The Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club will have two swimmers attending nationals this year. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

Pair of Medicine Hat swimmers off to nationals

Jul 18, 2024 | 4:11 PM

A pair of Medicine Hat swimmers are heading to the national stage in Toronto during the Canadian Swimming Championship.

Both 15-year old Rowynn Biffart and 14-year old Caen McWilliams swim out of the Alberta Marlin Aquatic Club.

Biffart is attending nationals — taking place from July 24 to 30 — for a third time and has a busy schedule competing in ten different events.

“I’ll be swimming the 400, 200, 100, 50 free, 200, 100, 50 breast, 200 IM, 100 fly and 50 fly,” Biffart said.

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McWilliams gets to experience swimming at nationals for the first time, after setting a time strong enough time to qualify just a couple weeks ago at a meet in Edmonton.

He’ll swim in three backstroke events.

“I’m going to swim 200 back, 100 back and 50 back, and I’ve been swimming for I think six years of my life. Close to seven,” McWilliams said.

To reach the finals in each event the swimmers will have to first qualify in a preliminary swim at nationals.

Jordan Harper, AMAC head coach feels the two will benefit from having a teammate there, being able to lean on each other and feed off of each others success.

“If one guy has a good swim or one girl has a good swim, the next one feels really confident about what they can do next,” Harper said.

“Then just a chance to appreciate the fast swimmers that are all around them. Essentially who we have going with this meet is basically everybody who didn’t make the Olympic team,” he added.

“It’s going to be really fast competition and real good competition for them.”

Both swimmers are excited for nationals and said they are hoping to set new personal bests.

“I mean if I get some best times that would be pretty fun and just like kind of working on what my coach has been telling me about my stroke. That would be good,” McWilliams said.

“Yeah definitely, I would like to get some best times, some personal bests, work on things,” Biffart said.

The pair look to continue to grow and improve as swimmers and have some fun while doing it.