The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

THE Alpha Aquatics Swim Club won their annual invitational swim meet held at the Betty Kelly Kenning swim complex over the weekend.

At the end of the two-day meet held on Friday and Saturday, Alpha posted the highest scores of 513 points in the women’s division and 511 in the men’s division They were followed by the Mako Aquatics Club and the Barracuda Swim Club. (See final team scores)

The meet, which attracted a 10-member team from the Turks & Caicos Islands, also served as a qualifier for the 2020 CARIFTA Swimming Championships in Barbados over the Easter holiday weekend. Head coach David del Cueto said the meet lived up to its billing.

“We are now getting the team ready for CARIFTA, so this is good to get this meet in,” said Cueto, who made the switch over from the Dolphins swim club last year. “The swimmers came here and swum good. It was a very good meet.”

As for the competition, Cueto said the weather was a little cooler than usual and although they had some rain, but they got in all of the events.

Among the multiple winners was Saleste Gibson of the Alpha Swim Club in the girls’ 9-10 division.

She won the 200m individual medley in 3;19.2850m butterfly in 49.96; 200m freestyle in 2:50.78 and the 50mfreestyle in 34.25.

Mia Sastre of MAKO touched the wall in 33.63 in the 50m backstroke in the girls’ 13-14 division, 1:03.13 in the 100m freestyle and the 100m butterfly in 1:11.03.

Mark-Anthony Thompson of Alpha captured the boys 15-and-over 100m breaststroke in 1:09.34; the 200m breaststroke in 2:37.40 and the 50m freestyle in 26.42. Thompson was also runner-up twice to Mako’s Joshua Murray.

In the 200m freestyle, Thompson clocked 2:06.26 to Murray’s 2:04.67 and 100m freestyle, Murray did 55.83, followed by Thompson in 56.15. The meet also attracted teams from Grand Bahama and coach Kenneth Williams brought a 10-member team from the Turks & Caicos Islands to participate.

The International School of Turks & Caicos were led by Lenin Hamilton, who won the boys’ 9-10 freestyle in 2:55.14, was runner-up in the 50m backstroke in 41.32 behind MAKO’s Maxwell Daniels (39.73) and the 200m IM in 3:17.44 behind Barracuda’s Will Ferguson (3:02.87).

“I think the preparation of our kids for this meet was very good,” Williams said. “Most of the kids were timid and afraid, but I think most of them were able to compose themselves and they were able to compete very well here.”

Williams said he thoroughly enjoyed the competition, the first time they’ve been to a meet like this. “Everything went very well. They started on time, which was very encouraging and everything worked out very well,” he said. “I think we enjoyed ourselves and we hope that we can come back and compete in the meet next year.”

• Here’s the final team scores:

Women’s

Division

Alpha Aquatics 513

YMCA Waverunners 281

Mako Aquatics 281

Barracuda Swim Club 190

Mantas Swim & Water Polo 111

Sea Waves Aquatic Team 78

Team Orca 53

Turks & Caicos Aquatics 35

Blue Waves 3Swim Club 0

Dolphins swim Club 26

Turks & Caicos International 2

Men’s

Division

Alpha Aquatics 511

Mako Aquatics 450.50

Barracuda Swim Club 160

Mantas Swim & Water Polo 106

Dolphins Swim Club 98

Turks & Caicos Aquatics 87.50

Freeport Aquatic Club 78

YMCA Waverunners 73

Team Orca 62

Turks & Caicos International 40

Unatt - Alpha International 10

Blue Waves Swim Club 5

Sea Waves Aquatic Team 4