Lots of PBs & Ellie Wins Irish Open Medal for Lakelanders at Irish Short Course
12 Dec 2018
As records tumbled at the Swim Ireland Irish Short Course Championships over the weekend Ellie McCartney quietly worked away collecting her first ever National Open Medal and winning 2 ‘B’ Finals while her brother, Lewis McCartney, reached his first National Open ‘B’ Final. Kealan McShea, Oisin McManus and Ben Lynch also delivered on a senior level over the four days at the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex all under the watchful eye of Lakelanders Head Coach, Aaron Rickhuss. 500 swimmers from more than 80 clubs across Ireland were involved over the four days of the biggest short course (25m pool size) competition in the country.
Thirteen-year-old Ellie McCartney was in sparkling form in the competition that she was too young to enter last year and delivered a Bronze Medal in the Women’s Open 200m Breaststroke in a time of 2:34.54 – the first Lakelanders medal at the Irish SC since Chelsey Wilson in 2013 and the youngest medal winner at this year’s championships; First and second place went to swimmers aged 23 and 21 respectively. Swim Ireland National Performance Director, Jon Rudd, once again picked the young Lakelanders as one of his top picks for the Meet saying “…a young lady swimming with natural rhythm and finesse over the longer breaststroke distance. I'd say we need to watch this space; it looks like only a matter of time before we're very excited about this young prospect...” Ellie swam the gruelling 400m Individual Medley to qualify for the ‘A’ final and swam it again that evening to finish in 6th position in Ireland in a new club record time of 5:09.12. She also won ‘B’ Finals in the 100m Breaststroke (1:13.28) and 200m IM in a new PB of 2:23.12. A third place followed in the ‘B’ final of the 100m IM as well as a 4th place in the ‘B’ final in 50m Breaststroke and a 3 second PB in the 100m Backcrawl. The impact of new coach Aaron has been immediate with Ellie, along with all the Lakelanders, listening and learning to his advice before each event and in between the heats and finals.
Lewis McCartney swam the meet of his life achieving five fabulous personal best times along with two season best ties culminating in a 5th place finish in a ‘B’ final in a National Competition. After swimming to a 4 second PB in the 200m Breaststroke Lewis qualified for the ‘B’ final and after speaking with the coach about some technical aspects of the event he was able to take another second off his time to finish in 5th place. The work in the pool and the gym is paying off for the 16-year-old and he can’t wait to get back into competitions in the new year.
Oisin Mc Manus travelled to Lisburn on the opening day of the event knowing his fitness was a question having missed many recent training sessions due to illness, however in his first race, the 200m Individual Medley he posted a respectable time of 2:21.60. Then later in the same session he lined up for the 200m Butterfly where he was again pleased with his time of 2:30.08. In the 400m Freestyle he recorded his 1st PB of the event knocking 1.07 seconds of his previous time to finish on 4:22.92. In the 200m Breaststroke he swam brilliantly to finish with a 5.89 second PB on a time of 2:35.15 placing him in the top 18.
As a first national competition outing of the season, Oisin was pleased with his performance but now looks forward to some serious training for the new year.
Kealan McShea (16) attended Day 1 of the meet swimming to 24th out of 75 in 200IM, 37th out of 61 in the 100m Backcrawl and 31st out of 82 place and a new PB of 25.99 in the 50m Freestyle.
Ben Lynch took part in 3 events, 1500m, 400m and 200 m freestyle. Ben placed 15th in the 1500 m freestyle and he enjoyed the experience of swimming at an open competition.
The Lakelanders swimmers and coach now take a well-earned rest from competitions before January's meet when qualification for the Irish Summer Nationals begins but the training continues for all swimmers in and out of the pool with additional gym and yoga sessions organised by the club.
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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. - 19 Apr 2026Cracking Racing in Craigavon for Enniskillen Lakelanders' Swimmers
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. - 29 Mar 2026Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers clinch medals & top ten finishes for their sch
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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. - 16 Mar 2026Lakelanders claim awards & PBs in Bangor
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. - 16 Feb 2026Lakelanders take the Lead in Lisburn
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. - 12 Feb 2026Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Sc
Local Swimmers Sparkle for their Schools as Past & Present Lakelanders lead the way for Fermanagh at Swim Ulster’s Senior Schools’ Cup & Championships in Bangor
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On Saturday 31st January, 13 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club competed in Round 3 of the Swim Ulster Future Challengers Series at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast. The meet attracted over 450 swimmers aged 10–14 from across Ulster, all taking on the more challenging events of Individual Medley (IM), Backstroke and Butterfly.
The Lakelanders squad rose to the occasion, relishing the opportunity to race against strong provincial competition while aiming for personal best performances. - 26 Jan 2026Lakelanders Secure Medals & PBs at Swim Ulster Open Meet in Bangor
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers competed at Swim Ulster’s Open Long Course Meet at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex in Bangor on the 24 & 25th January. Swimmers from clubs all over Ireland attended this exciting start to the Long Course season and the Lakelanders were eager to race their fellow athletes in the fabulous 10 lane 50m pool at the Aurora.
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