Cracking Racing in Craigavon for Enniskillen Lakelanders' Swimmers
05 Apr 2025
Portadown ASC and Lurgan ASC hosted the South Lake Open Meet 2025 at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April. A total of 29 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed over the two day meet.
Saturday morning saw fantastic swimming by 13 of our younger athletes competing in a range of 25m races in the short course format. Many PBs were smashed with the young Lakelanders doing their club proud in the pool.
Harriett Cadden (9) had an excellent swim in the Breaststroke event, she was absolutely thrilled to win a silver medal. She followed up with smashing her PB in the Freestyle by a massive 7 seconds.
Ella Rose Carron (10) claimed new PBs in 25m Breaststroke and Freestyle, maintaining her times in the 25m Backstroke and Butterfly.
Aoibheann Cassidy (11) maintained her entry time in the 25m Backstroke race.
Maria Clifford (11) had a great morning swimming hitting the wall with three PBs.
Tara Collins (10) had two strong swims in the 25m Backstroke and Breaststroke events. Building in confidence, she was delighted to takeaway a new 3 second PB in the 25m Freestyle.
Ollie Elliott (11) enjoyed competing in four races and swam well to achieve PBs in both backstroke and breaststroke.
Zena Elliott (10) swam really well in her first attempt at the 25m Backstroke and Breaststroke events.
Emily Irvine (10) claimed PBs in all four of her events; 25m Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly and Freestyle.
Ryan Kennedy (9) secured a new PB in the 25m Breaststroke and maintained his entry times in the 25m Backstroke and Freestyle.
Erin McGrath (10) claimed new PBs in the 25m Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke events.
Andrew McGowan (9) swam PBs in the 25m Breaststroke and Freestyle.
Imogen Neal (10) produced new PBs in all three of her events, 25m Backstroke, Breaststroke and Freestyle.
Isabella Rasdale swam well in the 25m Backstroke, knocking 4.02 seconds off her entry time.
The Craigavon pool was quickly adjusted for the 50m Long Course racing which saw 16 of the older Lakelanders reap the rewards of their dedicated training, securing a slew of new PBs and several medals home to Enniskillen.
Holly Barkley (14) claimed new PBs in the 50m and 100m Freestyle and maintained her time in the 200m Individual Medley.
Conor Collins (12) and older brother Darragh (14) also clocked some excellent performances, with a clean slate of PBs across their events. Conor was most pleased in achieving a top 5 ranking for his 50m Breaststroke, whilst Darragh proved his skill in the 50m and 100m Freestyle events.
Anna May Hill (14) secured new PBs in the 50m and 100m Freestyle and maintained her entry time in the 100m Backstroke.
Joshua Hill (12) swam a new PB on the 50m Backstroke to finish in the top 10. He also swam well in the 100m Breaststroke.
Martha McCreesh (14) entered the 200m Backstroke for the first time in competition securing an Ulster Championship qualification. She secured a new PB in the 100m Backstroke and gained a further Ulster qualification time for her top ten finish. Martha finished the gala with a National qualifying time in the 50m Freestyle
Russell Mikievicz Lumayad (15) achieved great PBs in 100m and 200m Freestyle races placing him top 20 in both.
Ryan Mongan (15) swam a strategic 200m Breaststroke to claim a gold medal. He went on to shave almost 9 seconds off his time to secure a bronze medal in a speedy 50m Breaststroke race. He produced another PB in the 100m Freestyle race.
Crea Mullen (13) claimed a new PB in the 100m Freestyle race.
Anton Neal (15) bagged a new PB and a top 6 finish in the 50m Breaststroke. He swam further PBs in the 100m Freestyle and 100m and 200m Breaststroke.
Ava Neal (15) landed on the podium with a bronze medal in the 50m Breaststroke, having swam a new PB and a qualifying time for Irish Nationals. She followed up with further PBs in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke and the 100m Freestyle. She secured top ten finishes in the 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle events.
Ella Neal (13) claimed a new PB to place 4th in the 50m Backstroke. She swam three more fantastic PBs in the 50m & 100m Freestyle and the 100m Backstroke.
Kealan Rice (12) swam well in both the 50m and the 100m Freestyle races.
Emma Speer (14) claimed new PBs and Ulster Championship qualification times in both the 50m and 100m Freestyle events.
Haralds Uzulins (14) was delighted to secure a 3 second PB in both 100m and 50m Butterfly. He also produced strong swims in 100m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke events.
Conal Walker (17) made his first attempt at the 400m Freestyle distance - he gained valuable experience and was placed 2nd in his age group. He also achieved a 13 second PB in his 200m Freestyle, whilst maintaining his times in the 50m & 100m Freestyle.
The swimmers and their families benefitted greatly from the support of all the parent volunteers ensuring a great gala experience over the two days where they all did the club coaching team proud. The swimmers are now working towards Aquasprint finals for the younger squad and Ulster Championships for the older swimmers, all the while trying to keep positive as the club faces such uncertainty with the ridiculous lack of proper research and consultation in planning for redevelopment of the forum. An alternative site or a refurbishment project needs to be planned to ensure continued 25m pool provision for Fermanagh. Closure of the pool will decimate our club and destroy the hopes and dreams of our young swimmers in addition to wiping out the club’s potential for developing young swimmers for years to come.
- 19 Apr 2025Lakelanders light up the NAC at Irish Open
Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships started on Saturday (12th April) at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. The 5-day event saw over three hundred swimmers from over fifty clubs compete for National titles in thirty-four individual events. The competition saw twelve Championship Records broken as well as three Irish Senior and four Irish Junior Records across the five days of racing as swimmers aimed for places on Senior National Teams. This meet is also the first opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Regional and National programmes for the 2025-2026 season. Three swimmers from the local Enniskillen Lakelanders swim club attended the prestigious meet keen to compete with the best in the country and witness some of the top swimmers the world in action. - 05 Apr 2025Cracking Racing in Craigavon for Enniskillen Lakelanders' Swimmers
Portadown ASC and Lurgan ASC hosted the South Lake Open Meet 2025 at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April. A total of 32 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed over the two day meet. - 30 Mar 2025Lakelanders' Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools at Irish Minor Schools Champions
The Irish Minor Schools Championships 2025 took place on Sunday 30th March at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. 17 Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers aged 12 and under made the journey, having qualified earlier this month at the regional schools gala in Lisburn and were high with excitement as they headed off to Dublin to do their schools proud on the National stage. - 23 Mar 2025Young Lakelanders successful at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
Ten junior members of Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn on Saturday 22nd March to compete in the fourth meet of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers series at the Lagan Valley Leisureplex.
This gala series is for swimmers aged 10-14 and provides competitive racing opportunities at junior level.
Several medals and lots of new personal best times were secured by the young Lakelanders who displayed their continual improvement and commitment to the sport. - 23 Mar 2025Lakelanders Aquasprinters Victorious over Belfast Olympia
The second round of this season’s Aquasprint League for the Enniskillen Lakelanders took place on Sunday morning at home to Belfast’s Olympia. 40 of their younger swimmers born between 2017 and 2012 took to the pool. There was lots of excitement but a tinge of sadness knowing this would be the last home Aquasprint of the year. The swimmers, committee and parents were hoping for a great morning.
The Aquasprint league, sponsored by Forest Feast, is a starting point for the younger swimmers to compete in all strokes in individual and relays over 25m. Aquasprints are a great opportunity for children to build on what they have been learning in the pool with coaches Ben and Claire, adding speed to this and a competitive edge. - 15 Mar 2025Ellie and Hannah swim for Ulster
Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers Hannah Lynch and Ellie Dunlop travelled to High Wycombe as part of the team of Ulster Regional and National programme athletes to race at the Wycombe Premier Open meet from Friday 7th March to Sunday 9th March. - 15 Mar 2025Lakelanders Secure Medal Haul in Bangor
12 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers travelled to the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor to compete in Round 2 of Swim Ulster’s ‘Aspiring Champions’ Meet Series on 15th & 16th March. This spectacular 50m pool was the perfect venue for the many challenging events the Fermanagh swimmers were eager to dive into over the weekend. - 02 Mar 2025Fermanagh Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held in the Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn on Saturday 1st March.
Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 30 swimmers across 9 local schools headed to Lisburn, determined to do the Southwest 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 5 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 later this month. - 23 Feb 2025Lakelanders impress at McCullagh International Gala
Four Enniskillen Lakelanders Club swimmers qualified for the prestigious McCullagh International swim meet, held at Bangor’s Aurora Aquatic Centre over three days last week.
A huge achievement in itself, this was a unique opportunity to compete against the best in Ireland and further afield. The event attracted a large contingent of competitors from overseas, including Olympians! - 16 Feb 2025Lakelanders Swim to Success in Lisburn
A squad of 25 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended the Swim Belfast Meet on Sunday the 16th of February in Lagan Valley Leisureplex, Lisburn. The gala was a great success for the Fermanagh swimmers who returned home with numerous medals and personal best times.
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