AAA's Day 1 Recap - Bolts jump out to an early lead in team point totals

Pacific Coast Swimming began their provincial title defense Wednesday, as the first day of the Swim BC AAA Championships got underway at Saanich Commonwealth Place.  The Bolts are looking for a provincial championship five-peat this weekend on home soil, as they have won the past four AAA championships.  After day one of competition, Pacific Coast Swimming finds themself in a familiar position, sitting in first place with a lead of 150 points over Hyack Swim Club.  At the Short Course Provincial Championships earlier this year, Hyack came within one hundred points of the Bolts - one of the closest team point finishes in history.  

Sophie Lorette got Pacific Coast Swimming off to a quick start, winning the Girls 12-13 800 Free by eighteen seconds with her time of 9:20.60.  In the Girls 14-15 800 Free, Erin Jennings placed sixth, posting a new personal best of 9:34.32.  Erin Lawrance and Haley Bennett placed 5^th and 6^th respectively, in the Girls 16 & Over 800 Free. 

In the Boys 13 & Under 1500 Free, Anthony Gutierrez earned a silver medal with his time of 17:51.39.  Teammate Keir Ogilvie was close behind, posting a personal best by over one minute to finish 5^th in a time of 18:16.11.  Jon McKay was golden in the Boys 16 & Over 1500 with his 15:49.34 overall time. 

In the Girls 12-13 50 Fly Sophie Lorette once again found herself on top of the podium, touching the wall in a time of 30.12.  Jessica Luo earned a bronze medal in the Girls 14-15 50 Fly with her time of 29.72.  In the Girls 16 & Over 50 Fly, Allison Ballantyne and Emma Murdock placed 6^th and 8^th respectively. 

In the Boys 11 & Under 50 Fly, Nolan Crisp earned himself a bronze medal with his final time of 33.79.  Teammate Bill Dongfang was close behind, touching the wall in 34.00 to finish 4^th.  The Bolts earned valuable points in the Boys 12-13 50 Fly, as three swimmers placed in the top eight.  Leading the way was Keir Ogilvie, touching first in a time of 28.14.  Teammates Michael Schmidt and Brendan Fitzpatrick finished 6^th and 8^th respectively. 

In the Girls 12-13 50 Back, Hana Edwards touched the wall in a time of 31.63 to earn a silver medal, while Lily Chen swam to an overall time of 32.76 to place 6^th.  Hannah Lorette swam to a bronze medal with her time of 31.86 in the Girls 14-15 50 Back.  In the Girls 16 & Over 50 Back Jordan Andrusak swam a personal best of 31.40 to place 4^th. 

Nine year old Nolan Crisp earned a silver medal in the Boys 11 & Under 50 Back, touching the wall in a time of 35.31, while teammate Dominic Huang touched in 8^th place to earn valuable points for the Bolts.  In the Boys 12-13 50 Back, Tom Chapman swam to a 4^th place finish in a time of 32.02.  In the Boys 16 & Over 50 Back, Cale Murdock touched the wall in 5^th place with his overall time of 28.65.

Jasmine Yu swam to a lifetime best of 41.76 to place 5^th in the Girls 11 & Under 50 Breast.  In the Girls 12-13 50 Breast, Laura Rincon touched the wall in 4^th place with her time of 36.74, while teammate Kali Lancaster finished 7^th in a time of 37.59.   Kelsey Andrusak placed 6^th in the Girls 14-15 50 Breast in a time of 36.00.  In the Girls 16 & Over 50 Breast Sophie Tarrant swam a personal best of 34.39 to capture the bronze medal, while Emma Carter placed 8^th in a time of 35.49. 

In the Boys 12-13 50 Breast, Michael Schmidt swam away from the field, winning the event by over a second with his time of 32.21.  Teammate Dylan Kormendy touched in 4^th, with a time of 35.92.  Kormendy’s swim earned him his third Canadian age group standard, which qualifies him for his first Age Group National Championships. 

The Bolts will look to carry the momentum forward heading into day two, as they try to further separate themselves from the pack in the team points race.  For live results, click the link below. 

Live Results

Team Points:

1.     UVic – Pacific Coast Swimming – 556.50

2.     Hyack Swim Club – 405.50

3.     Richmond Rapids – 310

4.     Kamloops Classic Swimming – 282

5.     Island Swimming – 270

6.     Canadian Dolphins Swim Club – 264.50

7.     West Vancouver Otters – 229.50

8.     Pacific Sea Wolves – 218

9.     Vancouver Pacific Swim Club – 196

10.   Simon Fraser Aquatics - 180