The Prince Rupert Amateur Swim Club (PRASC) enjoyed a strong start to its season, with the Rapids winning six medals at the North Coast Invitational Swim Meet last weekend.
The meet was held at the Earl Mah Aquatic Centre in Prince Rupert and was the first competition of the year for the swimmers. Approximately 140 swimmers from Kitimat, Terrace, Rupert and even Prince George took to the water over the three days in many different events.
Rapids’ coach Chris Street said most of the 41 Rupert swimmers posted best times in the pool. He was impressed with the team.
“We did fantastic. [We had] a lot of breakthrough swims and we had some kids make their provincial qualifying times and their junior provincial qualifying times, so our kids swam great,” said Street.
Prince Rupert would fall just short of winning the overall team win, however. The Kitimat Marlins had a strong showing, amassing 904 points to win the meet. But Rupert was only 18 points behind at 886, a mere one point ahead of the Prince George Barricudas.
“We’ve never had a meet this close,” said Street. “It was back and forth all weekend, so that added a lot of excitement.”
It’s the first time Rupert has lost a home meet to a regional club in over 10 years, said Street, but they don’t feel too bad about the loss.
“These guys in Kitimat are doing a great job and have a really strong program going right now,” he said.
The Marlins’ swimmers swept the podium in the boys 10 and under category, won top position in three others and won a medal in all but two divisions.
For the Rupert squad, Iona Riesen won silver in the girls 10 and under with 35 points.
Jakob Hall took the bronze spot in the boys 11 and 12 division with 35 points.
The Rapids best showing was in the boys 13 and 14 category. Isaac Mastroianni scored 34 points for third place and Jarred McMeekin won silver with 47 points, which was the most scored by a Rupert swimmer.
Amy Leighton tied for third place in the women 15 and over with 37 points. She tied with Kitimat’s Kleanza Cathers.
In the 15 and over men, Zachary Dolan won the bronze medal with his 39 points.
The swimmers will next test their skills at a meet in Prince George on Nov. 18 - 20.