The Cochrane Piranhas wrapped up a very successful swim season when the team participated in the Alberta Summer Swimming Association (ASSA) Provincial Championships Aug. 17 to 19 in Edmonton. The top two swimmers from each region qualified to attend the championships while the next four fastest in the province were “wild carded” into the final four spots for each age group event. In addition to the 16 qualified swimmers, two or three alternate swimmers are identified who can be called up into the starting blocks if someone doesn’t happen to show up for their race. The Piranhas had 35 swimmers or 60 per cent of the club qualify individually, as part of a relay team, or as wild cards in the event. (QUOTE - TALKING TO HER TODAY) The Piranhas were led by the team of Max Kruger, Catherine Swedlo, Bryson Hammer and Natalie Barretto-Waringer who won bronze in the mixed 14 and under 200-metre freestyle, the only medal Cochrane took away from the event. Other top 10 finishes in the team relays to follow up the bronze medal performance were a pair of sixth-place placings by the teams of Jake Barclay, Natalie Barreto-Waringer, Travis Lester-Olivier and Jamie Harris who competed in the mixed 17 and under 200 metre medley while Tegan Lester-Olivier, Oliver Johnson, Evan Thibodeau and Caebri Smith also finished out of the top five in the boys 10 and under 100 metre freestyle. The team also had four eighth-place finishes in the event starting with Rylee Banshow, Tegan Olivier-Lester, Kaitlyn Eiserman and Kylan Morin in the girls 10 and under 100 metre freestyle relay to join the team of Josie Powers, Ben Barclays, Ella Kruger and Quinn Fitzsimmons in the mixed 12 and under 200-metre freestyle. The mixed 17 and under 200-metre freestyle team made up of Jamie Harris, Jake Barclays, Travis Lester-Olivier and Jade Macosky and the mixed 10 and under 100 metre medley team of Eli Fitzsimmons, Rylee Banshow, Tegan Lester-Olivier and Kaitlyn Eiserman shared similar results of placing eighth. In the individual portion of the event, Cochrane was paced by Ben Barclay who finished fourth in the boys 11- and 12-year-old 50-metre fly, fifth in the boys 50 metre freestyle and sixth in the 100-metre fly. His brother Jake Barclay placed eighth and ninth in the boys 15- to17-year-old 100-metre backstroke and 50-metre backstroke respectively. Jamie Harris also had a good showing over the course of the weekend, finishing fourth in the girls 15- to 17-year-old 50-metre fly, fifth in the 50-metre backstroke and ninth in the 100-metre individual medley (IM). Oliver Johnson finished sixth in the boys nine- and 10-year-old 50-metre fly while his teammate Max Kruger finished seventh in both the boys 13- and 14-year-old 100-metre fly and 100-metre breaststroke. Kruger also had a pair of eighth place finishes in the 200-metre individual medley as well as the 100-metre individual medley. Kruger's sister Ella placed in the top 20 with a 12th place finish in the girls 11- and 12-year-old 200-metre individual medley. Bria Michalski had two eighth place finishes in the girls 13- and 14-year-old 100 and 50-metre breaststroke with Josie Powers finishing seventh in the girls 11- and 12-year-old 50-metre breaststroke, 12th in the 200-metre freestyle and 15th in the 100-metre breaststroke. Travis Lester-Olivier placed ninth in the boys nine- and 10-year-old 50 metre freestyle, eleventh in both the 100-metre freestyle and 25-metre breaststroke while also finishing 12th in the 200-metre freestyle. His sister Tegan had a 16th place finish in the girls nine- and 10-year-old 25 metre fly. Catherine Swedlo finished twelfth and 16th in the girls 13- and 14-year-old 50-metre freestyle and 100-metre individual medley respectively with Evan Thibodeau placing fifteenth in the boys seven -and eight-year-old 25-metre breaststroke. Kaitlyn Eiserman finished 12th in both the girls nine and 10-year-old 25-metre fly as well as the 100-metre freestyle. She also finished 13th in the 50-metre backstroke and fourteenth in the 50-metre fly. Oliver Johnson finished sixth in the boys nine and 10-year-old 50-metre fly. Natalie Barreto-Waringer had a 12th place finishing in the girls 13- and 14-year-old 50-metre breaststroke while her teammate Rylee Bashow finished sixteenth in the girls nine- and 10-year-old 25-metre breaststroke. To wrap up the event, Jacob Corcoran competed in the boys seven- and eight-year-old 100 metre individual medley finishing twelfth while the sibling combination of Eli and Quin Fitzsimmons placed fourteenth in the boys nine and 10-year-old 100 metre individual medley and eleventh in the boys 11- and 12-year-old 200-metre freestyle respectively.
