Ulster Short Course Success for Lakelanders Swimmers
09 Nov 2021
Ulster Short Course Success for Lakelanders Swimmers
Last weekend saw 7 swimmers from the Enniskillen Lakelanders compete in the Ulster Short-Course Championships held at Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre, Belfast. The local swimmers approached this event with excitement, not least because it was the first major regional competition since lockdown but also because many were aiming to impress new Lakelanders Head Coach, Ben Wiffen across 41 individual events and 3 Relays.
The three day meet got off to a flying start with the 200m Breaststroke event where Anna McDade (15) secured a new Personal Best (PB) and her first Irish SC qualification time of the meet whilst Dara Ronan (17) also achieved a new PB in this event.
Emilie Reihill (15), Izzy Lannon (15) and Ben Lynch (18) competed in the 400m Freestyle. Emilie achieved a PB in a well controlled race with both girls gaining experience in race management and strategy over this longer distance. Cora Rooney (16) performed well in the 50m Backstroke event dropping below 30 seconds for the first time. In the 200m Individual Medley (IM) we saw Anna, Izzy and Ben in action where Anna and Izzy were delighted to PB in the heats with Izzy securing a place in the final.
The 100m Butterfly event saw Cora Rooney finish in 7th place with another Irish SC time, Anna McDade continued her good form to secure another PB and Dara Ronan finished in the top 10. The final event of the first day, the 50m Freestyle saw both Emilie and Anna perform well to achieve new PB times with Anna dropping below 30 seconds for the first time.
Swimming in the Finals of day one Cora took 3rd place in the 50m Backstroke with an Irish SC time, whilst in the 200m IM Izzy set a new PB breaking 2.40 for the first time to place 8th overall. Ben racing in the final of the 400m Freestyle finished in 5th place.
Spirits were high at the start of day two with a 5th place finish for the Mixed Freestyle Relay team of Dara, Ben, Anna and Emilie followed by the 200m Freestyle where Ben, Emilie and Izzy competed with both Izzy and Emilie producing new PBs. In the 200m Backstroke Cora secured her spot in the final and in the 100m Breaststroke Anna achieved a PB, a place in the final and another Irish Short Course qualification time.
The 100m Individual Medley (IM) saw Anna again produce a PB swim to secure the Ulster Junior Championship title for this event alongside her third Irish SC time. In the 50m Butterfly, Anna and Cora both produced PB times with Cora progressing to the final where she placed 4th with another time improvement and her fourth Irish SC time. Dara also swam well in the heats to progress to the men’s 50m Butterfly final. The Mixed Medley Relay team of Izzy, Anna, Dara and Ben finished in 6th place. The morning session was rounded off with Emilie and Izzy in action in the 800m Freestyle, both girls producing very consistent swims over the long distance event with Izzy pleased to secure a further PB.
Finals of day two saw Cora compete in the 200m Backstroke where she improved on her heat time to finish in 2nd place with her third Irish SC time. The 100m Breaststroke Final saw Anna improve her time and ranking to finish in 5th place. In the 50m Butterfly Final Cora placed 4th with another time improvement and her fourth Irish SC time. Dara also improved on his time in the heats to finish in 5th place in the 50m Butterfly Mens Final and secured his first Senior Irish SC qualification time. Ben swam the Final of the 800m Freestyle rounding off his weekend with a 7th place finish.
On the final morning of the three day meet the Lakelanders continued to impress with Cora, Izzy and Dara producing PB swims in the 100m Backstroke. Cora progressed to the final with her Irish SC time. Molly Johnston (16) joined her team mates on Sunday morning, swimming in the 50m Breaststroke where both Molly and Anna achieved new PBs, with Anna progressing to the final with her fourth Irish SC time. Next up for the Lakelanders we saw Dara in action in the 200m Butterfly where he progressed to the final. The final individual event of the morning saw Anna, Emilie and Izzy compete in the same heat of the 100m Freestyle event with all three girls producing new SC PBs. The final event of the morning, the relay team of Izzy, Molly, Anna, Emilie performed well with an 8th place finish.
Finals of day three on Sunday evening saw Cora improve on both her heat time and ranking to take the Silver medal in the 100m Backstroke, whilst Anna equalled her heat time in the Final of the 50m Breaststroke. This was an excellent finish to the meet for the youngest Lakelander attending with PBs across all 9 of her events, reaching 3 finals, 4 Irish SC times and an Ulster Junior Title.
In what was to be the last event for the Lakelanders Dara Ronan showed his stamina in the 200m Butterfly, where he produced a strong final 25m to secure the Bronze medal with another PB time which also also saw him bag yet another Irish Short Course qualification.
Speaking after the event, new Lakelanders' Head Coach Ben Wiffen was very impressed by his new team and praised the Lakelanders saying 'With an Ulster Junior title, numerous finals qualifications, PBs and 10 Irish SC qualification times, this was a strong performance and I'm really looking forward to working with this squad as the season progresses'.
- 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. - 07 Dec 2025Lakelanders’ future challengers deliver strong swims in Omagh
A strong squad of Lakelanders junior swimmers took part in Swim Ulster Future Challengers Meet 2 at Omagh Leisure Centre on Saturday.
Coach Chelsey Weir was there to support the young swimmers who brought home a substantial haul of medal award pins and a raft of new personal times. - 07 Dec 2025Success for Lakelanders at Sliabh Beagh Winter Gala
6 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers made the journey to the Coral Leisure Centre Monaghan for Sliabh Beagh Swimming Club’s Winter Cluster Meet on 6th & 7th December. - 30 Nov 2025Lakelanders Swimmers Shine for their schools at Ulster Schools Championships
Swim Ulster Primary Schools Cup and Championship was held at the Aurora Aquatic & Leisure Complex, Bangor on Saturday 29th November 2025. Excited for this opportunity to represent their schools, 22 swimmers across 10 local schools headed to Bangor determined to do the South-West 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 4 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 next year. - 10 Nov 2025Lakelanders push for top performances at Dungannon’s 40th Anniversary Gala
A squad of 10 Enniskillen Lakelanders’ swimmers attended Dungannon Swimming Club’s 40th Anniversary Gala on Sunday the 9th November at Dungannon Leisure Centre. The gala was a great success for the young swimmers who returned home with numerous personal bests. - 27 Oct 2025Lakelanders Host First Home Gala in Omagh
Enniskillen Lakelanders Swimming Club held their Autumn Junior Gala on Sunday 26th October, an event aimed at younger swimmers. This was the club’s first Gala in their new temporary base at Omagh Leisure Centre and there was much excitement among the swimmers from the outset with 37 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders taking part. They were joined by competitors from nine 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 Oct 2025Lakelanders secure awards and new PBs at Belfast Aspiring Champions Gala
11 swimmers from Enniskillen Lakelanders swimming club made their way to the Lisnasharragh Leisure Centre in Belfast to compete at Swim Ulster's Aspiring Champions Meet; the first Gala of the season for swimmers aged 13 and over. The event was held over two days, 18th & 19th October. Coaches across Ulster use this gala to assess and monitor swimmers' skills, providing the scaffolding for the building blocks for success in the coming season.
All the work so far on skills and technique resulted in a slew of Swim Ulster Awards, personal bests and many top ten finishes for the Enniskillen Lakelanders.
Follow Us
