The Cochrane Piranhas wrapped up their summer season in dominant fashion, capturing multiple medals, breaking club records, and showcasing their depth at the Alberta Summer Swimming Provincials in Edmonton this past weekend.
The Piranhas left their mark across all three days of the meet, highlighted by an impressive haul of individual medals, relay victories, and record-breaking swims.
Among the standout performers was Oli Johnson, who struck gold three times. Johnson captured top spot in the 15-17 boys 50m fly (26.19), 100m free (53.55) and 100m fly (59.88) before finishing the meet with a club record and gold in the 50m free (24.09) on Sunday. His strong performance led to claiming the Most Outstanding Award at provincials, based on accumulated FINA points.
Isaac Thibodeau was also a force, claiming gold in the 15-17 100m IM (1:02.99) and a pair of bronze medals, including the 100m back (1:05.14). He capped off the weekend with two new club records and another gold in the 200m IM (2:18.28).
Distance events brought more podium success. Eason Zhang earned gold in both the 400m (4:39.41) and 800m free (9:36.34) in the 15-17 boys division, while Evan Thibodeau grabbed silver in the 800m free (10:37.15) with a massive 28-second improvement on his personal best.
The girls also had a stellar meet. Katherine Anderson set a new club record in the 9-10 25m back, shattering a 14-year-old mark with a time of 18.44 and earning gold. Meadow MacPherson won gold in the 9-10 100m IM (1:30.85), while Lennon Arsenault claimed bronze in the same race.
Cienna Van Bruegel had a strong showing, earning silver in the 50m back (36.69) and bronze in the 200m free (2:13.94), while Brooke Kubic picked up bronze in the 11-12 100m back and later added silver in the 50m free (31.54).
Relay events proved another strong suit for the club. The 14&U mixed medley team of Luoying, Michael, Eileen and Evan Thibodeau earned gold and a new club record with a time of 2:13.41, slicing more than three seconds off their previous best. That same group also helped set a new club mark in the mixed free relay.
Other relay highlights included:
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Girls 11-12 region relay teams finishing first and second in the 200m medley
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Boys 8&U team claiming gold in the 100m medley regional relay
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10&U girls winning silver in the 100m medley and bronze in the 100m free relay
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12&U girls taking silver in both the medley and free relays
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Boys 14&U and 17&U teams earning bronze in the 200m free relays
Other individual medalists included:
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Michael Peterson, silver in 13-14 100m free (1:00.32)
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Maddison MacPherson, silver in 11-12 50m breast (41.98)
Altogether, the Piranhas brought home dozens of medals and shattered five club records, including:
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Katherine Anderson – 25m back
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Oli Johnson – 50m and 100m free
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Isaac Thibodeau – 200m IM
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14&U mixed relays – Free and Medley
With these results, the Piranhas have capped off a season to remember, proving their strength across all strokes, age groups, and distances at the provincial level.