TEAM ON FIRE!!!
Charlottetown Bluephin, Paige Crowell, has qualified to compete at Senior Nationals.
The 16-year-old swimmer met the qualifying time in the 50-metre breaststroke at the New Brunswick short-course Championships in Moncton last weekend. Crowell took 0.75 seconds off her best time (34.75 seconds) to surpass the national qualifying standard of 34.05 seconds. “It’s been a goal of mine for a while, so I’m happy I made it,” says Crowell, “I’ve never been nervous at a meet before, but I am now.” It’s the first time in more than a decade that a swimmer from Prince Edward Island has qualified at that level.
“This is a huge accomplishment for Paige, the Charlottetown Bluephins, and Prince Edward Island,” says Bluephin head coach Bill Calhoun. “It builds on the success of the 2009 Canada games team, and raises the bar for the whole island.” Senior Nationals is the highest level meet a swimmer can qualify for in the country. Athletes at that level can go on to qualify for international meets such as the Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Olympics. Calhoun says former Bluephin head coach, Kelly O’Connell, was instrumental in helping Crowell reach her goal. O’Connell coached Crowell for many years, and was on deck this summer as a coach for the Canada Games team. Crowell almost qualified for Senior Nationals at the Games, missing the time by 7 tenths of a second. Crowell will compete at two national meets in 2010; Spring Nationals in Montreal, and Summer Nationals in Victoria, BC.
Crowell wasn’t the only Bluephin to succeed in the pool last weekend. Thirty-four of her team-mates competed and brought home 60 individual medals. Bluephin relay teams won an additional 6 medals; three gold, two silver and one bronze. The Charlottetown team finished the championship in second place over 13 other maritime teams.
Kyle Bryenton, 16, won a silver medal in the 100-metre breast stroke.
Lexie Carruthers, 12, won silver in the 50-metre breast stroke, and two bronze in the 100 breast and the 400 freestyle events.
Nigel Champion, 15, took home three bronze medals in the 50 free, 50 butterfly, and 100-metre individual medley (IM).
Paige Crowell won all of her events, for her age-group. Gold medals in the 50, 100 and 200 breast stroke, 400 freestyle, 200 and 400 IM. She also set new club records in the 50 breast, and the 200 and 400 IM.
Iain Crowell, 12, won gold in the 100 breast, silver in the 100 IM and the 50 and 200-metre breast stroke, as well as a bronze medal in the 50-metre butterfly. He has the new team record, for his age-group, in the 100 breast.
Josh Harding, 15, won two gold medals in the 50 and 100-metre butterfly. He set a new team record in the 50 fly.
Avery Hillstrom, 15, won a silver medal in the 200-metre IM.
Seventeen-year-old Rhea Hurnik won 4 gold medals, in her age group. She finished 1st in the 100 and 200-metre butterfly, and the 800 and 1500-metre freestyle events. She also won a silver medal in the 400-metre freestyle.
Rudi Hurnik, 15, won a silver medal in the 200-metre backstroke.
Joël Legault, 14, won gold in the 1500-metre freestyle, and three bonze medals in the 400 IM, and the 400 and 800-metre freestyle.
Alison MacEachern, 13, competing with a cast on her wrist, won gold in the 100-metre freestyle and two silvers in the 50 and 100 fly.
Emma MacKay, 15, has a bronze medal for her third-place finish in the 100 free.
Will Millington, 16, won silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 100-metre breast stroke.
Katie Murray, 16, brought home three bronze medals. She finished third in the 400, 800 and 1500-metre freestyle events.
Fifteen-year-old James Profit won two gold in the 100 and 200-metre back stroke, a silver in the 50 back and three bronze in the 400 IM, and the 100 and 800-metre freestyle events.
Matthew Smith, 12, won three gold in the 200 back, the 400 IM and 800 free. He won silver in the 1500 freestyle and bronze in the 200-metre IM. He also set new club records in the 800 and 1500-metre freestyle events.
William Smith, 12, won two bronze medals in the 800 and 1500-metre freestyle.
Nicholas Tweel, 13, won a bronze medal, for his age-group, in the 200-metre IM.
And, Laurel White, 14, won six medals. Two gold in the 100 back and 800 free. Three silvers in the 50 back, 100 free, and 100-metre IM, as well as a bronze medal in the 50-metre freestyle. White also set new team records in the 50 back and 100 IM.
Calhoun says he’s proud of the whole teams’ accomplishments, “We are starting to come together as a team which will help us be even more successful in future meets.”