Joey Payeur
It was short, but sweet.
Two teams from Fort Frances prospered in the pool at the Northwestern Ontario Open Swim Meet hosted by the Kenora Swimming Sharks, the final event of the short-course swimming season.
The Fort Frances Aquanaut Swim Team and the Cyclone Swim Club each racked up a bevy of wins and top-three finishes against an array of other clubs from northwestern Ontario.
Aquanauts head coach Dawnn Taylor was thrilled with her team’s performance.
“They did phenomenal and far exceeded my expectations,” enthused Taylor.
Stepping to the forefront for the Aquanauts once again was Josh Cousineau, who won gold in the boys 13-14 50m backstroke (31.83), 200m breaststroke (3:08.19) and as part of the men’s 15-and-over 200m freestyle relay team (1:55.94), as well as placing second in the 200m freestyle (2:26.96).
“Josh’s swimming was very well-rounded,” praised Taylor.
“He’s really become a four-stroke swimmer. I was very pleased to see this.”
The Aquanauts also got plentiful contributions from some competitive newcomers, including three from across the border.
International Falls residents Edward and William Serrano, as well as Levi Lucy, each made their mark in their meet debuts.
William had four convincing individual event victories in the 25m freestyle (18.48), 25m breaststroke (31.32), 25m backstroke (21.01) and 25m butterfly (20.47)—all of them by a winning margin of more than four seconds.
He also was second in the 100m individual medley (1:52.95).
“Will won just about everything and just blew them away in the 25m races,” said Taylor.
Meanwhile, Edward and Lucy, along with Adam Stromberg, were part of the winning relay team including Cousineau.
Lucy also managed a second-place finish in the men’s 100m butterfly (1:18.18) and 200m freestyle (2:29.02), while Edward was third in the boys 13-14 100m individual medley (1:30.09).
Stromberg captured the men’s 15-and-over 100m freestyle (57.93).
Sullivan Montague-Spiers took second in the boys 9-10 100m freestyle (1:35.82)\
As for the Aquanaut girls, Jacy Gagne led the way with third-place finishes in the girls 11-12 200m breaststroke (3:35.82) and as part of the girls 11-12 200m freestyle relay team (2:36.26), where she was joined by Ayiana Gagne, Alexandria Antonick and Cassidy Roach.
“Jacy was picture perfect in her breaststroke,” lauded Taylor.
Ayiana notched a third of her own in the girls 9-10 100m IM (1:43.96), while Roach joined the bronze brigade in the girls 11-12 200m backstroke (3:14.29).
Kianna Antonick, another competitive newcomer for the team, also earned kudos from her coach.
“Kianna held up really well and really enjoyed herself,” summarized Taylor.
Other female Aquanaut competitors included Talyia Palubeskie and Tayler Hebner,
As for the Cyclones, head coach Debbie Murray was also impressed with her group’s efforts in Kenora.
“It was an excellent meet with great results,” said Murray.
“The swimmers performed well with improved times and racing performances,” she continued.
“They all had fun and represented the Cyclone Swim Club well throughout the weekend. All the swimmers are looking forward to the next venue.”
The Cyclones did their most damage in the younger age brackets.
Mickenna Ryll raced to a pair of golds in the girls 8-and-under 25m butterfly (26.87) and 25m freestyle (24.91), while also nabbing a silver in the 25m breaststroke (43.73).
Kenzie Begin also topped the podium twice in the girls 9-10 25m butterfly (27.81) and 25m freestyle (23.52), plus thirds in the 25m breaststroke (38.09) and 25m backstroke (31.59).
Abby Bone notched a second in the girls 8-and-under 25m butterfly (33.21) and was third in the 25m backstroke (31.34).
Rhyan McLean collected silver in the girls 9-10 25m butterfly (35.46), while Amy Norris had two fourths in the girls 9-10 25m butterfly (45.27) and the 25m backstroke (34.21), where she tied Katie Trist from the Dryden Dolphins.
Isabella Avis rounded out the pre-competitive swimmers for the Cyclones, with her top finish being a sixth in the girls 8-and-under 100m freestyle (1:57.99).
In the older age categories, Sarah Rittau sprinted to third-place finishes in the girls 13-14 100m butterfly (1:33.00) and the 100m freestyle (1:10.51).
On the boys side, Jessie Begin posted his best result with a fifth-place showing in the boys 11-12 100m IM (1:47.78), one spot ahead of teammate Jakob Ryll (1:51.84).
Ryll also nailed down a fifth in the 100m backstroke (1:48.19).
Logan McFayden took home eighth in the boys 9-10 100m freestyle (2:05.76).
The long-course season begins with the Where Friends Meet in Winnipeg on May 3-4, followed by the SunLife Grand Prix in Thunder Bay from May 23-25.
