For the first time since returning home from the 2023 CARIFTA Swimming Championships last month, Bahamian swimmers were back in action, competing at the Alpha Aquatics Spring Invitational at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex over the weekend.

The swimmers are gearing up for the Bahamas Aquatics Federation's National Championships, set for June 22-25, at the same location.

Lyford Swim Club's Delaney Mizell had a strong swim in the 15-and-over girls division. She won all four of her individual races in that division and showed her versatility, swimming the 50 meters (m) freestyle and the 1500m free, along with the 50m breaststroke and 50m butterfly events.

Mizell was the first of a quartet of Lyford Cay swimmers with the top four finishes in the 50m free. She touched the wall in 27.61 seconds. Katie Goulandris was second with a time of 29.34 seconds. Rounding out the podium finishers was Elina Fiaux in 30.28 seconds.

In the 50m breast, Mizell led the way of a trio of Lyford Cay swimmers. Mizell posted a time of 37.41 seconds for the win. Fiaux swam 38.03 seconds to place second and Isabelle Zatarain was third with a time of 40.08 seconds.

In the 50m fly, Mizell won with a time of 32.09 seconds. Placing second was the Barracuda Swim Club's Lauren Bridgewater who posted a time of 32.65 seconds. Touching the wall a second later, in third, was Anjaleah Knowles in 33.65 seconds.

In the 1500m free, Mizell was the lone competitor and she was able to stop the clock at 21:47.68.

Alpha Aquatics' Samirah Donaldson added two nationals cut times in the 13-14 girls division. She got those times in the 100m backstroke and 100m butterfly events. Donaldson went into the meet with a time of 2:06.48 in the 100m back and was able to lower it to 1:31.94, placing seventh. In the 100m fly, she did not have a seed time but she was able to make the cut for nationals with a time of 1:21.35.

The Black Marlins Swim Club's Alexander Murray lowered his nationals cuts times in two races in the 11-12 boys division. His first one came in the 50m fly. Murray had a seed time of 31.55 seconds and was able to drop it to 31.26 seconds. His biggest drop came in the 50m back where his seed time of 39.07 seconds dropped to 35.67 seconds.

Swimming for Alpha Aquatics, Isabelle Wiberg added three nationals cuts in the 9-10 girls division. She did it in the 100m free, the 50m breast and the 50m back. In the 100m free, she powered her way to 13th with a time of 1:38.27. She then made the time in the 50m breast when she went from a seed time of 1:05.80 to 56.42 seconds. In the 50m back, she went from a time of 53.38 seconds to a nationals cuts time of 52.01 seconds for a seventh place finish.

Barracuda Swim Club's 11-12 swimmer Saleste Gibson, who came off an impressive performance at CARIFTA, was able to lower her times in three races. She did it in the 100m free, going from a seed time of 1:03.12 to 1:03.05, the 50m breast, going under 40 seconds with a time of 39.37 seconds from 40.96 seconds, and in the 200m fly, going from 2:51.25 to 2:49.30.

Christon Joseph had some strong swims for the Blue Waves Swim Club in the 11-12 boys division, lowering his times in the 400m free, 50 and 100m breast events. His time in the 400m free went from 5:20.21 to 4:56.81. In the 50m breast, Joseph dropped his entry time of 37.93 seconds to 37.41 seconds. In the 100m breast, he lowered his time from 1:31.07 to 1:24.19.

The swimmers in New Providence will have this weekend off and will get ready for the final club meet before nationals. The final local swim meet before nationals is set for May 27 at the Betty Kelly-Kenning National Swim Complex.

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