Awesome Swimming At SU Autumn Qualifier 2019
21 Oct 2019
With the Irish swimming season now in full swing, the first Ulster Regional Qualifying Gala for 2019/20 took place last weekend at Lagan Valley Leisureplex. 18 local swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club made the journey to Lisburn with some familiar faces and some new potential stars attending a Regional Qualifying meet for the 1st time.
Recently promoted from Development galas, Tom Buchanan (11) typified the younger swimmers attending this level event for the 1st time. Tom was delighted to perform well against his peers in all races, most notably in the gruelling 200m Butterfly where he secured a Silver medal.
Older brother Frank (12) tackled two new events; the 200m Butterfly and the 400m Medley performing well in both placing 4th and 3rd respectively.
Jamie Lannon entered 8 races for this meet gaining top 5 finishes in the 200m Free and 200m Medley. Happily Jamie came away with bronze medals in the 50m Breast, Back & Butterfly, with Silver in the 100m Fly and Finally gold in his first 400m Medley...a great start to the season for this up and coming 11yr old.
Older sister Isobel also achieved PBs across her 8 chosen events, attaining Ulster short course times in her first ever 400m Medley, 200m Freestyle and 200m Medley. Isobel was proud of her finishes in all events achieving the Bronze medal in the 50m,100m & 400m Freestyle, plus Silver in the 200m Free and Gold in the 50m Backstroke.
Cíosa McConnell competed in 5 events over the 2 days, swimming well in the 100m and 200m Breastroke and gaining 2 personal best (PB) swims in the 200m and 400m Freestyle whilst her first attempt at the 400m Medley saw her come home with a well earned Bronze Medal.
Eimear Magee's first event was the tough 200 metre Butterfly, where she produced an impressive swim to bag a Silver medal. Then in the 100m Freestyle she produced a personal best (PB) time with a top 10 finish in the 50m Butterfly.
Dara Ronan (15) in his first Qualifying Gala representing the Lakelanders started off with the 200m Freestyle where he posted a PB, before securing a Bronze in the 200m Medley. The 100m Fly. On Sunday morning Dara started with the 200m Fly and took Silver, with another Silver in the 400m IM bringing his weekend medals tally to 1 Gold, 2 Silver and 2 Bronze from 8 races entered, surely a swimmer to watch.
Cora Rooney (14) was also swimming in her 1st Qualifying Gala as a Lakelander taking part in 6 events across the weekend. Cora finished the meet with Silver medals in the 50m Back, 50m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly, whilst netting a Gold for the 5om Butterfly.
Cora Cassidy’s first ever qualifying gala started with the challenging 400m Medley, followed closely by the 200m Backstroke with times established for the future. Sunday was Cora's toughest day of swimming with the 200m Freestyle, the 100m Backstroke, 200m Medley, 400m Freestyle and 50m Freestyle events. She acquitted herself well in all achieving a PB swim in the 400m Freestyle.
Anna Mc Dade(13) was tackling the 400m IM for the first time, she impressed with a finish under 6 minutes. Day 2 of the event saw Anna take part in the 200m Free and 200m Medley setting benchmark times. Then, in her favoured 200m Breaststroke, she achieved a PB, breaking the 3 minute mark to secure a bronze medal ..all in all valuable experience and plenty to work for the season ahead.
Ben Lynch (16) entered six races over the two day event. He competed in his favoured Freestyle events maintaining PBs and picking up the Silver medal in the 400m freestyle. Ben also tried out the 200m Butterfly finishing in 5th place and the 400m IM finishing in 4th place.
Emilie Reihill (13) had a busy weekend with 8 events; 100m Breaststroke, the challenging 200m Butterfly which Emilie competed in for the first time, 200m backstroke (PB), 4th place finish in 100m Freestyle, 200m Freestyle (PB), 100m Backstroke (PB), 400m Freestyle first time SC, and finished the weekend off with the 50m Freestyle.
Kealan McShea (17) competed in 6 races over the weekend. Swimming close to his PBs in all races and achieving a bronze medal in his debut for the 200m Butterfly.
Oisin Mc Manus returned to regional level competition after his previous season beset with illness. On day one he impressed with a Silver medal in 200m Breastroke and Bronze in 200m Medley, whilst on Day 2 he bagged another Silver in the 400m Medley and a 4th place in the 200m Backstroke.
Ellie Dunlop (10) the youngest Lakelander to compete, swam four events over the weekend and her efforts were rewarded with three medals, Gold in her first ever swim of 400m Medley, Silver in 100m & 200m Breaststroke with fourth place in 200IM, PBs in 3 out of the 4 races.
Molly Johnston's (14) 1st Qualifying gala saw her off to a great start with a new PB in her 100m Breast followed closely by a Silver medal in the 400m Medley. Day 2 started with a further PB of 38s in the 200m Freestyle, a strong race in the 100m to maintain her previous time.
Local, regional and national star, Ellie McCartney competed in eight events over the weekend returning with 6 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal. The 14-year-old recorded 4 PBs and brought her total Qualifying times for the Ulster Short Course Meet to fifteen and well as setting 5 new club records in her age group. Ellie was the fastest female in the pool (across all age groups) in both the 50m Breaststroke and the 200m IM over the weekend.
??17-year-old Lewis McCartney set new Short Course personal bests in 100m Freestyle, 100m Backcrawl, 100m Fly and 100m IM as well as setting 5 new club records in his age, with 200m Breaststroke earning him a Bronze Medal. Swimming in the Open age group, Lewis increased his Ulster Short Course consideration qualifying times to nine for next month’s championship.?
Head Coach Aaron Rickhuss had these words for all who took part: ' Well done to everyone this weekend! You were awesome! Lots of intelligent swimming. All who swam in either the 200m fly or 400m IM, you should be very proud of yourselves! Foundations have been set for what will hopefully be a great season ahead'.
- 16 Feb 2026Lakelanders take the Lead in Lisburn
A squad of 33 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended the Swim Belfast Open Meet on Sunday the 15th of February in Lagan Valley Leisureplex, Lisburn. The gala was a great success for the Fermanagh swimmers who relished the opportunity to compete against swimmers from clubs across Ulster, Leinster & Connacht, returned home with numerous medals and personal best times. - 12 Feb 2026Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Sc
Local Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools as Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Schools’ Cup & Championships in Bangor
The Swim Ulster Schools Cup & Championships 2026 took place on Friday 6th February at Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex Bangor. Over 1000 swimmers from more than 130 schools across the province of Ulster took part in the one day event. Three local schools were part of the action with 22 local swimmers taking part. - 01 Feb 2026Young Lakelanders Swim to Success in Belfast
On Saturday 31st January, 13 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club competed in Round 3 of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Series at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast. The meet attracted over 450 swimmers aged 10–14 from across Ulster, all taking on the more challenging events of Individual Medley (IM), Backstroke and Butterfly.
The Lakelanders squad rose to the occasion, relishing the opportunity to race against strong provincial competition while aiming for personal best performances. - 26 Jan 2026Lakelanders Secure Medals & PBs at Swim Ulster Open Meet in Bangor
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed at Swim Ulster’s Open Long Course Meet at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex in Bangor on the 24 & 25th January. Swimmers from clubs all over Ireland attended this exciting start to the Long Course season and the Lakelanders were eager to race their fellow athletes in the fabulous 10 lane 50m pool at the Aurora. - 07 Dec 2025Lakelanders’ future challengers deliver strong swims in Omagh
A strong squad of Lakelanders junior swimmers took part in Swim Ulster Future Challengers Meet 2 at Omagh Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Coach Chelsey Weir was there to support the young swimmers who brought home a substantial haul of medal award pins and a raft of new personal times. - 07 Dec 2025Success for Lakelanders at Sliabh Beagh Winter Gala
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers made the journey to the Coral Leisure Centre Monaghan for Sliabh Beagh Swimming Club’s Winter Cluster Meet on 6th & 7th December. - 30 Nov 2025Lakelanders Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor on Saturday 29th November 2025. Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 22 swimmers across 10 local schools headed to Bangor determined to do the South-West proud and qualify for the All-Ireland Championships held in Dublin in March. Although a school competition, all the students attending are committed members of the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club and mustered all their skills and training in competing against the best swimmers from schools across Ulster. A successful day saw 4 podium finishes and an amazing number of swimmers qualify for the All-Ireland primary school championship to be held at the National Aquatic Centre Dublin next year. - 10 Nov 2025Lakelanders push for top performances at Dungannon’s 40th Anniversary Gala
A squad of 10 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended Dungannon Swimming Club’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Sunday the 9th November at Dungannon Leisure Centre. The gala was a great success for the young swimmers who returned home with numerous personal bests. - 27 Oct 2025Lakelanders Host First Home Gala in Omagh
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Autumn Junior Gala on Sunday 26th October, an event aimed at younger swimmers. This was the club’s first Gala in their new temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 37 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from nine other Ulster swimming clubs. For many of the 8-14 year-old competitors, this would be one their first experiences of individual competition, that all important first step for every sportsperson. - 19 Oct 2025Lakelanders secure awards and new PBs at Belfast Aspiring Champions Gala
11 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club made their way to the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in Belfast to compete at Swim Ulster's Aspiring Champions Meet; the first Gala of the season for swimmers aged 13 and over. The event was held over two days, 18th & 19th October. Coaches across Ulster use this gala to assess and monitor swimmers' skills, providing the scaffolding for the building blocks for success in the coming season.
All the work so far on skills and technique resulted in a slew of Swim Ulster Awards, personal bests and many top ten finishes for the Enniskillen Lakelanders.
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