Olivia Harvey re-wrote the club record book and Norah Morrissey topped the gold medal parade, returning home with a troika of those trinkets, as the Nickel City Aquatics sent a delegation of 22 swimmers to the 43rd Annual Cindy Nicholas Memorial Meet in Markham earlier this month.
Setting a new standard for her team in the 15-16 or open girls age bracket in no less than 15 different events, Harvey managed to secure a pair of gold medals (50m freestyle - 27.35 seconds; 200m butterfly - 2:25.19), while adding four silvers (50m-100m-200m backstroke; 100m butterfly) and another pair of bronze medals (100m freestyle; 200m individual medley) to the mix.
As for Morrissey, the 11-12 girls competitor touched the wall first in both the 50m (29.91) and 100m freestyle (1:04.85) distances, as well as the 100m butterfly (1:19.68), picking up silver in the backstroke (50m), freestyle (200m) and individual medley (200m), and breaking four club records along the way.
Other NCA medal winners included Keegan Lepage (three silvers/two bronze), Dorothy Dong (two silvers), Matteo Ceccon (silver and bronze), Jayda Hartley (bronze in 50 backstroke) and Lainna Munro (200m butterfly).
Munro, Dong and Morrissey also joined with Ava St Martin to pick up silver in the girls 11-12 200m freestyle relay, their time of 2:10.13 just over two seconds back of the gold medal-winning team representing the Markham Aquatic Club.
In terms of club records, joining Harvey and Morrissey in the noteworthy grouping were Matteo Ceccon (10 and under 200m backstroke), Keegan Lepage (13-14 boys - 50m/200m breaststroke; 200m IM; 400m freestyle) and Tommaso Deni, who raised the bar for the NCA in five different events and also managed the most improved swim of the weekend, shedding 20.03% from his former PB in the 100m backstroke.
The vast majority of the above noted swimmers had either attained their SC (short course) Festival standards, or did so at this meet, with that particular accumulation of talent growing with the inclusion of Barbara Ceccon (11yr girls - five events), Matt Clapham (15 yr boys - 200 IM), Shane Clapham (12 yr boys - five events), Gabriella Falcioni (11 yr girls - 200m backstroke), Makinley Humphrey (12 yr girls - 50m freestyle), Finn Loewen (16 yr boys - seven events), Niko Ovaska (15 yr boys - seven events) and Angelina Wang (11 yr girls - five events).
Joining Dong, Falcioni and Morrissey in recording 100% personal best times was Lauren Buchkowski, with the NCA contingent rounded off with Blake Gough (8th - 200m backstroke - 3:38.0), Madison Veevers (17th - 50m butterfly - 47.33), Isabella Pandolfo (27th - 400m freestyle - 5:57.62) and Aislinn Munro (9th - 200m butterfly - 2:40.15).
