The RBC Bahamas National Swimming Federation National Championships wrapped up on Sunday evening at the Betty-Kelly-Kenning National Aquatics Centre. Swift Swimming won over title with 1,768.50 points. The Barracuda Swim Club was second behind Swift Swimming with 1,611.50 points, and the Alpha Aquatics Club finished third with 860 points. (Photo: Torrell Glinton)
Once again, the Swift Swimming Club reigns supreme as the top swim club in the country.
Swift Swimming won its sixth straight national championships over the weekend, totalling 1,768.50 points, at the Royal Bank of Canada's (RBC)/Bahamas Swimming Federation's (BSF) National Championships. The four-day meet, which served as a qualifier for the Olympic Games, wrapped up late Sunday at the newly refurbished Betty Kelly-Kenning National Aquatics Centre.
A number of records and personal best times were established during the RBC swimming nationals, and the highlight of the meet came in the open girls 800 meters (m) free when Texas freshman Joanna Evans blasted her national record and qualified for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in the process. She swam 8:32.19 to beat her national record by almost a full five seconds.
As for the overall point standings, the Barracuda Swim Club was second behind Swift Swimming with 1,611.50 points. The Alpha Aquatics Club finished with 860 points. The Freeport Aquatics Club was fourth with 789 points, and Team Orca rounded out the top five with 457.50 points.
"We're very excited about the meet. There were a lot of records set, particularly by the young guys in the 9-10 age group. Those guys really swam well," said BSF President Algernon Cargill.
Logan Roberts, from Swift Swimming, was the high point winner in the 8-and-under girls division with 55 points. Passion Daniel, from the Freeport Aquatic Club, finished second with 49 points, and Anjaleah Knowles, from the Sea Bees Team, rounded out the top three with 35 points.
Barracuda swimmer Tre Moncur won the high point trophy in the 8-and-under boys division. He finished with 37 points. Blue Marlin Aquatics swimmer Ellie Gibson was second with 31 points, and Ayden Bain, from the Freeport Aquatic Club, rounded out the top three with 25 points.
Abayomi Brown, of the Freeport Aquatic Club, took home top honors in the 9-10 girls category with 86 points. Barracuda teammates Devin Cuffy-Bethel and Mia Sastre finished second and third with 70 and 50 points respectively.
Nigel Forbes, of the Freeport Aquatic Club, was the high point winner in the 9-10 boys age group with 79 points. Marvin Johnson, of Blue Marlin Aquatics, was second with 76 points, and Abaco Swim Club swimmer Noah Albury rounded out the top three with 52 points.
Katelyn Cabral, of Swift Swimming, won the high point winner in the 11-12 girls age group with 57 points. Barracuda swimmer Rachel Lundy was second with 49 points, and Charlot Russell, of the Dolphin Swim Club, rounded out the top three with 47 points.
Lamar Taylor, of the Freeport Aquatic Club, won the high point trophy in the 11-12 boys age group with 90 points. Roman Pinder, of the Abaco Swim Club, was second, with 72 points, and Rommel Ferguson, of the Freeport Aquatic Club, finished third with 70 points.
It was a 1-2 finish for Barracuda in the 13-14 girls age group as Anya MacPhail took the top prize with 75 points, and Katherine Slatter was second with 56 points. Jewel Pinder, of the Abaco Swim Club, finished third with 51 points.
The top prize in the 13-14 boys age group went to Swift Swimming with Darren Laing winning with 62 points. Barracuda swimmer Izaak Bastian was a close second with 61 points, and Swift swimmer DaVante Carey rounded out the top three with 50 points.
The Higgs sisters, Albury and Lilly, led a 1-2-3 finish for Swift Swimming in the 15-and-over girls category. Albury won with 65 points, Lilly was second with 63 points, and new Olympic qualifier Joanna Evans finished third with 57 points. Swift swimmers occupied six of the top seven spots in that division, and seven of the top nine.
Finally in the 15-and-over boys category, Barracuda swimmer Matthew Lowe reigned supreme with 61 points. Swift swimmer Alec Sands finished second with 52 points, and Barracuda swimmer N'Nhyn Fernander finished third with 44 points.
Bahamian swimmers will now prepare themselves for the Caribbean Islands Swimming Championships (CISC) which will get underway on Wednesday at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Aquatics Centre. The Bahamas will be represented by a 69-member team.
Sheldon Longley, Guardian Sports Editor
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