The Black Sands Swim Squad concluded an extraordinary December campaign with historic achievements at two major regional swimming championships, showcasing exceptional talent through national record-breaking performances and podium finishes.
At the BASA Short Course National Championships held December 2-7, emerging prodigy Kione Deshong delivered a spectacular performance that captured attention across the swimming community. The young athlete demonstrated remarkable versatility by claiming an impressive haul of 11 medals—6 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. His most significant achievement came in the 100 Individual Medley, where he shattered the St. Vincent and the Grenadines national record previously held by teammate Matthew Ballah. Deshong clocked 1:06.89, nearly a full second faster than the previous benchmark of 1:07.79.
The team’s success continued at the ASATT Invitational from December 11-14, where Black Sands faced formidable competition from 47 regional teams. The four-member squad consisting of Deshong, Kennice Greene, Eltonique Leonard, and Matthew Ballah achieved an impressive 10th place overall finish against elite competition.
Deshong maintained his exceptional form throughout the second competition, securing 4 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medal while earning the 2nd overall trophy in his age category. His performance included rewriting three national records: 50 Freestyle (26.51, breaking Shane Cadogan’s 26.70), 100 Freestyle (59.49, surpassing Nicolas Silvestre’s 1:01.04), and 50 Backstroke (31.25, improving his own previous record of 32.70).
Kennice Greene equally impressed with her outstanding performances, collecting 3 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze medal while also securing the 2nd overall trophy in her age group. Greene demonstrated significant personal improvement by breaking four of her own national records: 100 Freestyle (1:00.45 from 1:00.56), 50 Backstroke (32.14 from 32.80), 100 Backstroke (1:11.42 from 1:11.82), and 200 Individual Medley (2:38.69 from 2:41.08).
Matthew Ballah contributed to the team’s success with 1 gold and 1 bronze medal, while establishing a new national record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:01.16, surpassing Brandon George’s previous record of 1:02.11. Eltonique Leonard completed the team’s medal collection with 1 silver and 3 bronze medals.
Head Coach Kyle Dougan expressed immense pride in his team’s accomplishments, stating he was “very pleased, extremely proud, and encouraged by the results achieved across both competitions.” He extended congratulations to rival Blue Marlins Swim Club for their strong 13th place finish and acknowledged the crucial support from Assistant Coach Anwar Medjahed, Chaperone Fiana McMillan, and Team Medic Dr. Rohan Deshong.