If this past weekend’s results are any indication, the Merritt Otters Swim Club is in for one heck of a season.

Led by last year’s provincial champions Taylor Carmichael and Bianca Cavaliere, the Otters racked up a ton of medal performances and Top-8 finishes at the annual Tsunami Meet, held at the Brocklehurst Pool in Kamloops.

Otters’ head coach Gia Bogetti said the strong showing in the Tournament Capital City followed two spectacular meets in Salmon Arm and Lumby on previous weekends, including four record-setting performances by Cavaliere.

“So far, almost every swimmer who has competed has improved their times in every event,” Bogetti said.

Despite having only 19 swimmers (of the 40 or more who have registered with the club to date) at the early-season competition in Kamloops, the Otters team finished fourth overall, and had four swimmers (Carmichael, Cavaliere, Miranda Cavaliere, Beau Paterson) pick up aggregate medals.

In addition, three Merritt swimmers broke club records on the weekend.

Carmichael set a new standard in the Div. 6 50-metre butterfly event with a time of 32.11 seconds.

In Div. 4 100-metre breaststroke, Cassie O’Flaherty topped the field and the record books with a 1:29.83 clocking.

Both of the aforementioned Otters’ records were previously held by Alex Rubner.

Finally, in the Div. 2 50-metre backstroke event, Cavaliere posted a new club-best time of 42.38 seconds.

Bogetti, new Otters’ coach Kristine Lawson and all their enthusiastic, young charges are very much looking forward to Merritt’s home meet on the July 6-7 weekend at the Nicola Valley Aquatic Centre.

Anyone interested in joining the Otters, or learning more about the swim club, is encouraged to contact the club’s registrar, Amanda Carmichael, at 378-3480 or [email protected]. They can also visit the club’s website at merrittotters.weebly.com.

Meet the Otters’ coaches

Head coach Gia Bogetti, 23, is back for her third season with the Merritt Otters Swim Club.

A native of Kamloops, Bogetti is currently attending Simon Fraser University in Vancouver where she is taking a bachelor of science in physical geography.

Bogetti competed for three seasons with the SFU Clan swim team. She attended the national collegiate championships each year, and was a member of two Simon Fraser relay teams that broke long-standing NAIA records.

Prior to her university career, Bogetti swam for the Kamloops Classics. She competed in many finals at Age Groups, Westerns and Nationals, and has held 20 individual club records at one time or another.

This is Kristine Lawson’s first season as a coach with the Otters. The 21-year-old is also a student at SFU, with majors in criminology and sociology.

Born and raised in Coquitlam, Lawson has swum for four seasons at SFU. She is a nationally-ranked competitor, and was an NAIA All-American in 2010 and 2011, and a NCAA Div. II All-American in 2013.

Lawson is the holder of numerous records with the Hyack Swim Club of New Westminster.