By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

After losing out to Team Bahamas in the CARIFTA Swimming Championships at the Betty Kelly Kenning Swim Complex, the Cayman Islands wanted to make sure that they made their presence felt in the open water 5K swim in Goodman’s Bay.

On Wednesday, one day after Team Bahamas clinched its sixth straight swim title, the Cayman Islands got a 1-2 punch in the boys’ 16-18 division.

Connor Macdonald snatched the gold from defending champion Dominic Hilton. Macdonald won in 1:02.29 with Hilton get-ting the silver in 1:02.30. The bronze went to Kaeden Gleason of the US Virgin Islands in 1:03.18.

“I’m pretty happy with my performance,” said 17-year-old Macdonald, who also got two silver and a bronze in the pool. “Me and my team-mate Dominic were pretty much racing together the whole time.

“It was a great event. I want to thank the Bahamas Aquatics for hosting us. For me it was a great experience overall. It was a good experience for the Cayman Islands.”

As the defending champion, Hilton said he didn’t want to lose his title, but if there was anyone to lose it to, it was his close friend and teammate Macdonald.

“We had a lot of stiff competition, but we were able to break away from them at the halfway mark. Me and Conner are great friends. We competed against each other in the Caymans finishing one and two, so it was great to be here to be the king of the open water swim.”

The 17-year-old Conner, who won a silver in the 200m breaststroke and a bronze in the 400m IM, thanked Bahamas Aquatics for hosting what he considered the best CARIFTA ever.

Malcolm Menzies was the top Bahamian competitor, coming across the line in seventh place in the same division in 1:06.30, just ahead of Donald Saunders Jr, who did 1:06.53 for eighth place.

“It was rough, but I found my pace and I gave it everything I had in the last lap,” said Menzies, a 15-year-old 10th grader at Windsor Academy. “It was pretty flat out there. It was a good condition to swim in. I felt good. I was even more happier that I got to watch The Bahamas win the sixth straight. I just wanted to do what I had to do for the team.”

Saunders Jr, 16, is still mourning the death of his father Donald Saunders Sr last Wednesday.

Jack Barr emerged as the champion in the boys 19-and-over division with his victory in 1:08.15. “It was an okay performance. I came here with the mindset that I would go out and win my division,” Barr said.

“Congratulations to the other swimmers. It was a long race. It was harder than the last one I competed in, so I’m glad that I finished and that I finished strong.”

Barr said he was really impressed with how many points The Bahamas won in the swimming championships. He said he’s looking forward to the team’s seventh straight next year in Trinidad & Tobago.

Joey Schvartz of Saint-Martin won the boys 14-15 division in 1:06.49.92. Noham Eustache of Martinique got the silver in 1:07.24.30 and the bronze went to Lennox Turnham-Wheatley of the Cayman Islands in 1:07.26.55.

Giada Bertoldo, a 16-year-old 10th grader at St Andrew’s School, produced the best showing for Team Bahamas, winning the girls 16-and-over title in 1:09.27.

“I’m proud of myself... I was able to find the right strategy and I stuck with a nice pace,” said Bertoldo, who had to shake off the fatigue from just sitting around watching the swim team compete for four days.

“I was tired at the start, but I finished strong. This was home court, so I knew I had to prepare for the five laps. But I think I got sick jumping in the pool during the celebrations last night. But I had to get over it to compete today.”

Grenada’s Tally Collymore got the silver in 1:10.28 and the bronze went to Cayman Island’s Teagan Nash in 1:10.32.

Two other Bahamians competed in the division with Alanna Murray placing sixth in 1:17.25 and Laylka Saidi seventh in 1:17.27.

There was also a sweep in the girls 14-15 division by Martinique with Sayne Guivissa and Maylis Lewstrade posting identical times of 1:09.07. Riley Watson of the Cayman Islands took third in 1:09.11.

Three Bahamians trailed each other through the finish line with Alexia Zatarain leading the way in eighth place in 1:17.21, Madison Gilbert was ninth in 1:17.46 and Alyssa Burrows was 10th in 1:35.03.

“I’m really proud of the team’s overall performance. It’s something that we have been trying to build for the past couple of years, so it’s good to see Bahamians really gaining some interest in this open water swim,” said head coach Mancer Roberts.

“Good performances from top to bottom. Really happy with the way they went out and swam today. I don’t know if people realise that they just swam an hour in the ocean against the current and all of the other factors. I was really proud of what our swimmers did.”