The Kootenay Swim Club proved they were a contender at the Kelowna long course swim meet earlier month.
As of April the club has been focusing on training for competing in pools that are 50 metre long, since the short course season ended in mid-March.
“I was very impressed with the team’s strong performance and team unity during the meet,” said head coach Dustin Boyachek.
The relay team of Jordan Andrusak, Kelsey Andrusak, Tenysha Van Mierlo and Gabrielle Hanvold blew the competition out of the water winning gold in both the 200 m medley and the 400 m freestyle relays.
The relays were only one of the many great accomplishments for the swimmers during the meet.
Jordan Andrusak made waves with best times and placed first in 100 m breaststroke, 100 m fly and 200 m fly. She also had second place finishes in 100 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 400 freestyle, 200 m Individual Medley (IM) and 400 m IM.
Jordan’s hard work did not go unrecognized and she brought home the second place aggregate for the 11-12 year old division. She will be attending Age Group Nationals at the end of July in Calgary and will be swimming against Canada’s best.
Niallan Collier is also in good shape heading into Age Group Nationals. He placed first in 50 m backstroke, second in 100 m backstroke and third in 100 m breaststroke and 200m IM. Collier brought home the third place aggregate for the 15 and over category and will begin his tapper soon before going to nationals.
Cyan Van Mierlo had an unbelievable meet and all her hard work has paid off. She achieved second place and a AA time in 50 m freestyle, third in 50 m and 100 m backstroke, and two fourth place finishes in 100 m breaststroke and 200 m freestyle. Van Mierlo’s sister, Tenysha Van Mierlo, is on the verge of making AAA times in five events and placed second in 100 m backstroke and third place in 100 m breaststroke.
Hanvold’s team spirit did not go unrecognized as well as her performance in the water. Hanvold placed second in 50 m, 100 m and 200 m fly while contributing to both gold medal wins in the relay. She got best times in eight of her events.
Sydney Wetter and Hannah Devries also never disappoint. Their hard work and perseverance have open the gateway to achieving their personal goals. Wetter got best time in seven out of nine of her events and shaved 18 seconds off her 200m backstroke. While Devries received five best time during the swim meet.
“Reaching the goals that you have set out for yourself during the season is a great achievement and every swimmer who has reached their goal should be very proud,” said Boyachek.