Squamish swimmer Wyatt Pedersen is moving on up.
After a strong showing at the AA Provincial Championships in Surrey on Feb. 8 to 10, Pedersen has qualified for the AAA championships in Saanich at the end of February.
The Grade 12 Howe Sound Secondary School (HSSS) student won three golds in Surrey, with new personal-best times in three out of the four races he competed in. Pedersen won the 50-metre freestyle (25.31 seconds), the 200 breaststroke (2:41.32) and the 100 breaststroke (1:13.15). He also placed 11th in the 200 freestyle race.
It’s the first year that Pedersen has competed with the West Vancouver Otters after nine years with the Squamish Pirates, a move that was designed to allow him to swim longer distances and compete in more meets.
“So far the commute and swimming in the winter club system has been a big adjustment that is just now getting some results,” said his mother Sue Pedersen in an email. “Swimming with the Pirates for so many years has been an excellent program for Wyatt to build on.”
The AAA provincials are slated for Feb. 28 to March 3 at the Commonwealth Aquatic Centre in Saanich.
