
Lakelanders Swimmers beat the clock in Bangor!
27 Mar 2022

15 local swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders travelled to the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor to compete in Round 2 of Swim Ulster’s ‘Aspiring Champions’ Meet Series on 26th & 27th 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.
Luke Aiken (17) had a great weekend ending up with PBs in 50m Backstroke and 100m Freestyle, with a focus on Division 2 times he hopes to achieve in the near future.
Frank Buchanan (15) having not had an opportunity to swim in a 50m pool in more than 2 years, Frank was delighted to swim PBs in each of his events, including a 5 second improvement in 200m Backstroke. He also achieved 5 All Ireland Division 2 qualification times.
Aoife Carey (13) gained PBs in both 100m Breaststroke and Freestyle events.
Eimear Carey (13) came away with a PB in 100m Freestyle.
Cora Cassidy (16) on this her first time back at a long course gala, Cora gained valuable experience in all five of her events.
Kiril Chursin (16) gained PBs in all five of his events, pleased with his improved times in 50m Freestyle and Backstroke, 100m and 200m Breaststroke as well as 100m Freestyle.
Ellie Dunlop (13) competing in 2 events finished 8th in the 13-14 age group in 100m Breaststroke with a new long Course PB and her first Division 1 time for Irish Summer Nationals. Ellie followed this with a 7thplace finish in the 200m Breaststroke, again gaining an impressive PB and her second Division 1 time, a very successful weekend.
Molly Johnston (17) finished 8th in 100m Breaststroke race, following up with a 4th place in the 50m Breaststroke in her age 17 and over category. Molly continues to make progress through the long course season.
Izzy Lannon (15) competed in 6 events, resulting in top 10 finishes for most of her events. Izzy was happy to achieve 5th place position in the 400m and 50m freestyle as well as the 200m IM.
The highlight of the weekend for Izzy was achieving 3rd place in the 800m Freestyle and her 13th division 2 qualifying time.
Jamie Lannon (14) competed in 7 events over the weekend and had top 4 finishes overall in his chosen events . Jamie was happy to place 1st in the 100m and 200m Breaststroke, 2nd in the 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle and 4th in the 200m IM and 200m Butterfly.
The highlight of the weekend for Jamie was gaining PBs in his Freestyle events and achieving his 7th division 1 time in the 200m Freestyle.
Hannah Lynch (13) competed in 7 events over the two days achieving 7 new long course PBs. Hannah placed in the top ten in the 13/14 age category in the 400m Freestyle and 200m Backstroke. Hannah also gained 3 more division 2 times in the 200m and 400m Freestyle and 200m Backstroke.
Anna McDade (16) continued her recent success with long course PBs across three Breaststroke events, with first place finishes in 100m and 2nd place finishes in 50m and 200m races, consolidating Irish Division 1 times and a qualification for the upcoming Irish Open.
Younger sister Kate McDade (14) had a fantastic weekend, with significant PBs in all events entered, most notably achieving Division 2 times in 100m and 200m Breaststroke events.
James Mongan (14) was delighted to see his efforts in training pay off as he came away with a 20second PB in 200m Freestyle, 6s off his 100m Backstroke and another PB in 50m Breaststroke.
Emilie Reihill (16) competed in 5 events, focusing on trying different race strategies across her events. Emilie was pleased to place as 3rd 16-year-old in the 200m Freestyle, 4th in the 800m Freestyle with a new LC PB. Emilie had strong performances in the 50m, 100m, and 400m Freestyle events where she swam close to her PB, gaining a Division 2 time in 400m Freestyle. In the 100m Breaststroke she was pleased to achieve a new LC PB and a Division 2 qualifying time.
Attending the event with her own swimmers, Lakelanders Chairperson, Sara Lannon praised the coaching team led by Head Coach Ben Wiffen and the club volunteers who helped out over the 2 days but hailed the 15 swimmers who demonstrated the fruits of committed training in the weeks and months leading up to this Meet.
‘Another successful weekend for the Lakelanders, representing the South-West region in Bangor. I was really impressed with our swimmers’ performances and the maturity of our athletes. A very enjoyable weekend for the swimmers, coaches and parents as we see our team progress into long course season.’ The focus now turns to our Junior swimmers with next weekend seeing the Lakelanders host the first home gala in 2 years - sure to be an exciting morning of swimming.
You need to log in to Twitter/X to see this feed.
Swim Ireland's Irish Youth and Senior Summer National Championships 2026 took place from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th July at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. The five-day event saw 1125 swimmers from over 120 clubs compete from all over Ireland to as far afield as Dubai. The path to nationals is paved by hundreds of hours in the pool so to qualify for this prestigious competition is a huge achievement for the swimmers. There was high excitement among the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers who had qualified to compete.
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club were well represented on the National stage at the 2026 Irish Age Group National Championships at the University of Limerick Sports Arena last week. Two young Lakelanders’ swimmers joined almost 700 swimmers from over 100 clubs competing over four days of exciting competition, bringing home a National title to Enniskillen.
With the 2025/2026 swimming season coming to an end, the finale for the competitive swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders is the Irish Summer National competitions. These competitions will take place across two meets in July with Age Group Championships will take place in Limerick, followed by Irish Summer National Youth & Senior Championships in Dublin. There is great excitement among the 7 local swimmers who have qualified to compete at these events.
A squad of 21 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders showcased their talent at the Swim Ulster Swim Festival 2026, held at Lagan Valley LeisurePlex, Lisburn, on Sunday 28 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.
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.