The Red Deer Marlins won the regional championship in Lacombe this past weekend.

Among the numerous best times for all of the 69 swimmers the Club sent to the championships, they came home with 29 individual qualifiers to the provincial championship in Edmonton this weekend, plus numerous relay teams, 49 gold medals, 28 silver medals and 18 bronze medals.

Owen Halford led the team with four individual gold medals, two relay gold postings, and the provincial record in both the 12 and under 50m breaststroke and 100m breaststroke.

Alongside him with four individual golds were Daniel Stayer (18 and over men), Jane Gosling (15-17 girls), Madison Kohut (13-14 girls), Chloe Becher (11-12 girls) and Marin Walton (11-12 girls).

“We have a huge wide range of kids in our group. We have top of the province and provincial record holders, right down to kids who just enjoy swimming in the sport,” said Amanda Halford, president of the Red Deer Marlins.

“Right now, we are ranked fifth in the province. We are in a rebuilding year so it’s very difficult for us to go against the big city teams.

“(Regionals) is what brings the whole season together for the coaches.

“Because we are a competitive swim club, we still want the kids to compete – it’s the measure of success on how we have done over the last 15 weeks. For the coaches to see that improvement of the kids from the very first swim meet of the year, which happens to be our own swim meet in early June, until this one in the second week of August – it’s a huge measure of the kids’ success and their own progress across themselves.”

Registration for next year’s season begins in March.