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Orangeville Otters compete at Ontario Age Group Swim Meet

March 27, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Brian Lockhart

The Orangeville Otters competed at the Ontario Age Group Swim Meet at the Toronto Pan Am Centre and the Markham Pan Am Centre from Feb. 27 to March 2.

With 822 swimmers from 86 different clubs, this was a provincial qualifying level championship meet.

The 17 Otters swimmers brought their best effort to this meet.

Alysa Smyth set a Para-National record in the 200m butterfly with a time of 2:31.41. She went on to win the Para 100m butterfly and the Para 400m freestyle, setting a new Para-Provincial record.

Aiden Arbeau placed fourth in the 800m freestyle, setting a club record.

In the 200m medley, Anika Bennett finished fourth and went on to finish sixth in the 100m backstroke.

Wesley Halls got into gear on day two of the meet, swimming a personal best in the 100m backstroke, finishing 8th. On the final day, he had the race of his life in the 100m butterfly, breaking the 59-second barrier with a time of 58.94 to take 3rd place.  

Katie Malec earned a third-place finish in the 50m freestyle, setting a personal best of 26.93 seconds (Club Record), and followed it up with a 4th place finish in the 100m freestyle.

Nethaya Mahadana Arachchi moved up an age group just days before the swim meet and rose to the challenge with a sixth-place finish in the 100m breaststroke.

As the oldest of the Otters, Addison Stenzel has spent years setting the bar for what it takes to compete at a high level in swimming. While she may not have hit a personal best this weekend, she can take pride in knowing that a new wave of backstrokers are following in her footsteps because of the example she has set over six years of provincial-level swimming. 

Skarlytt Winegar-Tontegode had a fantastic meet, crushing her 50m freestyle with a personal best of 28.78, and returning the next day to post another personal best in the 100m backstroke. 

One of the newest Otters to qualify for a provincial-level meet, Henry Mountjoy, took his first steps in learning how to compete at this level.

Maurizio Antonio Ruggieri swam on the second day of the meet and hit a personal best in the 100m breaststroke. Two days later he added another personal best in the 200m breaststroke. 

Austin Nelissen set a new para-provincial record in the 800m freestyle, with a time of 10:06.56. He delivered in style, placing first in the Para 400m freestyle, setting a personal best of 4:47

Austin returned to Markham on Sunday for the 200m backstroke and freestyle. He set another para-provincial record in the 200m backstroke, posting a time of 2:42.32.

Bryson Jeans, competing in the 13-year-old category, advanced to the finals in the 50m freestyle, finishing ninth in Ontario. He also placed eighth in the 800m freestyle with a time of 9:59.08. 

In the 12 & Under category, Reegan Noronha had an outstanding meet, achieving personal best times in all six of his races. Reegan set three new club records in the 11-12 age group, breaking records in the 100m breaststroke, 400m individual medley, and 100m butterfly. 

Kaiden Norris showed strong perseverance throughout a challenging race schedule, competing in three tough events on Sunday. Despite the demanding lineup, Kaiden also achieved personal best times in all six of his races.

Qyona Egbert also had a strong performance, setting a new best time in the 100m freestyle. She demonstrated excellent team spirit by supporting her teammates and cheering for swimmers from other teams, embodying positivity and sportsmanship.

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