Aquatic Club takes two firsts at local swim meet

The Sault Ste. Marie Aquatic Club came away double winners at the Joey Calzone's Invitational Swim Meet at the John Rhodes Community Centre on the weekend.

It was the second consecutive year that the host SSMAC won both the pre-provincial and developmental divisions and the seventh straight year that the team has won the pre-provincial division at the meet.

The meet attracted 220 swimmers from nine teams and several members of the Sault Ste. Marie Special Olympic Team.

The Soo Y Dolphins finished second in the developmental division followed by the Traverse City Breakers. The Sudbury Laurentian Swim Club finished second the pre-provincial division followed by Traverse City.

Top performers for SSMAC in the pre-provincial division with high point trophy performances were Becky Day in the 10-and-under girls division, Kyle Matthews in the boys 11-12 division and Samantha Filek in girls 11-12 division.

Second place finishers in the overall standings were Brian Lee in the 10-and-under boys division, Jeff Byrne in the boys 15-and-over division and Shannon Hazelton in the girls 15-and-over division.

In the developmental division, Anna Lees won the high point trophy in the 10-and-under girls division and Jordan Boucher tied for top spot in the boys 15-and-over category. Julia Turgeon finished second in 10-and-under girls while Sean Matthews finished second in the boys 13-14 category.

SSMAC coach Rob Moreside was ecstatic with his team's performance in the first event for the entire club this season.

"It was an awesome weekend. These results show the strength of the team's core -- the age group swimmers. I am pleased with how the team came together this weekend. They were supportive of each other regardless of their age or classification," said Moreside.

"It was great to have the participation of the Special Olympians and to see the return of the teams from Michigan. Seeing the new faces means new competition and that is healthy for the region and our sport."

The next major event for the Aquatic Club is in two weeks in Elliot Lake followed by a 10-and-under meet in Valley East.

Two members of the SSMAC, Hazelton and Byrne, will compete for Northeastern Ontario at the Senior Provincial Championships in Etobicoke in December. Moreside is a member of the provincial team coaching staff.