National swim team pouches medals, sets records at OECS Championships

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) pouched 72 individual medals, 10 team medals and reset records at the 30th edition of the OECS Swimming Championships which took place at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Center in St Lucia from November 11 to 13.

Among the individual medal tally for the 24- member SVG team were 17 gold, 26 silver and 29 bronze.

Topping the individual accolades was Hazen Dabriel, competing in the Boys 11-12, winning 5 gold, 5 silver and one bronze.

Dabriel’s gold medals came in the 100m Freestyle and Backstroke, the 50m Breaststroke, and Butterfly and the 200m Individual Medley.

Mya De Freitas, swimming in the Girls 15-17 age group set two new OECS records in the 200m Freestyle and 400m Freestyle. She collected 3 gold medals, 2 silver and a bronze.

Joining Dabriel and De Freitas as standout performers for the Vincentian contingent was Kennice Greene who copped 3 gold medals, 2 silver and 4 bronze.

In the process, Greene shattered OECS records in the 50m Freestyle and Butterfly in the Girls 13-14 age category.

St Vincent and the Grenadines also took gold in the Mixed 11-14 age group as the quartet of Matthew Ballah, Brandon George, Kennice Greene and Zariel Nelson, set a new record in the 200m Freestyle relay.

Other medal winners included Belle Adams who competed in the Girls 9-10 age group winning 2 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals; while Caghry Williams earned himself one gold, one silver and one bronze, as he contested in the Boys 9-10 age group.

Adding to the individual medal list was Jadon Hamilton, who got 2 silver and 3 bronze medals, also in the Boys 9-10 age group.

In the relays, St Vincent and the Grenadines took silver in the 200m Medley of the Girls 13-14 age group with Kevern Da Silva, Kathryn Cumberbatch, Kennice Greene and Zariel Nelson.

The Vincentians did likewise, in the Boys 11-14 age group in the same event, via the combination of Matthew Ballah, Brandon George, Tyler Robinson and Seth Ballah.  

Other silver medals were won by the Girls 15 & Over 200-metres Freestyle Relay team of Tia Gunmunro, Rhema Robinson, Abigail Deshong and Mya Defreitas  
 Bronze was secured by the Boys 15 and Over 200 metres Medley relay team comprising Nikolas Sylvester, Bryson George, Kenale Alleyne and Eltonte Leonard.  

 In the Mixed 10 & Under 200-metres Freestyle relay, the team of Belle Adams, Skylar Byron, Jadon Hamilton and Caghry Williams won bronze.  

 Bronze medals in the Mixed 15 and Over 200-metres Freestyle relay came from Tia Gun-munro, Mya De Frietas, Kenale Alleyne and Nikolas Sylvester.

Bronze was also pouched in the Boys 15 and over 200-metres Freestyle relay via the team of Kenale Alleyne, Bryson George, Eltonte Leonard and Nikolas
Sylvester; as well as in the 200-metres Freestyle relay Boys 11-14 age group with the team of Brandon George, Hazen Dabriel, Seth Byron and Matthew Ballah.

Apart from St Vincent and the Grenadines, the other competing countries were Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Martin and host, St Lucia.
Antigua and Barbuda was crowned overall champions.