Four swimmers return from NZ

Four NMI swimmers returned Tuesday evening after competing in the Third Oceania Swimming Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Xenavee Pangelinan led the NMI team, swimming PB’s in four of her eight events, and came within a second in her other events. She also improved the qualifying time in the 100m Butterfly, allowing her to compete in the USA Junior Nationals in Grainesville, Florida in August.

Thirteen-year-old Dean Palacios, one of the youngest swimmers in the competition, swam excellent times dropping 2-4 seconds in his 100m Fr, 100m Back and 200m Breastroke events, and swam PB’s in his other events. Dean showed a remarkable improvement during the last part of the season when he was able to concentrate on his swimming.

Tamiko Winkfield swam one PB in the 100m Freestyle and equaled her best times in her distance events. She did not swim as well as she had done in Sydney last month where she lowered all her best times in the Pacific School Games.

The fourth swimmer was Sueng Gin Lee who swam three PB’s and was less than a second off his best other events. He ranked well in the middle of the pack in his events and right near the top with other Pacific Island swimmers.

The swimmers times by events were as follows:

Xenavee Pangelinan 100m Back 1:12.44, 200m Back 2:35.16,

50m Back 32:84, 100m Butterfly

1:05.46, 200m Butterfly 2:26.55, 200m

Individual Medley 5:25.88.

Dean Palacios 50m Free 27.83, 100m Free 1:01.67,

200m Free 2:13.80,
100m Back 1:11.28,

50m Breastroke 39.07, 100m Breast

1:20.90, 200m Breast 2:53.16, 100m Fly
1:07.28.

Tamiko Winkfield 100m Free 1:06.88, 200m Free 2:23.81
400m Free 4:58.79, 800 Free 10.16.16,
100m Fly 1:21.24, 200m Individual
Medley 2:50.34

Sueng Gin Lee 50m Free 27.09, 100m Free 59.23, 50m
Back 31.73, 100m Back 1:07.42, 200m
Back 2:34.01, 50m Fly 29.67, 100m Fly
1:05.09