Clippers Shine at Mallards Long Course Challenge
Last weekend, 61 swimmers raced at the Mallards Long Course Challenge, held at the Markham Pan Am Centre. For many of our athletes, it was one of their first opportunities this season to compete in a 50-metre Olympic-sized pool—and they delivered in a big way.
This three-day meet was packed with fast swims and tough competition, but our swimmers rose to the challenge. A special shoutout goes to the following athletes who achieved personal best times in every single event they swam: Keira Bharadwaj, Rylie Carter, Reid Colekessian, Lydia Crespy, Xavier Desormeaux, Edith Ford, Brynn Geier, Iggy Hreljac, Ella MacLachlan, Alex Meguerian, Seth Tangney, Alistair Wark, and Grayson Wynn. Outstanding consistency and focus from this group!
A big round of applause goes to our incredible Novice Group swimmers! For many of them, this was their very first time racing in a 50m Olympic-sized pool—and they handled the challenge like pros. While their times might not show personal bests in every event (due to the conversion of short course seed times to a long course meet), the experience was a huge success. Swimming long course at such a young age is no easy feat, and in our eyes, this group brought their best effort to every race. Congratulations to Carmen Cameron (9), Emmie Dixon (9), Annika Fauser (9), Arthur Hughes (10), Tia Long (9), Quinn Marmion-Clark (8), Rhys Silver (10), and Alexton Vidler (10)—we’re so proud of your performances!
Liam Paterson continued his season-long streak of breaking Club records—this time, shattering his own 50 Free record not once, but twice in the same day! His finals time of 24.60 puts him just 0.04 seconds away from a Trials time, a huge accomplishment.
Not to be outdone, the 15 & Over Boys 200 Free Relay team of George Hamburg, Andersen Hulshof, Alex Meguerian, and Liam Paterson broke the Club record by over six seconds, clocking an impressive 1:46.18.
After standout swims in prelims, the following athletes qualified for finals on Saturday night: Mila Bandrowski, Hailey Brown, Maya Dunlop, Andersen Hulshof, Liam Paterson, Romy Russo, and Ella Wood. A special shout-out to Romy Russo, who made finals at her very first meet as a 13-year-old—an incredible achievement! Our finals swimmers were cheered on loudly by teammates Allie McCrank, Paige McKinley, and Julian Valdez, who made their way back to the pool to support their peers. What great team spirit! There may have been one or two more who came back to cheer on at finals - it's difficult to remember seeing everyone! Sorry if we missed you!
We also had several swimmers crack the top 8 in their age categories, including:
- Mila Bandrowski (15): 7th – 100 Breast
- Niall Crespy (12): 7th – 50 Back
- Reid Colekessian (12): 4th – 200 Back, 4th – 50 Back, 7th – 50 Breast, 8th – 50 Fly
- Liam Paterson (15): 1st – 50 Free, 50 Fly, 100 Free; 2nd – 100 Fly; 4th – 50 Back; 5th – 200 Free
- Romy Russo (13): 5th – 400 IM
- Emerson Silver (10): 5th – 50 Fly
Relays brought even more excitement, with strong finishes and new milestones:
200 Free Relay
- Girls 15 & Over: 5th (Mila Bandrowski, Hailey Brown, Ella MacLachlan, Ella Wood)
- Boys 15 & Over: 4th (George Hamburg, Andersen Hulshof, Alex Meguerian, Liam Paterson)
- Boys 11-12: 8th (Trent Bedard, Niall Crespy, Xavier Desormeaux, Andrew Meguerian)
200 Medley Relay
- Girls 11-12: 8th (Reid Colekessian, Edith Ford, Sasha Marsh, Camryn Switzer)
- Boys 11-12: 8th (Trent Bedard, Niall Crespy, Xavier Desormeaux, Andrew Meguerian)
This meet showcased just how much hard work our athletes have been putting in. Congratulations to all swimmers on their performances—your progress, team spirit, and determination continue to impress!
Next stop: Guelph!
We’re back in long course action soon as our team heads to the GMAC Splash and Dash. Stay tuned for more great swims from your Clippers!