Fast and Fierce Invitational Summary
May 15, 2026
Short, Sweet, and Fast
The Comets Fast and Fierce Invitational was a quick and productive weekend of racing. A small group of Black and Red squad athletes used the meet to refresh their Alberta Summer Games times, while the White and Grey squads focused on bringing down their personal bests. With medals handed out generously, the standout achievements were the newly acquired provincial standards and significant time drops.
One Race, One Cut
Sometimes you only need a single event to get the job done. Justin Astridge rolled into the 50 Backstroke with a specific objective: hitting a Mel Zajac qualifying time. He pulled it off in dramatic fashion, taking gold and immediately confirming his travel plans.
First Ticket to Festivals
10-year-old Lucas Chee and family will be heading back to Grand Prarie after he punched his very first ticket to Festivals in the 100 Breaststroke.
Dismantling the IM
A season's worth of effort and training in all four strokes was on display in the 100 Individual Medley. 9-year-old Grace L'Hirondelle erased a stunning 18.1% off her previous best time. Ellie Helfrich dropped 18.0%, and Andella Zembiak carved off 17.4%. Sayde Mason (12.7%) and Katherine Isseme (10.2%) also posted double-digit percentage drops.
Joining the Top 10
A few swimmers quietly added their names to the all-time top 10 rankings. 11-year-old Sophia Rippe jumped to #5 in the 100 Free and added a #8 rank in the 50 Fly. 8-year-old Jasper Phillips cracked the top 10 in the 200 Free at #9. Jolie Stone earned two #9 rankings in the 200 Back and 50 Fly, while Audrey Thompson and Esme Hockey both secured new top-10 spots.
The Bottom Line
Congratulations to all the athletes who proved that a short meet can still produce incredibly fast results.
Check out the updated top-10 lists, and more, on our [rankings site]
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Meet: Comets Fast and Fierce Invitational
Location: SLS Centre
Dates: 2026-05-08
Podium finishes – Individual events
Swimmer
Gold
Silver
Bronze
Vera Swanson
200 IM, 50 Back, 100 Fly, 100 Back, 50 Fly, 100 IM, 50 Breast
Lucas Chee
50 Fly, 200 Back, 200 Breast, 100 IM, 100 Breast, 50 Breast
200 IM, 50 Back
Weston Phillips
200 Breast, 400 Free, 100 Breast, 200 IM, 100 IM, 50 Breast
Samantha Campbell
100 IM, 200 Breast, 50 Breast, 50 Fly, 100 Fly
100 Breast, 200 IM
50 Free
Silas Kwok
100 Breast, 50 Fly, 50 Breast, 100 Free, 50 Free
100 Back
Audrey Thompson
50 Free, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 50 Breast
50 Fly, 100 Free
Griffin Maaskant
100 Free, 100 Back, 50 Free
100 IM
50 Fly, 200 IM, 100 Breast, 50 Breast
Theda Pasalic
100 Breast, 200 Free, 200 IM
50 Breast
50 Back, 200 Breast
Marcus Ying
200 IM, 50 Back
100 Breast
Sophia Rippe
50 Fly, 100 Free
100 Breast
Cameron Middleton
200 Breast, 100 Fly
100 IM, 200 IM
Lincoln Giroux
100 IM, 400 Free
200 Back
Desmond Phillips
100 Back
100 Breast, 50 Breast, 100 Free, 50 Free
Huxley Maaskant
50 Back
100 IM, 200 Back, 200 IM
Ria Veronica Mangubat
200 Breast
200 Back, 50 Back, 50 Breast
Everett White-O'Neil
200 Back
100 Back, 50 Fly
100 Breast, 100 Free, 50 Free
Esme Hockey
100 Fly
50 Free, 200 Free
100 Back, 50 Breast
Lauren Craig
100 IM
200 IM, 200 Breast
200 Back, 100 Breast
Willa Gaudet
100 Free
200 Free
100 Back, 200 IM
Courtney Middleton
200 Back
100 Back
50 Fly
Jasper Phillips
200 Free
50 Back, 100 Free, 100 Back
Justin Astridge
50 Back
Nathaniel Ellens
50 Fly, 50 Breast, 200 Free, 100 Back
100 IM
Jolie Stone
50 Back, 50 Fly
100 IM, 200 Back
Santiago Reyes-Lopez
50 Back, 200 Breast
Mya Warwick
400 Free
Sally Chugg
200 Breast
Julia Su
200 IM, 50 Fly
Clara Ellens
100 IM
James Timmins
200 Free
Oliver Gilbertson
50 Free
New time standards
Swimmer
Age
Trials
Festival
Desmond Phillips
12
100 Breast
Esme Hockey
11
100 Breast
Lincoln Giroux
11
100 IM, 400 Free
Lucas Chee
10
100 Breast
★ First
Silas Kwok
12
50 Breast, 50 Fly
Weston Phillips
13
50 Breast
Notable improvements
Swimmer
Age
Improvement
Event
Grace L'Hirondelle
9
18.1%
100 IM
Ellie Helfrich
11
18.0%
100 IM
Andella Zembiak
10
17.4%
100 IM
Sayde Mason
11
12.7%
100 IM
Katherine Isseme
9
10.2%
100 IM
New club records – all-time top 10
Swimmer
Age
Event
All-time rank
Audrey Thompson
11
100 Back
#8 (new to top 10)
Esme Hockey
11
100 Fly
#9 (new to top 10)
Jasper Phillips
8
200 Free
#9 (new to top 10)
Jolie Stone
9
200 Back
#9 (new to top 10)
Jolie Stone
9
50 Fly
#9 (new to top 10)
Sophia Rippe
11
100 Free
#5 (was #8)
Sophia Rippe
11
50 Fly
#8 (new to top 10)