
Hard work pays off for the Lakelanders
07 Mar 2022
Ten swimmers represented the Enniskillen Lakelanders at the Future Challengers Series Round 2 Meet 2, hosted by Swim Ulster at the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast on Sunday 6th March 2022. The Series consisted of fourteen events, twelve individual events with the first and final events being team relays.
Kicking off the action for the Lakelanders was the 10-12 year olds 100m Medley Relay. The Lakelanders were seeded 5th out of the 10 teams participating. After a very creditable performance, the team of Luke Lannon, Sophie Hanna, Ava Neal and Mirko Man finished in fourth place.
Luke Lannon (11) had a busy afternoon competing in both team relays and 4 individual events. Luke placed 5th overall in the 200m IM, 5th in the 12-year-old boys’ 50m Butterfly, 7th in the 100m Backstroke, culminating with strong performances in both the boys’ 50m Breaststroke and the 10-12 year olds 150m Freestyle Relay. The highlight of the meet for Luke was a 4 second improvement in the 200m IM.
Ryan Mongan (11) maintained his seed time in the 50m Backstroke, attaining a 4th place finish. He swam well in the 50m Butterfly and he was delighted to achieve a PB in the 50m Breaststroke.
Josh Cassidy (12) had a very worthwhile afternoon achieving PBs in each of his three events. First up was 200m IM, where he improved his time by a fantastic 12 seconds. After a short rest he continued the trend in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Breaststroke.
Having recently returned to training from injury, Beth Buchanan (11) was pleased to shave 3 seconds off her 50m Breaststroke PB and maintain her time in the 100m Backstroke.
Ava Neal (12) performed extremely well in each of her 4 events. Ava made a significant improvement on her PB in the 50m Butterfly and achieved a 4th place finish in the 50m Backstroke.
Enda Burke (11) competed in three events, returning solid performances throughout. He maintained his seed time in the 50m Backstroke and was thrilled to attain a PB in the 50m Breaststroke.
Sophie Hanna (10) had a stellar afternoon, contributing strongly in both relays. On her way to achieving two PBs, Sophie also achieved a 5thplace finish in the girls’ 50m Breaststroke.
Mirko Man (11) gave committed performances in both relay events and showed consistent improvement by achieving PBs in both the 50m Backstroke and the 50m Butterfly. He was rewarded with a commendable 5th place finish in the 50m Backstroke.
Myleene Leonard (11) had an excellent afternoon, improving her times in all of her three individual events. Myleene also made an important contribution to the final relay race and her 4th place finish in the 50m Backstroke reflected her determined approach.
Emily Stewart (12) proved to be a consistent performer in the 50m Breaststroke, returning an able time of 54.15 seconds.
The swimmers were very grateful to Head Coach Ben Wiffen and Team Manager Michelle Hanna for their support throughout the afternoon. Gala Secretary Michelle Reihill praised the swimmers efforts and noted that this was the first event where spectators were permitted – a welcome return to normality for our swimming community.

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A squad of 20 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC made a big splash at the Swim Belfast Invitational 2026, held at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast, on Sunday 7th June, delivering a series of outstanding performances against strong competition.
The Lakelanders rose to the occasion in style, returning home with an impressive haul of medals and personal bests (PBs), highlighting the hard work, determination, and commitment of these talented young athletes.
Banbridge Open Long Course Meet took place in Craigavon’s South Lakes Leisure Centre on Saturday the 6th of June.
A squad of 11 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers, along with Head Coach Fionna Orr, made their way to the fabulous South Lakes Leisure Centre long course (50m) swimming pool for the final club meet of the season for the older swimmers. This meet provided the final opportunity for competitive swimmers to qualify for Swim Ireland's Irish Summer National competitions. As a bonus Banbridge swimming club had extended their invitation to clubs from all over Ireland. The chance to achieve qualifying times and compete against the best in Ireland was too good to miss.
A squad of 9 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club attended the Ulster Age Group and Senior LC Championships at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on 1st, 2nd & 3rd May. Competitors from across 32 clubs in Ulster met the tough qualification standards to take part in this key meet over three days, targeting Ulster podium spots, and those important Summer National qualification times.
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Spring Junior Gala on Sunday 26th April, an event aimed at younger swimmers. As the Lakelanders approach the first year complete at their temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 41 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from eleven 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.
Portadown ASC and Lurgan ASC hosted the South Lake Open Meet 2026 at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th April. A total of 26 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed over the two day meet.
Saturday morning saw fantastic swimming by 11 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.
On Saturday 21st March, a group of 14 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club took part in Round 4 of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Series, held at Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn. The competition drew over 450 swimmers between the ages of 10 and 14 from across Ulster.
Participants competed in a range of more demanding events, including Individual Medley (IM), Breaststroke, and Freestyle. The Lakelanders swimmers performed with determination throughout the meet, embracing the challenge of competing against a high standard of provincial opposition while striving to achieve personal best times.
11 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 14th & 15th 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.
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.