Meet Highlights: Cunningham Classic

The Cunningham Classic is named in honor of Angus Cunningham, one of the longest-serving officials at the Region of Waterloo Swim Club. This meet is a tribute to Angus and his unwavering commitment to the club. Even after his daughter graduated in 2011, Angus has continued to serve ROW year after year. His dedication to the club and his ability to create an athlete-focused environment make him a cornerstone of our swim community. The first meet after March Break is designed to ease athletes back into racing while setting the tone for the rest of the season. Junior and less experienced swimmers are learning to transition from short course meters (SCM) to long course meters (LCM) racing, facing a valuable learning curve. This meet marks an important starting point for a new training block, and for many athletes in SD, RSA Comp, AGD, JD1, and JD2 groups, it will be their first experience racing in an LCM format.

Day 1 of the meet focused on distance events, with races offered in the 400 IM, 800 Free, and 1500 Free. Several athletes took on distance racing for the first time, including Ankit D and Ananya P in the 400 Free, and Parnia A in the 400 IM. Many swimmers competed in the 800 Free, such as Miran D, Eliza L, Sadie R, and others, while a large group, including Le Anne D, Nathan L, and Mia T, tackled the 1500 Free. The day featured strong performances, highlighted by Kate H achieving her second OSC standard, officially qualifying her for the 2025 Summer OSCs.

Day 2 challenged both juniors and seniors with tough racing conditions designed to build endurance and resilience. Juniors raced early in the morning, an unusual experience for 12&U swimmers, focusing on maintaining effort, technique, and body position, especially in the second half of long course meters (LCM) lengths. Many competed using converted seed times, and some, like Ellen B (100 Fly) and Nora H (200 Fly), raced new events for the first time. Seniors faced intense back-to-back sessions with just 1.5 hours between, testing their ability to fuel, recover, and push through fatigue. Despite the demanding schedule, there was incredibly spirited racing, with some athletes even achieving lifetime personal bests in their fifth and sixth events of the day—an impressive feat given the meet’s design.

Day 3 brought a high-energy sprint session where all age groups raced together, creating an electric atmosphere and a strong sense of unity on the busiest pool deck of the year at WLU. Athletes worked collaboratively to ensure everyone could warm up and compete effectively. One of the day's standout moments was the non-traditional 300 Free Relay, where teams were formed based on a combined age of 68 years or under, mixing swimmers across different training groups. Led by National Development athletes swimming the first 100m, it was thrilling to see the teamwork across levels. The women’s B team—Le Anne D, Athena L, Stella N, Chloe F, and Dakota L—captured first place and the gift basket prize, while the top men’s team—Lucas LB, Ethan W, Liam B, Harry F, and Sebastian F—finished a strong second.

The exciting Eliminator event took place on Day 3, featuring multiple rounds of 50s with elimination after each race. Although technical issues limited the event to only the first two rounds, athletes showed outstanding speed, stamina, and racing spirit, pushing through increasing fatigue. A big shout-out to all swimmers who qualified for this high-energy, non-traditional event across Fly, Back, Breast, and Free:

Fly Qualifiers:

• Girls: Athena L, Angelica C, Sophie R, Ishita P, Le Anne D, Esther S, Olivia G, Sunny X, Erin G, Abigail C, Mia T
• Boys: Zade M, Ethan W, Beckett S, Aris C, Sebastian H, Nic W, Jackson W, Michael T, Tiger Q, Oliver O, Lucas LB, Joseph L, Nathan L, Kentaro D, Edy N

Backstroke Qualifiers:

• Girls: Violet P, Alex S, Anna G-F, Le Anne D, Olivia G, Sunny X, Mia T, Erin G, Megan B, Dakota L
• Boys: Zade M, Ethan W, Oliver M, Nic W, Xavier H, Oliver O, Nathan B, Lucas LLB, Kentaro D, Nathan W, Cam S, Sebastian F
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Breaststroke Qualifiers:

• Girls: Athena L, Neha V, Emilia T, Sophie R, Anna G-F, Ishita P, Ananya P, Kate H, Camilla C, Dakota L, Gabby H
• Boys: Zade M, Leo SM, Beckett S, Aris C, Sebastian H, Nic W, Michael T, Xavier H, Tiger Q, Edy N, Nathan W, Joseph L, Nathan L, Sebastian F, Cam S

Freestyle Qualifiers:

• Girls: Athena L, Violet P, Sophie R, Alex S, Olivia G, Le Anne D, Esther S, Sunny X, Mia T, Megan B, Abigail C
• Boys: Ethan W, Leo SM, Aris C, Oliver M, Beckett S, Sebastian H, Michael T, Tiger Q, Xavier H, Joseph L, Lucas LB, Nathan L, Kentaro D

Club Records: Chris Rus set two new club records in the 11/12 Boys LCM category, clocking 35.53 in the 50 Breast and 29.83 in the 50 Fly.