Lakelanders do Enniskillen proud at Division 1 Nationals in Dublin
24 Jul 2022
Swim Ireland's 2022 Irish Summer National Championships got underway on Wednesday 20th July 2022 at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. The five-day event saw 865 swimmers from over 100 clubs compete from all over Ireland to as far afield as Dubai. The path to nationals is paved by hundreds of hours of pool and land training so to qualify for this prestigious competition is a huge achievement for all swimmers. With this being the first National Championships since 2019 there was high excitement and some nerves among the eight Enniskillen Lakelanders who had qualified. Nonetheless in the experienced hands of head coach Ben Wiffen, the Lakelanders did not fail to impress, bringing home two golds, two silvers and a bronze medal and multiple PBs back to their club.
The youngest Lakelander to compete was Hannah Lynch (13), competing in two events in the 13-year-old age category at her first national competition. In the 200m Backstroke Hannah knocked a staggering 6 sec of her previous PB, just missing out on the finals but placing her 11th. Hannah’s second event was the 400m Freestyle where Hannah secured a 3.36 sec PB on her entry time which saw her finishing in 10th spot. Overall, a very successful competition for the young Lakelander's debut at national level.
Ellie Dunlop (13) was also competing in her first Irish National Division 1 championships. In the 100m Breaststroke, Ellie qualified for the final, putting in a storming swim to gain a silver medal, her first Irish National Medal, with a 5.47sec PB. In the 200m IM, Ellie finished in the top 15 knocking 2.81sec off her personal best time. Ellie also had a strong swim in the 200m Breaststroke, achieving a place in the final and finishing in 5th place with an impressive 10.10sec PB. A great experience for Ellie to take into next season.
14yr old Jamie Lannon qualified for 7 events over the 5 days. Day 1 saw Jamie compete in back-to-back events in the tough 200m Freestyle and the 100m Breaststroke. Strong strategic swims in both events saw him qualify for both the 200m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke final. In a hugely competitive race, Jamie was thrilled to win the second fastest 14yr old Irish boy in the 100m Breaststroke in a time of 1:16.26 and the silver medal. Jamie followed this success by swimming 12th overall in the 100m Butterfly and swimming a new PB of 27.07 in the 50m Freestyle, his 3rd final qualification, where he finished 6th Irish boy to the wall in a nail-bitingly tight race. In the following days, Jamie went on qualify for both 100m Freestyle and 200m Breaststroke becoming the 7th fastest Irish boy in both events. After 5 days of tough racing, Jamie finished his debut at nationals on a high achieving a new PB of 2.34.68 in the 200m Individual Medley. Jamie was very proud to achieve a silver medal and qualify for 5 finals against the best swimmers in Ireland .
Anna Mc Dade (15), swimming in the very competitive 16 year old category, swam to her PB in all four events. Her highlights were qualifying for 100m and 200m Breaststroke finals , where she improved on heat times to finish 7th in Ireland in both events .In a super sprint in 50m Breaststroke, Anna was the 5th 16 year old to hit the wall. All in all, a consistent performance, following a disrupted season and Anna looks forward to a more uninterrupted season in the year ahead.
Izzy lannon (16) qualified for two events, the speedy 50m Freestyle and the arduous 400m IM.
A strong swim in the 50m Freestyle saw her hit her PB and this put her in good stead for the latter end of the 400m IM later in the week. Although a well-seasoned athlete, Izzy had only competed in the 400m IM a couple of times, but Izzy’s endurance and skills saw her qualify for the finals. Izzy smashed the final taking 8.56 seconds off her PB finishing 9th Irish 16 year old girl in a time of 5.42.72 in arguably the most difficult event in competitive swimming.
Molly Johnston (17) qualified for two events despite taking a step back from training to concentrate on her A Level exams, Molly excelled in the competition. Her first event was the 100m Breaststroke where she swam a new PB and gained a place in the final where she swam a strong, controlled swim to achieve 7th place in Ireland. Molly reached the finals in the 200m Breaststroke where she swam a confident and determined swim to achieve a 3 sec PB, finishing 7th overall in her age group in Ireland. A fantastic end to a season full of unforeseen challenges.
Dara Ronan (18) competed in two events over the week. Dara too had been concentrating on his Leaving Cert exams but still managed to balance all and qualify for two events. In Dara’s favoured 100m Butterfly stroke he finished in 5th in Ireland. He also competed in 100m Backstroke finishing in the top 15 in Ireland. Dara now looks forward to heading to college and continuing his swimming, knowing his sport will help him keep focused and build new friendships as he moves onto the next stage in life.
National swimmer Cora Rooney (18), who swims under the Lakelanders club, is coached by Sinead Donagher and had a most successful meet. Cora competed in five events over the week and reached finals in all her events. Cora achieved gold in both 100m and 200m Backstroke and also secured bronze in the 50m Backstroke. Cora also placed sixth in the 50m Freestyle and silver in the 50m Butterfly event. All in all a most successful week for Cora who looks forward to the 2022 / 2023 season and training with the National Squad.
Head Coach Ben Wiffen praised the swimmers’ efforts over the 5-day meet stating “Irish Nationals are always a highly competitive and tense event. It showcases the swimmers’ hard work throughout the year and I was extremely pleased with every swimmer’s individual performances. Six medals and multiple PBs makes it all worthwhile and we will all look forward to the next season.”
Club Chairperson Aideen Speer praised the swimmers’ efforts and commitment to their sport; “the last number of years have been extremely difficult on this cohort of swimmers, covid has had a major impact on swimming. Our thirteen and fourteen-year-olds were only ten and eleven when covid struck and even swimming in the NAC this week was a first for them. Our older swimmers have had two years of disrupted swimming and are now trying to balance the pressures of exam preparation with their desire to also succeed in the pool. With every swimmer finishing in the top fifteen in Ireland in their respective age groups, they should be highly commended.” She thanked Ben Wiffen who took on the role of head coach two months into the season and praised how well he had done and hoped his success with the club will continue in the next season. She also praised the parents for their help and support for their swimmers throughout the gala and in particular Sara Lannon, who acted as team manager all week. Finally she acknowledged The Lough Erne Resort for their continued support and their sponsorship of the Summer National event T-Shirts. The swimmers will now enjoy a month off before returning to the pool for the new season in September.
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