Axana Merckx and Molly Hill, two Okanagan High-Performance Kelowna-West Kelowna Integrated Club (KWIC) swimmers, had back to back competitions the past two weekends.
The two Okanagan athletes competed against the fastest swimmers in all of Canada at the Canadian Swimming Championships held in Montreal.
Merckx made finals in 200 back, along with the 400IM and 50 back. Hill also made the finals in 200 back.
Merckx also set two new club records in the 200 and 400 IM. Then turned around five days later to head to Victoria for the Western Canadian Championships.
This past weekend KWIC sent 17 swimmers to Victoria for the Western Canadian Championships where KWIC placed 18th out of 70 teams and swam to 48 best times.
Merckx was the big medal winner for the weekend, bringing home three silvers in the 50, 100, and 200 back, along with a bronze in 400 IM.
Andrea Kraetzer also made it to the podium with a silver in the 50 free. Both of the girls swam to five best times.
Hill swam to four best times and a new Canadian Trials time in her 200 fly, while Erin Epp swam to six best times and a new Canadian Trials time in her 50 breast.
Swimmers that swam to 100% times were Cameron Chambers, Marc Toyata, Jasper Stone, Ella Rolleston and Nathaniel Hees. Brooklyn Parliament swam to just one shy of 100% best times.
Georgia Pengilly swam to four best times and is a new qualifier for the Canadian Junior Nationals in her 200 back, while Matthew MacDonald swam to five best times and is also a new Canadian Junior National qualifier in 100
back.
Taylor Smith swam to four best times and Ava Toyata swam to one. Big time drops were had by Ella Rolleston shaving off 17 seconds in her 1500 free, and Nathaniel Hees dropping 16 seconds in his 800 free becoming a new Canadian Junior Nationals qualifier.
New club records were had by Andrea Kraetzer in 50 free, Erin Epp in 50 breast and a thirty-year-old record in 400IM, Molly Hill in 200 fly and Axana Merckx in 100 back, 200 back, 200 free, 200 and 400 IM.
Other good swims were had by Rachel McInnis, Gabrielle Hanvold and Paige Foster.
Article contributed by Tina Pomponio
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