Beggs swims to four TVRA medals

   The East Elgin Eagle one of three Elgin County swimmers to win races

   at the conference meet with over 40 advancing to WOSSAA

  February 10, 2023

By Rob J. Ross

LONDON, Ont. - Emma Beggs left the pool three times golden.

Beggs won the open girls' 100-meter I.M., 100-meter breaststroke and guided the East Elgin Eagles' open women's 200-meter medley relay team to gold, at the Thames Valley Regional Athletics (TVRA) swimming championships, February 8-9, at the Canada Games Aquatic Centre.

"I was overall very happy with my swims at TVRA. My individual events were right where they needed to be, and I was very impressed with how my relay team performed," said Beggs, who also finished second in the open girls' 100-meter backstroke. "The relay has been our main focus this season, so it was great to see all of our hard work pay off."

Along with Beggs, the Eagles' relay team is Valaurie Carson and twins Brooke and Ainsley Preszcator.

Beggs, who will be attending Edinboro University, in Pennsylvania this fall, was one of three individual race winners, from Elgin County schools.

Siena Begeman, of the Parkside Stampeders, won the open girls' 100 and 200-meter freestyle races and placed fourth, in the 50-free.

Parkside teammate Alexis Gray was as good as one-two-three, winning the high school division girls' 14 years and under 50-free (31.39 sec.), finishing second in the 100-free (1:12.92) and third, in the 50-back (36.30 sec.).

"I feel good about my (races) and got three new PBs. I'm excited for WOSSAA," Gray said. "I do track outside of school for STL (St. Thomas Legion), which has definitely helped, and tips from my coach have really helped improve my times. To try to go as far as I can underwater after doing my flip turns and starts for my 50 back. I work on this a lot at practice and it has improved my time by a lot."

Over 40 swimmers from East Elgin, Parkside, St. Joe's , Central Elgin and Dorchester, qualified from TVRA, for the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA), Wednesday, Feb. 15, back at the Aquatic Centre.

"At WOSSAA I would really like to drop a little bit more time off my individual events, and hopefully continue my winning streak with those," Beggs said. "As well, I hope our relay can do a best time, and finish first so we can advance to OFSAA. The key factors for our relay team will be to continue to encourage each other before and during our relay, because that truly creates an environment for success. As well, we can all work on the little technical things such as our dives and kick outs off the wall.

For secondary school swim competitions there are two divisions, Open, for active members of a swim club such as the St. Thomas Jumbo Jets, Aylmer Optimist Arrows or Ingersoll Speed Sharks and High School, for those who only swim for their schools.

OFSAA is February 28th and March 1, at the International Training Centre, in Windsor.

WOSSAA qualifiers:

CECI - Reina Walters, open girls, 7th, 100m breast, 1:35.14, 9th, 100 back, 1:25.53, 14th, 50 free, 33.75 sec.; Ty Theil, high school boys 15 years and over, 7th, 100 breast, 1:35.05; Carson Taylor, high school 15 year and over boys, 15th, 50 free. 33.10; Brianna McCague, high school 15 years and over girls, 15th, 100m; Lizzy Woolsey, high school 14U girls, 20th, 50 breast, 50.78 sec.

East Elgin - Female - Emma Beggs, open girls', 1st, 100 I.M., 2:34.09, 100 breaststroke, 1:18.91, 2nd, 100 back, 1:13.00; Cadence Neusteter, high school 15 years and over, 2nd, 50 free, 31. 38 sec., 5th, 100 back, 1;22.98, 8th, 50 fly, 40.10; Ainsley Preszcator, open girls', 50 free, 29.89 sec., 3rd, 100 back, 1:15.18, 4th, 100 I.M., 1:18. 40; Lauren Collard, high school 14U girls, 3rd, 50 breaststroke, 37.59 sec., 8th, 50 back, 41.24, 23rd, 50 free, 37.59; Brianna Syrnyk, high school girls 15 years and over, 5th, 50 free, 32.91, 5th, 50 fly, 35.36, 7th, 100 I.M., 1:25.16; Brooke Preszcator, open girls', 5th, 100 back, 1:15.18, 8th, 50 free, 30.47 sec., 8th, 100 I.M., 1:22.27; Ava Campbell, high school 14U girls, 5th, 50 fly, 40.41 sec., 12th, 50 free, 35.58 sec., 13th, 50 back, 43.67 sec; Mariska Buro, open girls', 10th, 100m breaststroke, 1:38.47; Ellery Beilhartz, high school girls 15 year and over, 24th, 100 breast, 1:22.27
Male - Matthew de Gelder, high school 14U boys, 8th, 50 free, 30.89 sec., 8th, 50 back, 44.70 sec., 16th, 50 breast, 44.36; Sam de Gelder, high school boys 15 years and over, 11th, 100m breast, 1:39.84, 12th, 50 free, 32.24 sec.
Relay - Open girls' 200m medley, 1st, Beggs, A. Preszcator, B. Preszcator, Carson; High school girls 15 years and over 200m medley, Collard, Beilhartz, Syrnyk, Neusteter, 2nd, 2:39.69;

Dorchester - Sammy Gardner-Bell, open boys', 4th, 100 I.M., 1:19.82, 6th, 200 I.M., 2:49.62, 12th, 50 free, 29.74

Parkside - Siena Begeman, open girls', 1st, 200 free, 2:23.04, 1st, 100 free, 1:05.39, 4th, 50 free 30.23 sec.; Alexis Gray, high school 14U girls, 1st, 50 free, 31.39 sec., 2nd, 100 free, 1:12.92, , 3rd, 50 back (36.30 sec.);
Rosie McCaw, high school 14U girls, 2nd, 50 back (35.65 sec.), 2nd, 50 fly, 34.36 sec., 2nd, 100 I.M., 1:22.10; Ruby Watson, high school 15 years and over girls, 7th, 50 free, 33.02 sec., Emily Landon, open girls', 4th, 50 free, 30.23 sec., Garrett Haveman, open boys, 7th, 50 free, 27.79 sec., 8th, 100 fly, 1:09.96, 14th, 100 free, 1:01.95;
Emma Wilcox, high school 15 years and over girls, 16th, 100m breast, 1:42.43; 23rd, 50 free, 36.35 sec., Addison Martin, high school 14U girls, 33rd, 50 free, 39.68 sec; High school 15 years and over girls, 200 free relay team of Rosie McCaw, Emma Wilcox, Lynsey Last, Addison Martin, 2:29.31

St. Joe's - Jaden de Miranda, high school boys 15 years and over, 2nd, 50 fly, 31.68 sec., 2nd, 100 free, 1:04.30, 3rd, 50 free, 27.60 sec.; Diego Alban-Gasca, 15 years and over para, 2nd, 50 free, 44.97 sec., 3rd, para 50 back, 1:08.28; Sarah VanVelzer, high school girls' 15 years and over, 3rd, 50 free, 31.94 sec., 4th, 100 breaststroke, 1:33.27, 4th, 100 free, 1:15.40; Isa Van Pelt-Castro, girls 15 years and over, 3rd, 100 free, 1:15.34;
Gabriel Dala, 15 years and over para, 4th, 50 free, 4th, 50 back, 1:23.08; Rebecca Rivard, high school girls 15 years and over, 6th, 200 free, 3:03.91, 18th, 100 free, 1:26.62; Shalem Hernandez, high school 14U boys, 5th, 100 free, 1:14.11, 7th, 50 free 30.87 sec., 15th, 50 breaststroke, 44.33 sec.; Dmytro Heichenko, high school boys 15 years and over, 8th, 100 free, 1:13.06;
Ryan Didham, high school 14U boys, 5th, 50 back, 41.24 sec., 9th, 50 free, 31.99; Lydia Drummelsmith, high school 14U girls, 9th, 100 free, 1:23.97, 17th, 50 free, 18th, 50 breaststroke, 0.70 sec.; Thomas Vu, open boys, 19th, 50 free, 31.89 sec.; Lucas Triana, high school 14U boys, 12th, 100 free, 1:21.66, 23rd, 50 free, 34.23 sec.; Sarah Dowswell, high school girls 14U, 50 back, 46.18 sec.; high school boys 15 years and over 200 free relay, Dmytro Heichenko, Ryan Didham, Shalem Hernandez, Jaden de Miranda, 1st, 1:59.56; high school girls 15 years and over 200 free relay, Isa Van Pelt-Castro, Rebecca Rivard, Lydia Drummelsmith, Sarah VanVelzer, 5th, 2:22.24.

        rob@hometownplay.ca

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