The Red Deer Marlins Swim Club, with Cale Kooyman and Claire Halford leading the way, garnered a boatload of gold medals in the Alberta Summer Swim Association provincial championships at Edmonton during the weekend.
Kooyman was golden in the 13-14 boys 200-metre freestyle, short 100m individual medley and 200m I.M. — setting provincial records in all three events — as well as the long breaststroke.
He also established provincial marks — while winning gold — in the 14 and under 200m mixed medley relay, along with Erika Driesen, Halford and Dylan MacDermaid, and the 100m mixed freestyle relay, with the same teammates.
Halford also claimed gold in the 13-14 girls 400m freestyle, long 100m butterfly and 200m I.M.
Other individual event gold medal winners included Madison Kohut in the girls 11-12 short ‘fly and short backstroke, Chloe Becher in the girls 9-10 long back and short back, Lauren Bettenson in the girls 11-12 long back (provincial record), short 100m I.M. and long breast, Owen Halford in the boys 9-10 short breast and long breast, and MacDermaid in the 13-14 boys long free.
Winning relay gold were Mason Leroux, Noah Thomas, Owen Halford and Andrew Seo in the boys 10 and under 100m free; Kohut, Emma Wrench, Sara Mateika and Bettenson in the girls 12 and under 100m free; and Aiden Kooyman, Jane Gosling, Amy Cookson and Tyler Driesen in the mixed 17 and under 100m free (provincial record).
Other Marlins medal winners:
Individual silver — MacDermaid, 400 free, long 100m ‘fly and 800m free; Tyler Driesen, short ‘fly and long 100m ‘fly; Saryn Jacques, girls 7-8 long back and long free; Bettenson, short breast; Erik Svienson, boys 13-14 short breast; Becher, long 50 ‘fly; Wrench, long 100m ‘fly; Mason Leroux, boys 9-10 short back; Brady Leroux, boys 7-8 long breast; Kohut, short free and 200m I.M.; Claire Halford, 800m free.
Relay silver — Girls 8 and under 100m free (Jacques, Hayden Bettenson, Priya Thomas, Kayla Zankl); boys 12 and under 100m free (Kayden Schiller, Payden Vanmaarion, Kieran Monaghan, Jack Walton); boys 12 and under medley (Schiller, Vanmaarion, Walton, Monaghan).
Individual bronze — Thomas, long back; Brady Leroux, boys 7-8 short breast; Gosling, short breast, long breast; Cookson, long free, short 100m I.M., short free; Jacques, short back, short free.
Relay bronze — Girls 8 and under 100m medley (Zankl, Bettenson, Jacques, Thomas); mixed 10 and under (Andrew Seo, Marin Walton, Eoin Wolfe, Darby Duncan).