Cork swimmers are prominent at National Senior Schools finals
The Munster Interprovincial Team, with Swim Ireland President, Mary Haughney and Munster Coaches & Team Managers at the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin recently. Photo: Tony McGrath No Repo Fee.
THE National Senior Schools Finals took place at the National Aquatic Centre, Blanchardstown, Dublin recently.
The finals are held in two formats. The senior relay finals took place in the morning while the individual finals took place by way of an Inter-provincial Final in the afternoon.
The day is very popular on the competition calendar as athletes who normally compete against each other in regular competition, find themselves as teammates, representing their schools in the relay section and as part of a Munster Squad team, competing against the other three regions, in the second section.
Cork schools featured prominently among the medallists.
The Junior Girls relay team from Scoil Mhuire, Caoilinn O’Connor, Emily Sheehan, Emma Bugler and Aifric Barry claimed the National Title in the 200m freestyle relay.
They had to settle for 2nd place in the medley relay, narrowly losing out to a school from Banbridge, Co. Down.
The Senior Girls relay team from St. Aloysius College, Carrigtwohill, Orna Higgins, Isabel Kidney, Heather Fane and Antonia Sech claimed the National Title in the 200m medley relay.
They too had to settle for 2nd place in the 200m freestyle relay, narrowly losing out to a school from Galway.
The Midleton College quartet, Ben Coleman, Ricky Fane, Dylan Gunn and Noah Switzer claimed the National Title in the Intermediate Boys medley relay.
The boys featured in the race of the day when they went head to head with the teams from Waterford, Athlone and Lisburn in the 200m freestyle relay.
The Tramore team were the comfortable winners, but there was nothing separating the next three teams as they battled it out for the remaining podium positions. The Midleton team agonisingly lost out by the narrowest of margins.
Athlone placed second on 1:44.12, Lisburn third on 1:44.53 and Midleton in fourth on 1:44.54.
It was on to the afternoon then and the athletes changed from their individual School kit to the ‘Red of Munster’.
The format for the Interprovincial finals is that two athletes from each province compete in each event, with only one athlete from each province scoring points for the team.
First up to the blocks and claiming maximum points for the team was Orna Higgins in the 13-14 100m backstroke 1:07.54.
Caoilinn O’Connor placed third on 1:07.69. Lexi Dunne claimed maximum points for the team in both her events, touching on 2:27.04 at 200m IM and 59.11 at 100m freestyle.
Aoibhe Moroney placed 8th at 200m IM with Aoife Gardiner in 8th at 100m freestyle.
Another to claim maximum points in both her events was Isabel Kidney in the 15-16 category.
The breaststroke specialist touched on 1:12.77 at 100m breaststroke and 2:24.49 in the 200m IM.
Michelle O’Shea placed third in the 200m IM 2:26.99. Hannah O’Shea also starred in the 17-19 category with maximum team points at 400m freestyle 4:28.30 and 200m IM 2:22.64. Heather Fane placed 2nd at 200m IM on 2:23.98.
O’Shea placed 2nd at 100m butterfly 1:04.28 with Izzy McGrath in 7tt.
Liam O’Connor dipped under the minute barrier for the first time at 100m freestyle.
Swimming in the 13-14 category, he smashed the time in the process, touching on 57.40. Thomas Bugler placed 2nd on 57.92.
In the 15-16 category, Antonia Sech placed 2nd at 100m backstroke 1:05.58 with Jenna McArdle in 6th.
Sech picked up another point for the team with a 6th place finish at 100m freestyle with McArdle in 8th.
Ricky Fane placed 2nd at 100m breaststroke 1:10.34.
Cork swimmers featured prominently on the relay team selections. In the Intermediate category, both the girls team, Antonia Sech, Isabel Kidney, Ruby Swinburne and Jenna McArdle and the boys team, Ben Merrigan, Ricky Fane, Oisin O’Grady and Noah Switzer, placed second in the medley relay.
There was a change of personnel on the boys team for the freestyle relay, with Sean Bugler & Sean O’Connor joining Switzer and Merrigan to win silver.
The Junior team of Lexi Dunne, Orna Higgins, Aoibhe Moroney and Aoife Gardiner and the boys team of Luke Merrigan, Liam O’Connor, Ruben Aghaje & Riley Brown both placed third in the freestyle relay.
The Senior boys quarter, David Killen, Michael O’Driscoll, Eanna Garvey and Marc Galland placed third in the freestyle relay.
The girls quartet, Izzy McGrath, Maire O’Sullivan, Heather Fane and Hannah O’Shea placed third in the medley relay.
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