More National Qualifying times for Enniskillen Lakelanders at Banbridge Meet

11 Jun 2023

More National Qualifying times for Enniskillen Lakelanders at Banbridge Meet

Banbridge Open Long Course Meet took place in Craigavon’s South Lakes Leisure Centre on Saturday the 10th of June.
A squad of 14 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers, along with Head Coach Ben Wiffen, made their way to the fabulous South Lakes Leisure Centre long course (50m) swimming pool for the final club meet of the season. 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.

Hannah Beacom (15) secured new PBs in all four of her events; 100m and 50m Breaststroke and 100m and 50m Freestyle.

Kiril Chursin (17) competed in six events, his main goal being to secure a qualification time for summer Nationals in the 100m Freestyle which he was delighted to achieve.

Darragh Collins (13), was thrilled to come away from the day’s races with two PBs, most notably taking 8.6 seconds off his 100m Freestyle time.

Vita Lavrenova (16) secured top ten finishes in her age group across all three of her events, picking up PBs in the 50m Butterfly and 50m Freestyle along with a qualification time for Summer Nationals in the latter.

Myleene Leonard (12) competed in four events and was pleased to collect new PBs in the 100m and 50m Freestyle races.

Martha McCreesh (12), focusing primarily on her Freestyle, achieved three top ten finishes which included her first competitive race at 200m. Martha finished an enjoyable day with a 4th place in the 100m Backstroke.

Jessica Miller (12) gained a new PB in her favored 100m Breaststroke and was less than a second off a qualifying time for Nationals. She is now determined to come back next year and achieve this goal. Jessica went on to knock almost 3 seconds off her 50m Freestyle PB.

Ryan Mongan (13) was pleased to hit the wall with new PBs in all three of his races; 100m and 50m Breaststroke and 100m Freestyle.

Niamh O’Donnell (14) swam well in all four of her events, securing a new PB in the 200m Freestyle race.

Tori Reid (13) picked up new PBs in 100m Freestyle, Breaststroke and Backstroke.

Erin Salcedo (13) competed in five events, gaining a new PB in the 50m Freestyle aswell as placing 7th overall in the 50m Breaststroke race. Erin was pleased to maintain her seed times in 200m and 100m Freestyle and 100m Breaststroke gaining valuable race experience.

Emma Speer (12) and older sister Sarah Speer (14) both picked up new PBs in the 100m Breaststroke and 50m Freestyle races.

Conal Walker (15) was delighted to achieve PBs in each of his four events. He was particularly pleased to achieve a consideration time for summer nationals in 100m Breaststroke and to take a massive 15 seconds off his 50m Breaststroke PB.

Club Gala secretary Michelle Reihill praised the swimmers’ efforts and commitment to their training, ‘particularly the young people balancing the pressures of exam preparation with their desire to also succeed in the pool.’ She wished all the swimmers well, particularly those going on to represent Enniskillen Lakelanders at National level in July.

The swimmers and their families are grateful for the guidance and support of the coaching team led by Head coach Ben Wiffen, as well as all the parents working in many voluntary roles to ensure the swimmers enjoyed another great Gala experience.

Many of these swimmers will now set their sights firmly on the National competitions held in July; the first being the 2023 Age Group Summer Nationals in Limerick in early July followed by the Youth & Senior Summer National meet at the National Aquatic Centre in Dublin late July, an exciting summer ahead for the Enniskillen Lakelanders.

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