Swim Ulster Development Meet 3: Newry
28 Jan 2020
On Sunday 26th of January, 11 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders made their way to Newry for the 3rd Swim Ulster Development Meet of the season. The event held in the Newry Leisure Centre, is aimed primarily at younger swimmers just starting out on their competitive journey in the world of swim competitions, where swimmers aim to gain qualification times to progress to the next level of regional events. The young Lakelanders did not disappoint, returning with good memories, medals and most importantly a slew of new personal best swims (PBs).
The youngest Lakelander attending Hannah Lynch (10) swam 200m IM and 100m freestyle, finishing both heats in first place, and achieved a massive 6 sec pb in her 200m IM.
Kate McDade (11) was back in the pool after captaining the Aqausprint team to victory the night before. A 6 second short course PB in the 200m IM, and swimming at her pb in the 100m freestyle, all made for a pleasing weekends swimming.
Darren Woods (12) competed in 3 events, earning PBs in all 3. He took 1.5 seconds off his first race, the 100m backstroke. Second up was 100 breaststroke where he knocked off 4.5 seconds. His final race was the 50m butterfly, his favourite, where he took 2 seconds off his PB, and he came 2nd in his event overall.
Austin Cassidy (12) competed in the boys 13-year-old 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke, and the 100m breaststroke events. He was delighted with a 10th place finish in the 200m freestyle, and came close to his PB in all three events.
Hayden James (12) had a very successful meet, earning 2 gold medals and 2 PBs over the event. In his favoured event, the 100m freestyle, he not only achieved a 4.79 second PB, but he was the also the fastest boy in the 13-year age group. In addition, he achieved a 4.69 second PB in the 200m freestyle event, making him the fastest boy in the 13-year age group. He then swam well in the 100m backstroke, finishing around his previous PB time.
Niamh O’Donnell (12) competed in two events, earning a PB in both. In her 200m freestyle she took a huge 19 seconds off her PB, and in her 100m breaststroke she took nearly 4 seconds off her PB.
Saoirse McGovern (12) competed in the girl 13-year-old 100m freestyle, and the 100m breaststroke events. She was delighted to win her heat in the 100m freestyle, taking over 10 second off her PB, and also finishing 10th overall. She also swam within 0.01ms against her PB in breaststroke, ending the event on a high note.
Oliver Mooney (12) competed in 2 events, earning a PB in one of them. He took 1 second off his PB in the 100m breaststroke finishing 6th overall, and swam just under his PB in the 50m butterfly finishing 8th overall.
Dara Toner (13) had a super day swimming in Newry, setting new PBs in both of his events. He dropped a massive 14 seconds off his 100 freestyle to finish with a time of 1:34:80, and being placed 18th overall. He had another massive improvement of 9 seconds for his 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:56:12, and being placed 14th overall.
Ciara O’Donnell (13) competed in two events, earning a PB in both. In her 100m backstroke she took a nearly 8 seconds off her PB, and in her 100m breaststroke she took nearly 6 seconds off her PB.
Kiril Chursin (14) competed in 3 events, earning 3 new PBs in all of them. In the 200m freestyle he finished with a PB of 2.52.73 taking nearly 10 seconds off his previous time, in the 100m backstroke he finished with a PB of 1.31.50 taking 3.97 seconds off his previous, and in the 100m breaststroke he finished with a PB of 1.37.96 taking 3.73 seconds off his previous.
Lakelanders Head Coach, Aaron Rickhuss who was on hand throughout the day to support the swimmers, praised all those taking part saying, 'I'm very pleased with the effort every swimmer has put in today and they all deserve the results they've achieved. Every sports club needs to be nurturing the next generation and with swimmers like this we can see the club will always have a bright future'.
- 08 Jun 2025Medals and PBs for Lakelanders at Banbridge Open
Banbridge Open Long Course Meet took place in Craigavon’s South Lakes Leisure Centre on Saturday the 7th of June.
A squad of 13 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. - 07 Jun 2025Young Lakelanders fought fierce battle with Lecale in AquaSprints Final
A team of 39 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC travelled to the Lagan Valley LeisurePlex in Lisburn last Friday to compete in the A final of this year’s Forest Feast AquaSprints League.
The event saw the young Lakelanders compete in a head to head battle against a strong squad from Lecale Swimming Club, while Swim Belfast and Olympia battled it out in the Division 4 B final, making the night a double event. - 01 Jun 2025Lakelanders success in Bangor
Seven Enniskillen Lakelanders' swimmers travelled to the Aurora Complex in Bangor to race at the Ian Wright Memorial Gala at the weekend. - 18 May 2025Young Lakelanders give Lecale a tough battle for Aquasprint League Round 3
A team of 35 young swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders ASC travelled to Downpatrick on Saturday to compete in the third meet of this year’s Forest Feast AquaSprints league.
The annual Swim Ulster competition offers an opportunity for younger swimmers born between 2017 and 2012 to race over 25m sprints in all four strokes, in both individual and relay events.
The young Lakelanders who recently moved to Omagh for training following the closure of their home pool in the Lakeland Forum, took on the battle against Lecale with gusto. - 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.
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