
Lakelanders Dev 4 Swimmers Impress
02 Mar 2020
Lakelanders Swim Brilliantly in Belfast
On Saturday 29th February, 9 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders made their way to The Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in Belfast for the 4th Swim Ulster Development Meet of the season. These galas are aimed primarily at swimmers who are at Level 3 on their competitive journey in the world of swim competitions, where swimmers aim to gain qualification times to progress to the next level of provincial events. The young Lakelanders did not disappoint,
returning with good memories, medals and most importantly a slew of new personal best swims (PBs).
Hayden James (12) swam very well earning him PBs all round. Most notably he was the fastest boy in the 13 year old age group, earning him Gold medals in both the 200m Freestyle event and the 100m Freestyle events.
James Mongan (12) began his day with a whopping 15 second PB in the 200m freestyle race, finishing in the top 10 in the 13 year old group. He went on to maintain his seed times in the 100m backstroke and 100m breaststroke.
Saoirse McGovern (13) enjoyed a very successful day at the development gala where she swam at a high level for her breaststroke. Saoirse has once again has set herself a PB for her backstroke, improving her time by 2 seconds.
Austin Cassidy (12) swam in three races. He achieved PBs in both the 200m Freestyle and the 100m Breaststroke race and finally put in a good effort with a time of 2min 08:46sec in his 100m Backstroke.
Kiril Chursin (13) enjoyed great success. He achieved a 2 second PB in the 100m Breaststroke with a time of 1.35.92, following that with a whopping 8.37second PB in the 50m Butterfly bringing him down to 39.41s and earning him a bronze medal in the 14year old section. Next up Kiril swam the 100m Freestyle, dropping 7.25s off his previous time, coming in at 1.14.72.
Kate McDade (11) produced an amazing 11 second PB in the 200m freestyle event. She followed that with a 1 second PB in the 100m Backstroke and then finished up her day with another great swim in the 100m Breaststroke.
Peter McGowan (14) enjoyed a great day’s swimming; producing a 5 second PB in the 100m Backstroke and placing 6th, followed by a massive 21 second PB in the 100m Breaststroke also placing in the top 10. He finished of his day with a 9 second PB in the 100m Freestyle.
His brother, Michael McGowan (11), also had a very successful gala producing a 9 second PB in the 100m Backstroke, a 2 second PB in the 50m butterfly and a whopping 14 second PB in the 100m freestyle. Michael’s achievements were also rewarded with bronze, silver and bronze medals respectively.
Dara Toner (13) swam well also, producing a PB in the 100m freestyle event and maintaining his previous time in the 100m breaststroke.
Enniskillen Lakelanders’ Head Coach Aaron Rickhuss said ‘It’s great to again see the younger athletes in the club giving these races a good go. A few swimmers now creeping closer to qualifying to the next step within the Swim Ulster Pathway is a fantastic indication to progression across the whole club’.
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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.