The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JOANNA Evans and Izaak Bastian produced new Bahamian and Bahamas Open national records to highlight the performances of the Bahamas Swimming Federation’s Final Time Trials for the CARIFTA Games at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex over the weekend.

Both Evans and Bastian posted their record-breaking performances on the first day of competition on Friday. Evans, a 16-year-old student of Bishop Michael Eldon in Grand Bahama, lowered her own mark of four minutes and 20.69 seconds that she set at the Arena Grand Prix in Orlando, Florida during a US Circuit Meet on February 14.

“It was very good,” said Evans, a member of the Swift Swimming Club. “I planned not to go out too fast, but to just hold pace and it almost went perfectly to plan. It never goes perfect, but it’s as good as it goes.”

After solidifying her return to the Bahamas team for her fifth appearance at the Carifta Games, scheduled for April 21-27 in Aruba, Evans said it’s now time to get back to work in the pool as she anticipates going to and winning at least three more medals to add to the 11 she already has in her collection.

“I have to train as hard as I could and hopefully do the best that I can,” she stated.

Bastian, a 13-year-old 8th grader at Queen’s College and a member of the Barracudas Swim Club, got his record in the boys 11-12 200m breaststroke in a time of 2:38.61, erasing the previous mark of 2:41 that was done on April 16, 2009 by Dustin Tynes.

“I had a good meet. I was trying to get another record, but I fell short,” Bastian said. “It was a good race. I did my best. I tried to keep my stroke together and swim as fast as I could and I came out with the record.”

After falling short of winning a medal in his debut at Carifta last year, Bastian is hoping that he can return this year and turn things around.

While a number of competitors to perform going into the selection process meeting that was held on Sunday morning, there was at least one more major record produced. It was a Bahamas Open record that came from Victoria Russell of Swift Swimming in the girls 13-14 200m breaststroke in 2:48.33.

There were a number of national records that were also recorded in the boys under-8 divisions as some of their events were contested for the first time.

Among some of the other outstanding performances at the meet were Swift’s Alec Sands in the boys 13-14 distance events. Sands, a 14-year-old 9th grader at St Andrew’s, said he was pleased with his times, especially his personal best of 17:27.44 in the boys 13-14 1,500m freestyle.

“I had good drops in all of my swims and one of my best swims was in the 1,500 where I was in medal position for Carifta,” Sands said. “My first event was the 1,500 I was happy with that because it started off the meet for me with a big bang. After that, I swum the 200 free. I dropped my time there as well and I just swum the 200 free, which was also good for me.”

Sands, also the winner of the 800m freestyle in 4:26.45, is hoping to return for his second Carifta experience and if he goes, this time he intends to “do my best. I want to give it all I have.”

And 16-year-old Meshach Roberts of the Barracudas Swim Club, winner of the boys 15-17 200m backstroke, noted that the meet was a very competitive one.

“Friday night I was a little weak, but coming back today, I felt a lot better. I think today was my best performance,” said Roberts, an 11th grader at Queen’s College who won the above race in a Carifta qualifying time of 2:22.43 to go along with his 400m free qualifying time of 4:32.62.

“So far it’s been good. The 200 back is my favourite event so to get back on top was good.”

See results (on page E3) for top three performers, including those swimmers who would have also qualified for the Caribbean Island Swimming Championships (CISC) and the federation’s National Swimming Championships after the Carifta Games.