ESTEVAN - Several former members of the Estevan Sharks water polo program have been selected for national teams.
Water Polo Canada has concluded the initial selection process for the 2022 youth and junior national teams for both men and women. The youth national teams will be participating in the Youth World Championships, to be held in Belgrade, Serbia, from Aug. 13-21.
The junior national teams will be at the Junior Pan American Championships in Indianapolis, Ind., currently scheduled to take place from July 9-17.
Given the current level of uncertainty caused by frequent changes due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the planned programming elements and timelines remain subject to change.
Mikayla Hack and sisters Josie and Alex Andrist have been chosen for both the youth and junior national teams.
Meanwhile, Cameron Gillingham, who used to live in Estevan, has been picked for the junior team and is an alternate for the youth team.
•••
It was a great spring for current and former members of Sharks program when competing at the national level.
Three former members of the Sharks – Hack and the Andrist sisters – were part of the Team Saskatchewan entry that won the National Championship League (NCL) title in the senior women’s division.
Hack was one of the stars of the tournament, as she finished with eight goals in three games, including three-goal performances in the opener against St. Lambert and the gold medal game against the Pacific Storm. She was also named the most valuable defensive player of the tournament.
Alex Andrist had four goals in three games, including a hat trick in the final.
Josie Andrist finished with two goals in three games.
Meanwhile, Rachel Tober was on the Team Saskatchewan entry that travelled to Edmonton for the National Championship League Western Championship from May 6-8, and won gold while competing against teams from B.C. and Alberta. Saskatchewan finished with a 4-1-1 record at the competition.
The win qualified them for the national championships in Calgary from May 27-29, where they finished fourth with a 2-3 mark. The top four teams from the west faced the top four teams from Ontario and Quebec.
Meanwhile, the 15U girls, including Tober, Mahlyn Bomberak and Jennika Linthicum, played in the NCL Western Championship in Calgary in mid-May.
The team finished sixth overall but qualified for the national championship tournament in Montreal in July.
Bomberak had four goals in six games, including a two-goal performance against B.C.’s Fraser Valley team. She also had a goal against the Calgary Wild and versus the Tsunami program.
Tober finished with two goals in six games, scoring in the first game against a team from Surrey, B.C., and in the third game against the Calgary Wild.
The U17 men’s team, meanwhile, finished second with a 3-2 mark. Former Sharks swimmer Ethan Elliott was on that team. He finished with seven goals in five games, including a hat trick in the second contest against the Fraser Valley team, and a two-goal effort against the CAMO squad.
Elliott and Gillingham were on the Saskatchewan team that competed at senior men’s nationals. Saskatchewan went 1-1.
Gillingham had a goal in two games.
