Highlanders Shine at Candy Cane Swim Meet — Issue 16

Highlander swimmers faced strong competition at the Candy Cane Swim Meet, hosted by the Truro Centurions Swim Club at the KES-alum-linked Wilsons Aquatic Centre in Truro from December 11–13. The meet closed out the first half of the short-course season with a weekend highlighted by numerous personal bests and finals appearances. The three-day event attracted 18 teams from across the Maritime provinces and remains a decades-long highlight on the regional swimming calendar.

Lillian Blois ’27 had an outstanding Candy Cane experience and delivered a very strong breaststroke-centred meet. She earned top-eight finishes in both the 100m and 200m breaststroke, improving by over three seconds in the 200m event. Lillian also added personal bests in the 50m breaststroke and 100m freestyle, rounding out a balanced and productive weekend.

Laura Napier-Whale ’30 showed huge progress in her backstroke events, improving by over six seconds in the 200m backstroke and earning a finals appearance. She also earned personal bests in her 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, and 100m backstroke.

Emery Endres ’28 had an excellent backstroke-focused meet, qualifying for finals in both backstroke events. Emery earned a fourth-place finish in the 50m backstroke and followed with another top-four result in the 100m backstroke final, continuing to establish herself as a reliable and composed racer. Always a solid sprinter, she also earned a significant improvement in her 50m freestyle.

Elaura Scotney ’32 gained valuable championship experience while racing a full and challenging schedule. Elaura has improved rapidly, moving from Nova Tech to her first AA/AAA competition. Her meet was highlighted by improvement in the 100m freestyle, along with solid swims in the 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley, as she continues to develop race confidence.

This was Julien Gingras ’27’s first time competing at the December classic, and he made a splash by earning personal bests in all of his events, delivering particularly strong performances in the breaststroke races. Julien qualified for finals in the 200m breaststroke and improved again in the evening swim to earn a top-eight finish. He also recorded personal bests in the 200m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and breaststroke sprint events, continuing his steady progression this season.

Jude Levangie ’27 delivered one of the standout performances of the meet, producing significant improvements across multiple events. Jude recorded a major breakthrough in the 100m butterfly, improving by over ten seconds and earning a top-five finish. He continued this momentum in the 200m individual medley with nearly eight seconds of improvement, earned a personal best in his 100m freestyle, and showed growing endurance in both the 200m backstroke and 400m freestyle.

After a successful soccer season, this was Cole Corkum ’26’s first meet wearing the Highlander swim cap. It is difficult to race at such a high level so shortly after returning to the water, but Cole remained keen and positive throughout the weekend. He raced consistently throughout the meet, qualifying for finals in the 50m breaststroke, 50m backstroke, and 200m backstroke.

The meet concluded with the Mixed 200m freestyle relay, where Highlander swimmers Lillian Blois, Emery Endres, Cole Corkum, and Julien Gingras combined for a strong top-five finish, closing the weekend on a positive and unified note.

The program also extends its sincere thanks to Ms. Shelley Skedden for her tremendous support of both athletes and coaches throughout the weekend, and to Ms. Vanessa Wade, whose presence on deck on the first day of the meet proved invaluable in ensuring a smooth and positive experience for our swimmers.

Our KES swimmers will next take to competition at the AA/Nova Tech meet in Greenwood on January 25.

Philip Hadley
Senior School Faculty
Coaching XC, T and F, KES Swimming