The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Team Bahamas is well on pace to complete their quest and make history at the XXI Caribbean Island Swimming Championships.

The 69-member team delivered another dominant performance in last night’s evening session at the Betty Kelly Kenning Aquatic Centre.

The Bahamas collected 22 medals in the session, with a multiple individual medal night from rising star Lamar Taylor and a pair of new CISC records for Albury Higgs and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.

The 200m Free was the first series of races and the Bahamas claimed four medals in the event.

In the senior division, Matthew Lowe stepped down from his usual distance specialties and won gold in 1:55.10 seconds while Joanna Evans also won gold in 2:02.95.

“I basically just go all out the whole time. Coming off of the last wall I was out front so I just had to keep going,” Lowe said. “The past year I’ve been training for open water and I recently swam an open water 10k in Portugal. I believe training for that made me so successful at nationals and now at CISC.”

Taylor won silver in the  Boys 11-12 division in 2:10.93 and Samuel Gibson won bronze in the Boys 13-14 in 2:02.72.

The 50 Fly was even more successful for Team Bahamas in which they netted six medals. Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace continued her dominance at the meet thus far and led a 1-2 finish for the Bahamas in the senior division.

“It was a good swim. I’m pretty happy with that. I was trying not to spin it too much because that’s what I tend to do with the 50m Fly,” Vanderpool-Wallace said. “It’s just a relaxing meet to be back home with family, be outside be in the hot weather and swimming outdoors. My coach just wants me to be home and have fun.”

She swam to a gold medal and new CISC record in 26.79 followed by Bria Deveaux who won silver in 28.59.

In the senior men, Vereance Burrows won bronze in 24.54.

Taylor won his third medal in three events with a silver in the Boys 11-12 in a time of 28.96. Darren Laing won silver in the Boys 13-14 in 26.16 and N’Nhyn Fernander added a third silver in the Boys 15-17 in 25.47.

Another pair of medal winners came in the 100m Back with Taylor continuing his busy night with a bronze in 1:07.98. Virginia Stamp followed with bronze in the Girls 13-14 in 1:07.10.

In the 400m Individual Medley, the Higgs sisters took gold and silver in the same race for the second consecutive night. Albury won gold in 5:05.59, a new CISC record, while Lilly took silver in 5:08.33.

Peter Morley took silver in the Boys 13-14 event in 4:57.09. Day 3 features the 200IM, 50m breast, 100m Free, 200m Fly and 800m Free Relays. The preliminary session begins at 9am with finals swam at 6pm.