CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — Charlie Morse will swim at the Canadian Olympic Trials in 2020.
The 16-year-old Charlottetown native recently qualified during the 100-metre free competition of the Ken Dunn Nova Scotia provincial championships in Halifax. He finished the race in a senior boys’ provincial record time of 53.13, which earned him a gold medal. The Olympic Trials standard is 53.25.
He also set provincial records in the 50- and 100-metre free, winning silver and gold medals, respectively. The Colonely Gray High School student added a bronze in the 200m free.
Morse joins Charlottetown’s Alexa McQuaid as Bluephins who have qualified for the trials.
He was one of eight junior and senior level swimmers from the Charlottetown Bluephins Aquatic Club to compete in the four-day event that attracted 21 teams from Nova Scotia, P.E.I., Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Bluephins finished ninth overall in team points standings in Halifax. Head coach Tom Ponting said he was extremely pleased with his team’s final meet of the season.
“The swimmers enjoyed personal successes with best times, final swims and medals, highlighted by 16-year-old swimmer Charlie Morse’s 100-metre freestyle win that set a new P.E.I. provincial open record and qualified him for Canadian Olympic Trials being held next March in Toronto,” he said. “Their grit and determination perfectly encapsulates our swim club’s motto of ‘Dream it. Train it. Live it!’”
Bluefins swam in 38 finals in the 48 events they competed in. They earned 17 medals and set three new provincial records. The Bluephins finish the 2018-19 season having set 53 new provincial records.
The girls’ relay team also had strong results in a very tough field of qualified swimmers, with the team of Courtney McBride, Alexa McQuaid, Amy Wheatley and Holly Nickerson coming third in the 400-metre free and fourth in the 400m medley.
Other highlights include:
Elena LeClair (13-and-under girls) won a silver medal in the 100m back and bronze medals in 200m free, 200m back and 200m individual medley (IM).
Courtney McBride (14- and 15-year-old girls) won a gold medal in the 50m back and bronze medals in 200m back, 100m back and 400m free relay.
Amy Wheatley (senior girls) won gold in the 50m fly, a silver in 100m fly and bronze in the 400m free relay.
Alexa McQuaid (senior girls) earned silvers in 50m fly and 50m breast plus a bronze in 400m free relay.
Lily Robichaud-MacLeod (13-and-under girls) brought home a bronze in the 400m free.
Holly Nickerson (13-and-under girls) captured bronze in the 400m free relay.
Hercules Cheng (13-and-under boys) placed sixth in the 50m free and fifth in the 100m free.
