The Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club (PRASC) triumphed at the Northwest Regional Championship in Terrace on Jan. 24.
Thirty-five swimmers from Rupert went to the meet and overcame nearly twice as many swimmers from Terrace, eking out a 993-862 win.
“Prince Rupert is still pretty tough to beat when we show up with most of our competitive team,” said Chris Street, head coach of PRASC.
The Bulkley Valley Otters came third with a team score of 197 points, followed by the Kitimat Marlins with 162 and the Quesnel Waveriders with 55.
Leading the way for the Rapids was Jorja Boot (13). Boot won the silver aggregate medal in the 12-13 girls. She achieved a new ManSask Junior Provincial “A” time in the 200-meter butterfly and set a new ManSask Championship time “AA” in the 200-meter freestyle. Additionally, she recorded personal best times in all seven of her events.
Tess Edwards, also 13 years old, earned the bronze aggregate medal in the same age group. She achieved new Swim BC Divisional Championship times in the 400-meter individual medley and the 50-meter butterfly, as well as new “A” times in the 200-meter butterfly and the 400-meter freestyle.
Heidi Bellis (16) and Sophia McDonald (12) both had standout performances, winning gold aggregate medals in their age groups by conquering all seven of their individual events.
Ethan Butt (17) also claimed a gold, while Rachel Butt (14) earned the bronze in the 14 & over category and swam a new “AA” time in the 200-metre backstroke.
Chase McWilliam (16) snagged the silver medal in the same age group as Rachel and hit a new “AA” time in the 100-metre freestyle with a 59.22— his first time breaking the 1:00.00 barrier. Annabelle DeMille (16) rounded out the top spots by bringing home the bronze aggregate in the 14 & over girls’ category.
Julia DeMillie qualified for the Divisional Championships later this month in Penticton after swimming a 1:30.89 in the 100-metre breaststroke. She also posted new “A” times in both the 100 and 200-metre butterfly.
Paige Armstrong (11) had a huge meet, swimming her first-ever “A” times in the 50, 100, and 200-metre backstroke events while also setting new best times in all seven of her races.
Blake Ciotoli (12) made waves with a new “AA” time in the 100-metre freestyle. Lia Crump (17) added a new Divisional time in the 100-metre freestyle, and Sienna Ikari-Cappelli (12) earned her first-ever 12-year-old “AA” time in the 100-metre freestyle, along with new Divisional times in the 100-metre back and 400-metre individual medley (IM).
Bianca Marogna (11) picked up a new “A” time in the 50-metre freestyle, while her older sister, Nadia Marogna (13), swam a new “A” time in the 200-metre backstroke.
Emily McDonald posted new “A” times in the 100-metre back, 200-metre IM, and 100-metre free. She also managed to set best times in all seven of her individual events.
Hadley Seier (11) also achieved a new “A” time in the 100-metre backstroke. Eva Sumanik (16) swam a new “A” time in the 200-metre freestyle, and Samantha Sumanik (12) picked up three new Divisional times in the 100-metre back, 200-metre breast, and 50-metre back.
Lastly, both Leah Malthus (9) and Alexander Smithanik (9) swam personal best times in all their individual races, which was another impressive milestone for them.
Up next, 14 members of the team will be heading to Penticton for Swim BC’s Northern and Interior Divisional Championships from February 21 to 23. PRASC will compete with teams from the Northeast, Kootenays, and Okanagan regions.
“We had a great experience at the meet. We’re very appreciative of all the parents and volunteers in Terrace (and the rest of the region) who donated their time to bring the meet off,” said Street.
