Lakelanders at Dave McCullagh International Meet
28 Feb 2022
A squad of 5 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders qualified for the prestigious McCullagh International swim meet, held at Bangor’s Aurora aquatic centre last weekend.
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!
Jamie Lannon (14), the youngest Lakelander attending, competed in two events. Strong preliminary swims in 200m Breaststroke and 200m Individual Medley, saw him progress to age group finals. Strategic and intelligent swimming resulted in long course PBs. Jamie was proud to finish in 2nd place in both finals against Ireland’s fastest 14-year-old. An impressive performance at his first International meet.
In the open competition, Anna Mc Dade (15), saw this as an opportunity to build up to the forthcoming Irish Open and Summer Nationals. Solid swims resulted in long course PBs in 50m, 100m and 200m Breaststroke events, gaining valuable competition experience at this level early in the season.
In her debut at an international event, Molly Johnston (17), a confident performance in the 50m Breaststroke saw her win her heat, achieving an impressive long course PB and edging closer to a Summer National Division 1 qualification time.
Dara Ronan (18) competed across 5 events, and impressed by achieving PBs in the 50m and 100m Backstroke, 50m and 200m Butterfly. Saving his best performance to last, Dara smashed his 100m Butterfly in under 1 minute. An encouraging start to the long course season.
Ballyshannon native Cora Rooney (17), competing for Lakelanders, achieved PBs across her 4 events, most notably reaching 3 finals and 2nd place finishes in 50m and 200m Backstroke and 50m Butterfly. A successful meet for the National Squad Swimmer.
Club Chairperson Sara Lannon praised the swimmers’ efforts over the three-day event. ‘For a small club it was fantastic to see the Lakelanders represented in the finals. All the swimmers achieved Personal Best times over the weekend which reflects the disciplined work ethic of both the swimmers and head coach Ben Wiffen. I’m positive we will see many more of the Lakelanders represent Fermanagh in the swimming arena as the season progresses.’
Club Coach Ben Wiffen noted this was a very exciting weekend to share with the swimmers with significant improvements in performances from the last competition. The long course season is well and truly underway with end of season goals now set, a clear picture of the associated work that needs to be done has been drawn up. A few swimming benchmarks being surpassed is always a good confidence builder this early in the competitive season. Gaining experience at an international competition in your back yard is a fantastic opportunity for our swimmers.
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