Swim Ireland Referee Hails 'Excellent' Lakelanders Home Gala 2018
26 Nov 2018
The now annual Enniskillen Lakelanders Home Meet took place over the weekend with 21 Ulster Clubs entering from all over the province with a total of 342 swimmers and 881 entries. Once again sponsored by Mercers Jewellers, the gala has now been licensed by Swim Ireland as a Level 2 Meet and as such, allows swimmers to obtain qualification times for qualifying galas; This is especially useful for the 40 plus Enniskillen swimmers achieving times in their ‘home’ pool. Level 2 license means the introduction of Swim Ireland officials to ensure correct technique and officiating. June Trail, President of Swim Ulster, was joined by Frank Stevens, Ita Doonan and Lars Beheme ensuring compliance was adhered to. The home club finished the day topping the medal table with 28 in total; 11 Gold, 12 Silver, 5 Bronze and a mountain of personal bests.
The first event was the 9 to 11 year old 50m Backcrawl were Ellie Dunlop (9) finished with a Silver Medal. Holly James, in her first individual competitive outing, along with Hannah Lynch swam to massive PBs to finish in the top 10. Darcy Balfour also broke the 1 minute barrier for the 1st time and Emer Murphy achieved a 2 second PB. There were more top 10 finishes and PBs for Jamie Lannon, Tom Buchanan, Oliver Mooney and Nial Bruce. Michael McGowan just missed out on a podium finish on his first competitive start. In 100m Backcrawl Isobel Lannon (12) and Ellie McCartney (13) finished top to the podium while Emilie Reihill and Cora Cassidy were placed in the top 10. Niamh Cassidy took 13 seconds off her PB with a fantastic back end swim. The boys matched this with Frank Buchanan (12) and Ben Lynch (14+) who also swam to gold medals and Lewis McCartney finished with a silver medal. Luke Aiken had a massive PB in this event.
Ellie Dunlop swam to her 2nd Gold in the 50m Breaststroke with Top 10 finishes for Hannah Lynch and Anna Cairns. Cora McConnell broke the 1 minute barrier for the 1st time. Oliver Mooney secured Bronze in the boys’ section with Jamie Lannon and Nial Bruce also ending the event in the top 10. Shay McCarney, Darren Woods and Ryan McGowan showed how much the training has paid off with big PBs in their 1st individual races at this level. Isobel Lannon and Ellie McCartney also swam to their second Golds with powerful 100m Breaststroke swims in the 12 and older categories. Ciosa McConnell took 1 second off her best ever time to secure the Silver Medal. Annabel Morrison returned to competitive action after three months out to finish in the top 10 as did Emilie Reihill and Lauren Keaney. Lewis McCartney and Frank Buchanan swam to a Silver and Bronze Medal respectively in their age categories with Ben Lynch 5th in the 14 plus section. Kiril Chursin had a fabulous 100m Breaststroke to smash the 2 minute mark for the 1st time.
In the 9 year old section of the 50m Fly, Ellie Dunlop swam to a Silver Medal while Hannah Lynch and Elke Pieterse also finished in the top 10. Georgia Maravelakis had a strong final length to PB in the event. Silver and Bronze Medals also followed for Jamie Lannon and Nial Bruce while Tom Buchanan just missed out on a podium place. Ellie McCartney continued her golden form with top spot in the 13 age group over 100m. Eimear Magee and Isobel Lannon PB’d to get a Bronze Medal in their sections. Ben Lynch and Lewis McCartney also medalled with a Silver and Bronze in the oldest age group.
A fourth medal followed for Ellie Dunlop while Sarah Speer showed her strength when she broke 1 minute for the 1st time in the 50m Freestyle. Jamie Lannon returned home with a 3rd medal and a PB in the Freestyle. Shay McCarney, James Mongan and Austin Cassidy also all swam to a PB. Isobel Lannon added a 4th medal to her haul in 100m Freestyle with Emilie Reihill smashing her PB to finish second. Ellie McCartney finished the day as the fastest girl in the pool over all four strokes with another Gold Medal. Sarah Harte swam to a PB along with Cora Cassidy and Ciosa McConnell. Lewis McCartney topped the podium for the first time with Gold in the 100m Free while Ben Lynch secured Silver.
The Lakelander Coaching Team on the day of Clare Morris and Aaron Rickhuss were extremely impressed with their swimmers and effort they put into each swim. Aaron commented “This gala is a great opportunity for our swimmers to achieve qualifying times in their own pool under the watchful eye of Swim Ulster.”
The gala has been hugely successful not only in terms of times and medals but also in raising much needed funds to help the club survive and thrive.
Lakelanders club Chairman: Gary Boyd, paid tribute to the Lakelander's Gala Secretary: Noel McManus and the club committee along with the 36 parent helpers who deserve much credit for the organisation and smooth running of the event. Extra special mention must go to the two Michelles; Reilhill and Buchanan, who expertly managed the computerised timing system ensuring results were collated accurately.
- 03 May 2026An Ulster title, a slew of medals and PBs home to Enniskillen from Ulster Champs
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. - 26 Apr 2026Lakelanders top the medal board at Spring Gala
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
The Irish Minor Schools Championships 2026 took place on Sunday 29th March at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin. 10 Enniskillen Lakelanders swimmers aged 12 and under made the journey, having qualified in November at the regional schools gala in Bangor and were high with excitement as they headed off to Dublin to do their schools proud on the National stage. - 22 Mar 2026Lakelanders Success at Future Challengers Gala in Lisburn
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
The Swim Ulster Schools Cup & Championships 2026 took place on Friday 6th February at Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex Bangor. Over 1000 swimmers from more than 130 schools across the province of Ulster took part in the one day event. Three local schools were part of the action with 22 local swimmers taking part. - 01 Feb 2026Young Lakelanders Swim to Success in Belfast
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.
Follow Us
