KISU swimmers had strong performances during the 53rd Mel Zajac Junior International meet May 27-29 at UBC that left coach Tina Hoeben very pleased.
Hoeben said it's a good event to see where the swimmers are. Swimmers are in the middle of training for the in-season meet and they managed to either get close to best time or set new ones.
"It's fairly high level so it's not like a home meet," said Hoeben. "I was really pleased with the outcome and how well they did."
Several swimmers stood out to Hoeben.
Jaren Lefranc, 16, took first in the 50 metre breast stroke finishing in 30.22 seconds and was third in the 100- and 200-m breast stroke.
"That's pretty nice to see him on the podium," said Hoeben. "It's an open meet so he's up against guys in their 20s. It's not too often a 16 year old boy actually gets on the podium or even the top eight. That was great."
Tyler Wall, 14, completed the 200 individual medley in 2:13, which puts him first in Canada for his age. Wall placed ninth in the event, but his time was the third fastest and he was unable to place higher because he didn't qualify for the A finals. He also placed fifth on the 200-m back stroke. Wynn Nordlund, 17, had some great swims said Hoeben. In the 400 IM he trimmed nearly 10 seconds from his best time to finish in 5:06:45. In his 1,500 free, he finished in 17:38, trimming seven seconds. It was another strong performance.
The boys A relay team performed well winning the 4x100 medley, finishing second in the 4x100-m freestyle and fourth in the 4x200-m freestyle. The boys B relay earned a top eight finish in the 4x200-m free, while the girls A team earned the same result.
KISU swim relay team of Riley Wall, Sam Lasinski, Jaren Lefranc and Tyler Wall.
"There were some fast teams there," said Hoeben, adding that the Oregon Thunderbolds are fast. "It was good for our boys to go up against them."
Other swimmers having strong performances were Acacia Benn in the 200 IM and 100-m back, Reece Haberstock in the 200-m fly. Sam Lasinski had impressive performances earning a best time in the 200 IM and just missed third. Myah Nackoney trimmed times in her 200-m fly and the 100-m free, while Mackenzie Wallich enjoyed great performances in the 400 freestyle and 400 IM.
KISU as a team finished fifth overall among 42-plus teams.
"I'm truly happy with that. It's a tough field," said Hoeben, adding that the depth of swimmers is what makes it so competitive with teams from the U.S. and across Canada.