Wigan BEST’s age group swimmers have been in action at the Manchester Aquatics centre over the last fortnight for the North West Regional Championships. The number of swimmers competing at these championships has increased over the last few years and is now at a stage where we were able to enter two male and three female relay events for the first time. The best placing coming with a ninth place finish Girls 4×200 Freestyle relay. The team of Jess Sloan, Mel Braddock, Ellie Molyneux and Emily Hall, finished in a time of 9:15.96. All members of the relay teams gained some valuable experience in what was for most their first relay outside of club galas.
BEST finished the two weekends with an incredible 33 PB swims while on the way to collecting 5 final places and 2 reserve spots coming away with 2 medals. Two of our swimmers managed a perfect 100% PB rate with two more only missing out by a single event. Niamh Murray, competing in her first regional championships, in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke and Harley Beentjes with five PB times in the 100, 200 and 400 Freestyle and the 100 Fly and 200 IM events. Harley also made the final in 400m Free improving on his heat time to take sixth place in 4:38.07. James Cross managed a busy programme to come away with eight PB times in the 100, 200 and 400 Freestyle as well as the 100 and 200 Backstroke, 100 Butterfly and 200 and 400 IM. Oliver Mort came away with a PB in the 100m Butterfly in 1:08.63 with Matthew Silvester earning a PB time in the 200m event in a 2:45.41.
Mel Braddock collected the 100m event to complete the set of Freestyle national times with a 1:03.96. Mel overcame some knee trouble during her long course PB in the 200 Breaststroke to lowered all her existing Freestyle times and pick up two Silver medals in the 200 and 800m events. Katey Cooper made an improvement in four events: 100 Breaststroke, 200 IM and 100 and 200 Backstroke, making the final in the 100 Back with a 1:14.61. Charlotte Nester showed her continued development coming away with five PB times in the 100 and 200 Freestyle, 100 Breaststroke, 200 Backstroke and 200IM. Two more PB swims came in the 800m Freestyle from Jess Sloan and Ellie Molyneux in 9:46.72 and 9:50.23 respectively.
Rob Livesey
Assistant Head Coach