Swimmers dive into competitions

The Belleville Youth Swim Team (BYST) saw 22 swimmers compete in Barrie at their first qualifier meet of the season, plus another 34 swimmers race in Ernestown. This was the largest group ever to swim at an out of town competition.

“The coaching staff was very proud to see the hard work and commitment pay off with tons of incredible performances,” said head coach Brandon Oates.

In Barrie, the BYST competed primarily against teams from Central and Huronia regions and achieved a fifth place overall finish, with 1010 points. Points are scored by athletes finishing top eight in individual events and top three in relays.

Top individual point scorers included Stephanie Cairns who achieved the high point award for 15 and over females with five first place finishes and Mackenzie Latter who achieved the high point award for 13-14 females with four first place finishes. Other first place finishers included Noah Brooks, Katelyn Cairns, Melissa Dingle, Nate Shiers-Redhead and Lauren Taylor.

In Ernestown (Amherstview), the BYST placed third overall in team points against swim clubs in the eastern region and racked up more than 70 per cent best times. Victor Coutu and Leah McGillen lead the way earning four first place finishes a piece. Ashley Allaire had three first place finishes, while Isabella Isbester won two events. Zoe Desjardins and Callum Friar each finished first overall in one of their events. Other top three placings were achieved by Cooper Christopher, Tess Friar, Owen Googe, Lily Randall, Aleisha Rose and Erin Sommerville.

With just seven weeks of training under their belts so far, many of the athletes still clocked huge time drops in their individual swims. One hundred per cent personal best times were achieved by Noah Brooks, Nick Cinnamon, Morgan Clark, Victoria McDowell, Alexis Terrington, Elizabeth Burnett, Charlotte Coutu, Victor Coutu, Zoe Desjardins, Callum Friar, Tess Friar, Ian Isbester, Isabella Isbester, Julia Isbester, Paige Kovacs, Mia Norohna, Felicity Petherick, Eva Tromp, Emeline Williams and Tara Winter.

Notable swims from the competitions included Nate Shiers-Redhead achieving Eastern Canadian standard in the 100m breaststroke, plus breaking the team record and Noah Brooks achieving his provincial prerequisite times, ensuring his attendance at Age Group Provincials. Morgan Clark attained her first provincial time at a member of the BYST in the 50m freestyle. Victoria McDowell and Leah Oster each achieved three regional time standards, which fully qualifies them for Eastern Ontario Regional Championships being held in Belleville on Jan. 30 to Feb. 1.
Other BYST swimmers with incredible performances were Madalyn Andrus, Adam Bouma, Zoe Bouma, Craig Butcher, Lily Charles, Charlotte Coutu, Olivia Goyer, Jayden MacDonald, Karissa Manlow, Maddie McGillen, Lara Norohna, Joseph Rittenhouse, Amy Sommerville, Katherine Beaumont, Craig Bekker, Nikki Cairns, Quintin Lichty, Olivia Morphet, Sadie Morphet, Jenna O’Neill, Leah Oster, Elizabeth Peterson, Gwen Randall and Gracey Vanberkel.

Over 100 BYST athletes raced at their third meet of the season in their home pool at the Templeman Menninga Aquatic Centre on the weekend with approximately 550 athletes from 11 teams from across Ontario. Results to come.