It turns out some Panthers are as quick in the water as they are on the land.
The Merritt Secondary School swim team took to the pool on Sunday at the Okanagan high school swim meet, putting together a number of top 10 finishes despite competing against older competition.
The format of high school swim meets forces girls and boys of all ages to swim against one another, meaning Grade 8s must outrace Grade 12s to have a chance at moving on to the provincial meet.
The top three swimmers in each event at the Okanagan meet qualify for the provincial championships, which are held from Nov. 16 to 17 in Richmond.
Click to enlarge.
With all team members who competed at the Okanagans in Grade 10 or younger, the Panthers program faced long odds in a number of events which were dominated by senior swimmers.
Still, a number of Merritt athletes managed to finish within the top three, including Paige Asselstine (Grade 8) and Bianca Cavaliere (Grade 10).
Asselstine finished second in backstroke and third in the individual medley, while Cavaliere was second in the 50 metre butterfly.
Meanwhile, one Grade 7 student, Cruz Slanzi, swam as an exhibition swimmer for Merritt.
