The Oak Tree Medical Mako Aquatics Invite was the final local club meet of the season, and swimmers performed at a high level at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex on Friday and Saturday.
Next up on the local swimming calendar is the highly-anticipated REV National Swimming Championships, set for June 24-27 at the same location.
Head Coach for Mako Aquatics, Travano McPhee, said it was a very good weekend for the swimmers.
“Overall, there were some very good performances, especially from the younger age groups. There were those 10-and-under athletes who were trying to qualify for nationals for the first time and we saw a lot of them reach their goals. The older swimmers’ performances were also good. Most of them already had their nationals cuts but they came out to see if they can improve their times. A lot of swimmers who swim away, and collegiate swimmers who are home, already showed up and swam,” McPhee said.
Alpha Aquatics 10-year-old swimmer Saleste Gibson was brilliant in the 9-10 girls age category as she swam her way to win all six of her races. She won the high point award with 54 points. Gibson won the 50 meters (m) and 100m butterfly; 50m, 100m and 200m free; and the 200m individual medley (IM). She dropped times in all her races except the 200m IM.
“I thought my performances were good. I tried my best and it was the best that I could have done. I am really happy about how I did,” Gibson said.
In the 50m fly, Gibson swam 34.66 seconds, a drop from her 37.05 seconds entry time. In the 200m free, she swam 2:39.15 – a huge improvement from her seed time of 2:40.58.
In the 50m free, Gibson improved from 33.44 seconds to 32.85 seconds. In the 100m free, she swam a new personal best of 1:11.48 up from 1:11.75. Her final race where she dropped time was in the 100m fly where she swam 1:20.52 which was an improvement from 1:20.73. The fly races were her best races, she said.
Jaylah Threadgill from the Lyford Cay Swim Club finished behind Gibson in the high point ranking for that age category with 32 points. Finishing third was Gibson’s teammate, Samirah Donaldson, with 25 points.
Keianna Moss was flawless in the 15-and-over girls age group as she won all six of her races. The Mako Aquatics swimmer earned the high point award in that age group after scoring 54 points. She won the 50m and 100m free; 50m and 100m back; and the 50m and 200m fly races. She dropped almost six seconds in the 200m fly as she clocked 2:37.49 after coming in with a time of 2:43.41.
Finishing in second place in that group was unattached swimmer Kaliyah Albury who came away with 42 points. Gabrielle Gadson, who represented Barracuda Swim Club, scored 34 points to place third.
Walking away with the high point award in the 15-and-over boys age group was Lamar Taylor. He swam in six races and won four of the races – the 50m and 100m free; the 50m back and the 100m fly races. He was able to improve his time in the 50m fly when he clocked 57.68 seconds up from his 57.78 seconds entry time.
Taylor’s teammates Erald Thompson III and Hugh Bartlett III were second and third respectively in the high point standings in that age group. Thompson finished with 27 points and Bartlett with 26 points.
The Blue Waves’ Christon Joseph scored 53 points to walk away with the high point award in the 9-10 boys age category. Unattached swimmer Alexander Murray stopped the Blue Waves from finishing first and second. He scored 36 points and Makhai Cartwright settled for third with 35 points.
Joseph won the 50m fly and the 200m free races. He said he was happy with his performances over the weekend.
Mako’s Anish Roy, who swam in the 11-12 boys age group, had huge improvements in three of his seven races and won six of those races. He won the high point award in that age category with 60 points. His biggest drop came in the 50m breaststroke in which he finished third with a time of 38.86 seconds. He improved by over five seconds in that race, coming in with a personal best time of 44.38 seconds.
In the 200m back, Roy dropped over four seconds when he clocked 2:40.92 to win that race. His previous personal best was 2:45.80. He also dropped four seconds in the 200m IM when he swam his way to win that race in 2:37.99 after going in with a personal best of 2:42.63.
In addition to winning those two events, Roy also won the 50m and 100m free; and the 50m and 100m back events.
Blue Waves Swim Club’s Dijon Simmons was second in the 11-12 boys high point standings with 47 points. Lenin Hamilton, of Turks and Caicos Aquatics, finished third with 44 points.
The Blue Waves took the top three spots in the 11-12 girls age category. Trinity George won with a score of 52 points. Quiana Bain and Denaja Minus placed second and third respectively with 41 points and 39 points.
George won two races – the 50m breast and 200m free.
There was some stiff competition in the 13-14 girls age category as the top three positions were separated by just three points. Lyford Cay Swim Club’s Isabelle Zatarain came out on top to win the high point award in that division with 33 points. Kyana Higgs from Barracuda Swim Club was second with 32 points and Zatarain’s teammate Layla Saidi and Mako’s Tia-Isabella Adderley were tied for third with 30 points each.
Mako came away with the top three positions in the 13-14 boys group. Tristin Ferguson held off Zion Gibson by one point to win that age category. Ferguson scored 46 points while Gibson finished with 45 points. Amauri Bonamy scored 41 points to finish third.
Ferguson picked up the win in the 100m free, swimming 56.55 seconds, an improvement from his seed time of 56.83 seconds. Ferguson’s second victory came in the 50m free with a time of 25.47 seconds.
In the eight-and-
under boys, the Blue Waves’ Khriston Rolle won the high point award after scoring 57 points. He came away with four wins. They were in the 50m, 100m and 200m free; and the 200m IM.
Rolle’s teammate Torion Turner scored the second highest points in that age category with 45. Mako’s Adrian Dean finished with 41 points to place third.
Mako secured the top two positions in the eight-and-under girls age category. Taylen Nicholls placed first with 54 points while Isabella Munroe was second with 51 points. Mantas Swim and Water Polo Club’s Skarlette Donaldson finished third when she scored 29 points.
Nicholls won the 50m, 100m and 200m free; and the 50m fly races.
“I am proud of myself and what I am accomplishing. I cannot believe that I won the high point award. I am looking forward to breaking records at nationals,” she said.
McPhee thanked Oak Tree Medical Center, Evolve Functional Fitness, Beep, Dasani, Caribbean Landscaping, Vita Coconut Water, Hawaiian Tropic and the D’Albenas Agency for sponsoring the swim meet.
The post Swimmers turn in strong performances at Mako Aquatics Meet appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.
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