Swimmers bring home silver

Talia Pappalardo, Katelyn Cairns, Melissa Dingle and Stephanie Cairns

Silver medals and personal bests came home with Belleville Youth Swim Team competitors at Ontario Long Course Provincial Championships last week.

Stephanie Cairns, competing in the in the 14-year-old female category, brought home a silver medal in the 1500m freestyle and a bronze in the 200m freestyle.  Talia Pappalardo earned a silver medal in the 1500m freestyle for the 15-year-old female division.  Melissa Dingle achieved three Age Group National standards and will be joining the group headed to Montreal in a couple weeks.  Katelyn Cairns had strong showings and the four of them formed a strong relay that will be competing for medals within a few years.

Stephanie Cairns posted a time of 18:35.85 in the 1500m freestyle and went 2:11.47 in the 200m freestyle.  She also placed 6th in the 50m freestyle, 7th in the 100m and 400m freestyle, and 8th in the 800m freestyle.  Talia Pappalardo’s posted a time of 18:33.76 in the 1500m freestyle.  She also had strong showings in the 100m and 200m backstroke.  Melissa Dingle qualified for Age Group Nationals in the 50m backstroke with a time of 32.42, the 100m backstroke clocking in at 1:11.84 and the 100m freestyle finishing at 1:02.52.  She placed 6th overall in the 100m freestyle and just missed the final in the 100m backstroke.  Katelyn Cairns finished in second alternate in the 200m butterfly and dropped almost a second in her 100m butterfly, posting a fast time of 1:10.70.

Head Coach Brandon Oates says BYST is to compete in Montreal from July 24-28 to at Age Group Nationals.

“This meet hosts the top athletes across Canada, but the standards became even more difficult since Swim Canada implemented the need to qualify in three separate events in order to compete.  BYST finished in the top 30 at Provincial Championships and hopes to come in top 50 on the national stage.”