Silver the medal of the day for Neptune swimmers at the Kootenay Regionals
By The Nelson Daily Sports
If the price of silver continues to rise as metal experts predict, then there’s going to be some pretty happy Nelson Neptune swimmers.
The local swim team took home more than 15 medals of the silver variety at the Kootenay Regional Swim Championship Sunday in Colville, Washington.
The results mean Neptune swimmers have the opportunity to compete in at least 15 events at the upcoming B.C. Swim Championships later this month in Nanaimo.
“This meet was not only a great weekend to end the season for most of the swimmers because of the times that they were swimming, but also they had a really great time racing and spending time together as a cohesive group,” Nelson coach Rebecca Afford said of the small by numbers but big in heart Neptune squad.
“We had a small turn out which made it possible for us to go out for dinner as a team which we never really get the chance to do especially at meets.”
The Regional Championship is run in a slightly different way than regular season meets.
Top three medals are awarded for each race and those swimmers earn spots on the regional team that will compete in Nanaimo August 17-19.
Jaylen Rushton in Division one girls captured gold in the 50-meter butterfly (time: 48.78 PQT), silver in 50-meter breaststroke (time: 53.91PQT), and silver in the 100-meter freestyle (time: 1:34.67)
(PQT stand for “provincial qualifying time” which is the time that is faster than the average eighth place finish time over the last five years at the provincial championship meet.)
In Division four boys, Samuel Matthew captured silver in 200-meter individual medley (time: 2:46.11), silver in 50-meter butterfly – (time: 35.13), silver in 100-meter backstroke (time: 1:21.15) and silver in 100-meter breaststroke (time: 1:23.57 PQT).
Matthew Holitzki in Division two boys won silver in 50-meter breaststroke (time: 47.13) and bronze in 50-meter backstroke (time: 51.61).
Madeline Holitzki, swimming in Division one girls, won silver in 100-meter IM (time: 1:47.62), silver in 50-meter butterfly (time: 50.23), silver 50-meter backstroke (time: 51.10) and gold in 50-meter breaststroke (time: 47.13 PQT).
Sage Cowan, competing in Division four girls won three gold in 100-meter backstroke (time: 1:22.53) and 100-meter freestyle (time: 1:12.69) and 200-meter IM (time: 2:51.14) before finishing with silver in 50-meter freestyle (time: 32.71).
Olivia Cowan, in Division three girls won silver in 100 meter IM (time: 1:26.54).
In Division five girls, Emma Borhi won silver in 100-meter backstroke (time: 1:21.38) and two bronze medals in 200-meter IM (3:05.98) and 100-meter breaststroke (time: 1:34.35).
Joanna Blishen in Division four girls won silver in 50-meter butterfly (time: 38.66) and 100-meter breaststroke (time: 1:36.44).
Coach Afford, in Division seven girls, took four silver medals in 200-meter IM (time: 2:51.50 PQT), 50-meter freestyle (time: 30.48), 50-meter butterfly (time: 34.86) and 100-meter breaststroke (time: 1:25.37 PQT).
“It was a really rewarding experience for me to see how the work that we have all put in resulted in some outstanding races and such great improvements in their swimming,” Afford explained.
“Elissa Centrone swam fanatically this weekend taking 6.24 seconds off of her 100m freestyle, 5.54 seconds off of her 50-meter breaststroke, and 10.64 seconds off of her 100-meter IM.
“Jaylen Ruston also got a great best time taking 4.69 seconds off in her 100-meter IM and broke the regional record but was unfortunately was disqualified.”
The Neptunes are nowhere near the team that dominated the Kootenay swim scene for years.
However, Afford was able to get the best out of the small numbers that signed up for the program in the spring.
And she the season prepares the swimmers for their future.
