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TVRA 2024 swimming
 

Preszcator swims to four TVRA gold 

 

 Ainsley and twin Brooke lead Eagles to team title while both overcome

 injuries aiming to have an OFSAA missed during basketball season

 

 

  January 13, 2024

 

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By Rob J. Ross

LONDON, Ont. - Ainsley Preszcator made a huge splash at the pool.

Preszcator won three races and was part of the East Elgin Eagles golden medley relay team, at Thames Valley Region Athletics (TVRA) swimming championships, January 10-11 at the Canada Games Aquatic Games.

The Grade 12 athlete won the high school division 15 years and over girls 50 free, 100 I.M and 100 backstroke.

"It's my last TVRA, so it felt really good to go out with a bang," Ainsley said. "Two events, my 50 free and 100 back, I was seeded first so I had more of a expectation of myself to do well in those events. In my 100, I wasn't too concerned because I haven't swam it in a long time. That event was more of a surprise to me. One hundred back and 50 free are my two top races and anything 50 is fun for me. Short little races are fun."

Preszcator, with her twin Brooke, Megan Sleegers and Cadence Neusteter, took gold in the high school division 15 years and over girls 200-metre medley relay race.

London Banting actually finished first in the relay, but was disqualified for an early takeover.

"We knew we didn't have as fast as a seed time as Banting. We went in not really trying to focus too hard on winning necessarily. We just wanted to make that WOSSAA cut," said Ainsley. "It started with Brooke's 50 back and she got us off to a nice lead and from there we knew we had a chance. We all went all out. Cadence was super, super close at the end. Banting did out touch us, but they got disqualified.

"A goal is to beat them at WOSSAA."

Brooke Preszcator finished second in both the 100 free and 100 back and fifth in the 50 free.

"My best was my 100 free," Brooke said. "I was expecting it to be my worse because I haven't really swam it since I was 14. It was a last minute thing. I didn't know what other event I wanted to do. I had zero expectations, but ended up taking off three seconds of my (best) time."

Their results helped the Eagles tie London Banting for TVRA overall team champs.

The six foot three inch Preszcator sisters share a common goal, advance to OFSAA and swim well, after missing OFSAA basketball due to injuries.

Ainsley missed the entire tournament, suffering a concussion during WOSSAA, and only could watch her teammates play at the provincial championship.

"It was really hard," said Ainsley. "When I got hit at WOSSAA, I kind of knew I wasn't going to be able to play the rest of the season. It was hard sitting on the bench knowing I was limited to just being there and I couldn't step on the court. "It's one of the main factors for me. I want to have that OFSAA experience and it's more a redemption event for me."

Brooke played one game at OFSAA, before an ankle injury ended her season.

"It was really sad when I fell and injured my ankle, because I really wanted to finish off my basketball season strong," said Brooke. "It was really unfortunate, but it's driving me to do better at swimming because I really want to have that OFSAA experience, where I do really well and be proud of what I did."

The twins now set their focus on the Western Ontario (WOSSAA) championships, back at the aquatic centre on Valentine's Day. Swimmers need to attain OFSAA qualifying times to advance to the high school provincial meet, March March 5-6, at the Pan Am Sports Centre in Toronto.

"I've just come back off of my concussion from basketball, so I think a lot of it is practices for me," said Ainsley, "and putting in a lot of effort and focus at my practices to get back to where I was last year."

Adds Brooke.

"Similar to Ainsley, practicing making sure my ankle is strong enough because in certain areas, like starting and turning, it's still a little weak. I want to get my strength back up so I can perform to the best of my ability."

Two other female swimmers took home four gold medals. Raina Parkes, of the Lucas Vikings, won the 14 years and under 50 breaststroke, 100 I.M., 50 back and was on the Vikings' 200-metre medley relay team. Jacquie Chambers, of Banting, won open girls 200 free, 400 free, 100 back and 200 metre medley relay.

Parkside Stampeders Rosie McCaw won the high school division 15 years and over girls 50 fly, finished fourth in the 50 free and fifth in the 100 I.M.

The Central Elgin Titans and St. Joseph's Rams also had several athletes qualify for WOSSAA.
 

 

WOSSAA qualifiers
 

CECI Titans

Girls - Reina Walters, open, 10th, 100 back, 1:25.74, 11th, 100 I.M., 1:24.95, 13th, 50 free, 33.87; Raegan Jackson, high school 15 years & over, 3rd, 200 free, 7th, 100 breaststroke, 1:40.19, 7th, 100 back, 1:26.94; Hannah Scott, high school 15 years & over, 16th, 100 back, 1:42.43, 44th, 50 free, 38.29; Anna Kraemar, high school 15 years & over, 13th, 100 back, 1:36.82
Boys - Carson Taylor, high school 15 years & over, 11th, 100 free, 1:14.13), 14th, 50 free, 31.16; Caydin Le, high school 15 years & over, 23rd, 50 free, 33.27; Ty Theil, high school 15 years & over, 5th, 100 breaststroke, 1:32.20, 30th, 50 free, 33.90.
Relay - high school 15 years & over girls, 200 medley, 9th (Anna Kraemer, Isabel Southhorn, Nandini Seth, Eden Campbell) 3:31.82; high school 15 years & over girls 200 free, 10th (Hannah Scott, Katie Moffat, Paige Smith, Raegan Jackson) 2:35.77; high school 15 years & over girls, 200 free, 17th (Isabel Southhorn, Anna Kraemer, Tayla Hatch, Nandini Seth) 3:00.50.

 

East Elgin Eagles

Boys - Owen Charlton, open boys, 16th, 50 free, 32.54; Matthew de Gelder, high school 14 years & under, 5th, 50 free, 29.99, 7th, 50 back, 42.68 sec., 12th, 50 breaststroke, 41.99;
Girls - Ainsley Preszcator, high school 15 years & over, 1st, 50 free, 30.44 sec.,1st, 100 I.M., 1:17.26, 1st, 100 back, 1:13.80; Brooke Preszcator, high school 15 years & over, 2nd, 100 free, 1:13.20, 2nd, 100 back, 1:19.87, 5th, 50 free, 31.48; Lauren Collard, high school 14 years & under girls, 3rd, 50 back, 38.52 sec., 4th, 50 breaststroke, 43.86, 8th, 100 I.M., 1:31.15; Cadence Neusteter, high school 15 years & over, 5th, 100 free, 1:14.87, 6th, 50 free, 31.89, 8th, 100 back, 1:27.21; Ava Campbell, high school 14 years and under, 6th, 50 back, 40.22 sec., 8th, 50 fly, 41.20 sec., 17th, 50 free, 34.72 sec; Megan Sleegers, high school 15 years & over , 21st, 100 breaststroke, 1:48.09, 21st, 100 I.M., 1:39.42, 43rd, 50 free, 38.16;
Emily Weninger, open girls, 6th, 100 I.M., 1:22.09, 8th, 50 free, 31.67, 9th, 100 free, 1:10.72; Mariska Buro, open girls, 9th, 100 breaststroke, 1:38.29, 11th, 100 back, 1:28.98, 13th, 100 I.M., 1:28.25.
Relay - high school 15 years & over girls (Preszcatorx2, Sleegers, Neusteter), 1st, 200m medley relay, 2:27.98; open girls, 200m medley (Ava Campbell, Lauren Collard, Emily Weninger, Mariska Buro), 4th, 2:35.39


Parkside

Girls - Rosie McCaw, high school 15 years & over, 1st, 50 fly, 33.72, 4th, 50 free, 31.16, 5th, 100 I.M. 1:20.55; Alexis Gray, high school 15 years & over girls, 3rd, 100 back, 1:22.96, 4th, 100 free, 1:14.65, 7th, 50 free, 31.99; EmJ Wilcox, high school 15 years & over 17th, 100 breaststroke, 1:46.29, 40th, 50 free, 37.94; Addison Martin, high school 14 years & under, 19th, 100 free, 1:26.35, 33rd, 50 free, 37.23; Lillian Taylor, high school 15 years & over, 46th, 50 free, 39.08; Paisley Vachon, open girls, 5th, 100 fly, 1:22.52, 7th, 100 breaststroke, 1:33.93, 8th, 100 I.M. 1:23.32
Boys - Cameron Morrison, high school 14 years & under, 5th, 100 free, 1:13.55, 8th, 50 free, 31.24, 8th, 50 breaststroke, 41.22; Nolan Peel, high school 15 years & over, 21st, 50 free, 32.92
Relay - open girls medley, 3rd, (Gray, Vachon, McCaw, Landon) 2:26.67; high school 15 years & over, 200 free relay, 9th (Addison Martin, Annie Renaud, Lillian Taylor, EmJ Wilcox) 2:35.72
 


St. Joe's

Para - Diego Alban-Gasca, 3rd, men's 50 free, 47.50. 3rd, 50 back, 1:04.75.
Girls - Isabella Van Pelt-Castro, high school 15 years & over, 3rd, 100 free, 1:14.30, 7th, 50 fly, 38.37, 10th, 50 free, 32.77; Sarah VanVelzer, high school 15 years & over, 5th, 100 breaststroke, 1:34.64, 6th, 100 free, 1:14.92, 13th, 50 free, 33.39
Boys - Shalem Hernandez, high school 15 years & over, 2nd, 100 back, 1:24.30, 9th, 100 free, 1:13.04, 11th, 50 free, 30.44; Ryan Didham, high school 15 years & over, 12th, 50 free, 30.50, 7th, 100 back, 1:30.35; Thomas Vu, open boys, 9th, 50 free, 29.87
Relay - high school 14 years & under girls, 200 free (Eva-Marie Johnson, Danielle Blackall, Mya Hann, Emily Blackall) 14th, 3:00.37; high school 15 years & over boys, 200 free (Ryan Didham, Matthew Maifrini, Lucas Wall, Shalem Hernandez) 6th, 2:14.87; high school 15 years & over boys 200 free (Bazhan Nahnybida, Simon Neeb, Ben Santiago, Matthew Kobal) 9th, 2:38.16.nts.

 


        rob@hometownplay.ca

 

 

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