Swimmers star in top end nationals

WANGARATTA Amateur Swimming Club made a big splash at the Australian Country Swimming Championships last weekend, taking home 29 medals. As the premier swimming event for swimmers from regional or remote areas of Australia, 60 clubs from all parts of the country converged atthe Parap Pool in Darwin to compete against the best country swimmers in Australia over four thrilling days. Victorian swimmers qualified for the event through the State Short Course Championships held in Wangaratta back in August. The Wangaratta club had 14 swimmers compete in Darwin from Saturday, September 30 to Tuesday, October 3, finishing with a total of six gold medals, 10 silver and 13 bronze in a widely successful national meet for the club. Gold medalists included Nina Fortaliza (100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke), Liam Kidgell (200m backstroke) and Gabe Watson (100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke) who took home eight medals in total. Club president Allison Allen said it was an electrifying week for the club and was extremely proud of her swimmers who shone on the national stage. “Even when we weren’t achieving medals we were swimming really good times,” she said. “It was really good, because it’s the start of the long course season and a lot of our swimmers have already achieved the qualifying times for state meets coming up. “We went up for a week so we got some training sessions in up at Nightcliff before the meet started and we also did some nice team bonding we went to the Mindil Markets and to the deck chair cinemas. “It was a really great and friendly atmosphere at the meets; our swimmers met swimmers from all over Australia and Victoria so it’s just really good for them to meet those other swimmers and make friends. “Hopefully now they see them at state championships or at nationals in the near future, it was a great experience.” In a total of 238 events swam by members of the club, they were represented in finals in half of those events, with every swimmer recording at least two personal best times across their events and 120 PBs swam in total. Swimmers will now shift their focus to the 50m pool, with training already beginning for the long course season. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS Harry Allen 20 events 12 finals 14 PBs Bronze medals – 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, 4x50m medley relay New Victorian Age qualifying time – 100m freestyle Ingrid Brettig 22 events 11 finals 14 PBs Silver medals – 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke New Victorian Sprints qualifying time – 50m breaststroke Alice Colson 22 events 13 finals 15 PBs Silver medals – 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly Bronze medals – 200m individual medley, 50m breaststroke, 200m freestyle New Victorian Sprints qualifying time – 50m butterfly New Victorian Age qualifying time – 100m freestyle Maddison Craven 9 events 4 finals 2 PBs Nina Fortaliza 27 events 17 finals 15 PBs Gold medals – 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke Silver medal – 50m breaststroke New Victorian Age qualifying times – 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle, 200m breaststroke New Victorian Sprints qualifying time – 50m butterfly Sofia Gallo 16 events 9 finals 11 PBs Liam Kidgell 25 events 16 finals 15 PBs Gold medal – 200m backstroke Bronze medal – 4x50m medley relay New Victorian Age qualifying time – 100m backstroke New Victorian country qualifying times – 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly Mackenzie Lawford 10 events 4 finals 7 PBs New Victorian country time – 50m freestyle Jemima Pizzini 11 events 6 finals 3 PBs Evelyn Selby 17 events 8 finals 10 PBs New Victorian Country qualifying time – 100m butterfly New Victorian Sprints qualifying time – 50m butterfly Sadie Skewes 12 events 5 finals 5 PBs Bronze medal – 50m butterfly New Victorian Age qualifying time – 50m freestyle Jasmin Thwaites 16 events 11 finals 3 PBs Bronze medal – 50m backstroke Gabe Watson 31 events 19 finals 6 PBs Gold medals – 100m breaststroke, 50m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke Silver medals – 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley, 50m butterfly, 200m backstroke, Bronze medal – 4x50m medley relay Aidan Thomson 20 events 12 finals 6 PBs

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