200 Medley, which he hadn't swam since 2024. He also saw improvements in his 200 Free. His steady progress across multiple strokes shows his versatility.
Gavin Holman
Gavin reached finals in the 50 Back and 50 Fly. His top improvement came in the 50 Fly, slipping under 30 seconds for the first time.
Kaylee Kershaw
Kaylee reached finals in the 50 Back and 50 Fly. Getting her first taste of Finals swimming, Kaylee is excited for more opportunities in both backstroke and butterfly.
Charlotte Kettle
Charlotte Had a breakthrough meet with East Coast qualifying swims in the 50 and 100 Free. She also found some second swim success by qualifying for finals in the 100 and 200 Butterfly. She saw over 10 second improvements in both 200s.
Maria Legge
Maria had an outstanding meet, reaching finals in the 200 Free (3rd), 800 Free (2nd), and 200 Medley (3rd). She cracked two important barriers: 10:00 in the 800 Free and perhaps a more surprising sub 19:00 1500 Free. Maria’s podium finishes across distance and medley events were standout performances.
Alana Mercier
Alana reached finals in the 200 Free, 100 Fly, and 200 Fly. She still has that spark of excitement for personal bests, even in those tough 200 Fly races. Alana’s finals swims show her versatility across middle‑distance and butterfly events.
Benjamin Phillips
Benjamin reached finals in the 50 Back, 200 Breast, and 200 Medley. His top improvement came in the 200 IM with over 6 seconds of improvement.
Marco Primelles Ramos
Marco reached finals in the 50 Back and 200 Fly. His top improvement came in the 200 Free, where he dropped a large amount of time. Marco qualfied as a 14 year old for East Coast Champs and is on the road for 15O qualification in March.
Erica Roberts
Erica reached finals in the 100 Fly and 200 Fly, winning a 3rd place finsih in the 200. Her top improvement came in the 50 Back. She also qualified for 13 year old East Coast Champs in the 100 Fly inviting her to AAA Competition. Erica’s finals swim highlights her competitiveness in butterfly, while her backstroke improvement shows her versatility.
Sam Strapps
After a late start to his season due to an injury Sam is starting to see improvements in the 50m events. He also saw a big improvement in the 200 Free.
Jesstine Suewirotjanakun
Jesstine found herself in finals in the 50 and 200 Breaststroke. Her biggest improvement came in the 50 Backstroke.
Ryan Tang
Ryan reached finals in the 100 Back and 4 other events. He took massive steps between prelims and finals in the 400 IM and 200 Back.
Alex Wang
Yihong reached finals in the 200 Breast and 100 Breast. He took off big chunks of time int he 100 Breast and 100 Back. Yihong’s finals swims show his competitiveness in technical strokes, while his freestyle improvement highlights his endurance.
Your dedication is inspiring—keep pushing forward, supporting each other, and celebrating every achievement!