The Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club, the defending regional champions, claimed the large-team banner with an impressive 1,243 points at the Dave Kensit Memorial North Eastern Ontario Region championships held at the John Rhodes Community Centre Pool. The host Sault Surge Aquatic Team, despite strong performances throughout the weekend, finished second with 1119.50 points, narrowly missing out on the top spot. The Kirkland Lake Aquatic Club secured the small-team banner with 429 points.
A total of 256 athletes from 12 clubs across the region participated, with 49 local athletes representing the Sault Surge. This group of swimmers collectively set an impressive 255 personal best times. The Surge team's medal tally was impressive, with 84 medals in total, including 37 gold, 21 silver, and 26 bronze. This performance marks a slight improvement from last season, when the club secured 29 gold medals.
Two standout swimmers, Asher Leask (10) and Sophia Li (14), received individual high-point trophies for their respective age groups. Li dominated her events, winning gold in all seven of her competitions and setting club records in the 400-meter freestyle, 800-meter freestyle, and 400 individual medley events. Leask, on the other hand, claimed gold in the boys 10 and under age group, excelling in the 200 freestyle, 50 and 100 butterfly, and 100 and 200 individual medley events.
Emma Vallee, aged 13, showcased her talent by winning six gold medals and a silver medal, finishing just behind teammate Li in the 400 freestyle. Vallee's exceptional performance included setting a club record in the 1,500-meter freestyle event, finishing in 18:35.50, which ranked her sixth in Ontario and 16th in the nation for her age group.
The Sault Surge Aquatic Team's dominance continued in the girls 13-14 age group, where they won both freestyle and medley relays, along with 13 individual gold, three silver, and five bronze medals. The team's success in this age group was attributed to the efforts of Li, Vallee, Brooklyn Barber, Maddison Erb, Elsa Mackay, and Jenna Morin.
The 10/under group also made significant contributions, winning gold medals in the boys medley and freestyle relays, as well as the mixed freestyle relay. Ben Barber, Ryan Dunne, Balin Evans, Blake Krivan, Asher Leask, Bo Mackay, Graham Oak, Piper Scott, and Sofia Naquitquitan played pivotal roles in the team's medal count in this age group.
The 11 and 12-year-old swimmers demonstrated their skills, earning two gold, eight silver, and five bronze medals. Judah Erickson, William Paranuik, Finnley Walker, Eva Moreau, Margot Oak, and Angela Thomson contributed to the team's success in this age group.
The team's senior swimmers, Haylen Leonard, Mia Lloyd, Tayte Borrelli, and Bernard Santos, played a crucial role in the best time and medal count. However, they will be graduating from the program this year, leaving a void in the team's performance next season.
Other senior swimmers who contributed to the overall medal count were Oliver Bennetto, Lendon Ellis, Andrew Li, Alma Da Silva Castillejo, and Brie Reid. The team's next challenge will be the Ontario Age Group Championships in Toronto, where Brie Reid and Andrew Li will compete at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre Pool, while Sophia Li and Emma Vallee will take on the Markham Pan Am Pool.
New swimmers interested in joining the Sault Surge Aquatic Team can register by visiting www.saultsurge.com (http://www.saultsurge.com/).
