Lakelanders Victorious at Lagan Valley
21 Jan 2024
Lakelanders Victorious at Lagan Valley
On Saturday 20th January, 17 younger members of the Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club competed in Round 3 of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Series, held at Lagan Valley Leisureplex, Lisburn. This Meet saw over 450 swimmers aged 10-14 compete in the more challenging swimming events of the Individual Medley (IM), Backstroke and Butterfly. The Lakelanders squad rose to the occasion, relishing the opportunity to improve their PBs and race against the best in Ulster.
Charles Armstrong (12) secured a new PB in the 100m IM taking an excellent 8 seconds off his seed time to achieve a top 10 finish. In the 50m Backstroke Charles landed a superb 2nd fastest in his age category, before going on to achieve another PB in the 50m Butterfly event.
Holly Barkley (13) had 3 really good swims, achieving a PB in her 100m Backstroke and coming away with 3 top 10 finishes in her age group.
Shannon Brennan (13) enjoyed great success securing 1st place in her age group for the 50m Backstroke and claimed a new PB in the 100m IM.
Daire Burke (12) had a successful day picking up PBs in his 100m IM, 100 Backstroke and 50 Butterfly events, placing 5th in all 3 events.
Older brother Enda Burke (14) came home as the 2nd fastest 14 year old boy with a PB in the 100m Backstroke and enjoyed swimming his first 200m IM.
Michael Carron (11) started strongly coming 3rdwith a PB in the 100m IM. He did even better in the 50m Backstroke securing 2nd place. He ended the day with another top 5 finish in the 50m Butterfly.
Darragh Collins (13) had a stellar performance, hitting the wall as 2nd fastest 13 year old boy in the tough 100m Butterfly, as well as placing 3rd fastest for his age in the 100m IM and 100m Backstroke with 3 PBs to the crown the day’s swimming.
Sophie Hanna (12) had a great swim in her first 200m IM with an impressive top 10 finish. She then dropped a massive 7.79 seconds off her 100m Backstroke PB securing 7th place in her age group.
Katie James (14) swam strongly in the 100m IM to take 2nd position in the 14 year old age group with a 5+ second PB. A great second swim in the 50m Backstroke saw another fast time recorded.
Clara Leonard (11) collected a new PB in the 100m Backstroke. Clara was thrilled to compete in her first 200m IM and hit the wall as the 3rd fastest girl in her age group.
Russell Mikiewicz Lumayad (14) dropped almost 10 seconds off his 200m IM taking 2nd place in his age group, followed by two further PBs in his 50m Butterfly and 100m Backstroke events.
Younger brother Jakub Mikiewicz Lumayad (10) was in superb form enjoying his first taste of regional competitive swimming. He started in style receiving 2 bronze medals in 100m IM and 50m Backstroke events. He then dropped another 7 seconds in his 50m Butterfly taking 4th place.
Anton Neal (13) was delighted with a 5.5 second PB in the 100m IM placing 6th in the 13 year old age group. He was most pleased with his strong swim in the 100m Backstroke, taking a staggering 10+ seconds of his PB as well as getting top 10 finishes in it and the 50m Butterfly event.
Ella Neal (12) had a fantastic day in the pool kickstarted with a 6 second PB in the 200m IM. This set her up for an outstanding swim in the 100m Backstroke where she sheared nearly 12 seconds off her PB gaining a top 10 spot. The icing on the cake for Ella was another top 10 spot and PB in the 50m Butterfly.
Maeve Rolston-McAuliffe (13) had a brilliant gala, placing 2nd in her age group in the 50m Butterfly and 4th in the 100m Backstroke. Maeve ended the day on a high, taking 3 seconds off her PB in the 200m IM and finishing as the fastest 13 year old.
Keira Salcedo (12) had a great day achieving PBs in both of her events. She shaved a massive 10.68 seconds off her PB in the 200m IM placing 7th in her age group and landed another top 10 finish in the 100m Backstroke hitting the wall in 8th place.
Club Chairperson Aideen Speer commended the impressive achievements of the squad in Lisburn pointing out that the excellent times achieved, bode well for a strong performance by the Lakelanders in the upcoming Aquasprint League which starts at the end of the month. “Our junior swimmers are showing incredible determination and commitment to their sport. Under the leadership and support of our Head Coach Ben Wiffen we are ‘race ready’. We as a Club are looking forward to seeing our young swimmers come together as a team to compete against other teams throughout the region”. First up Enniskillen Lakelanders will take on Newry and Mourne on 27th January 2024.
- 04 May 2025Quartet of Ulster titles and a slew of medals & PBs at Ulster LC Champs
A squad of 12 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club attended the Ulster Age Group and Senior LC Championships at the Bangor Aurora Leisure Complex on 2nd, 3rd & 4th 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. - 19 Apr 2025Lakelanders light up the NAC at Irish Open
Swim Ireland’s Irish Open Swimming Championships started on Saturday (12th April) at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin. The 5-day event saw over three hundred swimmers from over fifty clubs compete for National titles in thirty-four individual events. The competition saw twelve Championship Records broken as well as three Irish Senior and four Irish Junior Records across the five days of racing as swimmers aimed for places on Senior National Teams. This meet is also the first opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Regional and National programmes for the 2025-2026 season. Three swimmers from the local Enniskillen Lakelanders swim club attended the prestigious meet keen to compete with the best in the country and witness some of the top swimmers the world in action. - 05 Apr 2025Cracking Racing in Craigavon for Enniskillen Lakelanders' Swimmers
Portadown ASC and Lurgan ASC hosted the South Lake Open Meet 2025 at South Lake Leisure Centre, Craigavon on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th April. A total of 32 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed over the two day meet. - 30 Mar 2025Lakelanders' Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools at Irish Minor Schools Champions
The Irish Minor Schools Championships 2025 took place on Sunday 30th March at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. 17 Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers aged 12 and under made the journey, having qualified earlier this month at the regional schools gala in Lisburn and were high with excitement as they headed off to Dublin to do their schools proud on the National stage. - 23 Mar 2025Young Lakelanders successful at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
Ten junior members of Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club travelled to Lisburn on Saturday 22nd March to compete in the fourth meet of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers series at the Lagan Valley Leisureplex.
This gala series is for swimmers aged 10-14 and provides competitive racing opportunities at junior level.
Several medals and lots of new personal best times were secured by the young Lakelanders who displayed their continual improvement and commitment to the sport. - 23 Mar 2025Lakelanders Aquasprinters Victorious over Belfast Olympia
The second round of this season’s Aquasprint League for the Enniskillen Lakelanders took place on Sunday morning at home to Belfast’s Olympia. 40 of their younger swimmers born between 2017 and 2012 took to the pool. There was lots of excitement but a tinge of sadness knowing this would be the last home Aquasprint of the year. The swimmers, committee and parents were hoping for a great morning.
The Aquasprint league, sponsored by Forest Feast, is a starting point for the younger swimmers to compete in all strokes in individual and relays over 25m. Aquasprints are a great opportunity for children to build on what they have been learning in the pool with coaches Ben and Claire, adding speed to this and a competitive edge. - 15 Mar 2025Ellie and Hannah swim for Ulster
Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers Hannah Lynch and Ellie Dunlop travelled to High Wycombe as part of the team of Ulster Regional and National programme athletes to race at the Wycombe Premier Open meet from Friday 7th March to Sunday 9th March. - 15 Mar 2025Lakelanders Secure Medal Haul in Bangor
12 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 15th & 16th 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. - 02 Mar 2025Fermanagh Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held in the Lagan Valley Leisureplex in Lisburn on Saturday 1st March.
Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 30 swimmers across 9 local schools headed to Lisburn, determined to do the Southwest proud and qualify for the All-Ireland Championships held in Dublin in March. Although a school competition, all the students attending are committed members of the Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club and mustered all their skills and training in competing against the best swimmers from schools across Ulster. A successful day saw 5 podium finishes and an amazing number of swimmers qualify for the All-Ireland primary school championship to be held at the National Aquatic Centre Dublin later this month. - 23 Feb 2025Lakelanders impress at McCullagh International Gala
Four Enniskillen Lakelanders Club swimmers qualified for the prestigious McCullagh International swim meet, held at Bangor’s Aurora Aquatic Centre over three days last week.
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!
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