Best Ever Devon Championships for Exeter City Swimming Club

Exeter City Swimming Club enjoyed their best ever county champs this year, with a record number of swimmers qualifying.

The Devon County Swimming Championships take place at the Plymouth Lifecentre on three consecutive weekends at the end of January and swimmers from all over Devon have to achieve stringent qualifying times throughout the preceeding year to be able to take part.

This years’ championships saw 85 Exeter swimmers qualify, achieving eight super champions, 45 Super Final places, 42 age group gold medals, 25 silver and 30 bronze as well as another 129 county age group finalists.

The Championship final sees the fastest eight swimmers from the County go head to head in a super final and Exeter showed their force with 43 places over all finals.  Dominic Wooldridge picked up 1st place and three trophies for the 200m, 100m and 50m butterfly, he also received silver for the 200 Individual Medley, bronze 400 medley and 400 freestyle and 6th place in the 100m freestyle.  Katie Townsend picked up the 1st trophy for the 50m freestyle and silver in 50m backstroke, bronze 100m backstroke, 5th 200m backstroke, 6th 200m freestyle and 8th in the 100m individual medley.  Katie also collected a silver medal in the 200m Individual Medley Age Group final, and a bronze in the 100m freestyle.  Olivia Burrow picked up three trophies, the senior trophy for being the fastest female in the County over 200m backstroke and the junior trophy for the same event.  Olivia was also junior champion in the 100 backstroke, coming 2nd inthe event overall, 4th in the 50m backstroke and collected a gold medal in the 15 and under Age Group final for 100 Individual Medley and a bronze medal for the 50m butterfly.  The other swimmer to bring silverware back to Exeter was Dayna Riordan winning the 100m and 50m breaststroke and getting a bronze in the 200m breaststroke.  Dayna also gained a bonze medal in the age group final of the 200m individual medley.

Other female Championship finalists were, Aliyah Mai-Webb, Silver in the 200 backstroke and 100m individual medley, 4th 400 individual Medley and 8th in the 100m backstroke as well as a gold medal in the age group 200m Individual Medley,   Charlotte Emery 4th 400 individual medley, 7th 200 breaststroke and 200 butterfly.  Charlotte also collected gold medals in the 14 and under age group final for  400m and 200m Individual Medley, 400m and 100m freestyle, 100m and 50m butterfly, silver in 100m breaststroke and 100m Individual Medley.  Milly Rawles 4th in the 200m backstroke and in her 15 and under age group final she gained silver in the 100m backstroke and bronze in the 50m backstroke.  Rebecca Gibbins was 5th in the 100m butterfly and 8th in the 50m fly and gained a gold medal in the age group 400m individual medley, silver 200m butterfly, bronze 200m freestyle.  Lilly Dabin was 6th in the 50m backstroke and in the age group final won silver in the 100m backstroke,
Bronze in the 200m backstroke and 100m and 50m butterfly.  Rhiannon Loveman was 7th in the 100m backstroke and in her age group final won silver in the 100m and 200m freestyle.

The boys were equally successful in the super finals with Liam White winning Silver in the 200m backstroke and the 100m individual medley and bronze in the 100m butterfly and 100m individual medley.  Tom Downs won silver in the 200m butterfly, 4th in the 100m and 50m butterfly, 6th in the 200m Individual Medley and 7th in the 100m individual medley.  In his age group final Tom gained silver in the 50m backstroke,.  Alec White was 4th in the 400 individual medley and 7th in the 200m breaststroke and in his age group final won gold in the 100m individual medley and 200m backstroke.  Oliver Palmer was 7th in the 200m freestyle and in his age group final took silver in the 100m individual medley and silver in the 50m freestyle.  Luca Riezzo was 8th in the 400m Individual Medley and in the 14 and under age group final he took gold in the 400m and 100m freestyle and the 100m individual medley and bronze in the 200m and 50m freestyle.  Joe Day reached the final of the 200m butterfly and in his age group final gained bronze in the 100m butterfly and the 200m backstroke.

The other Age group medallists were Scarlett Joiner gold, 200m and 100m Individual Medley, 200m, 100m and 50m breaststroke, 100m and 50m backstroke, Scarlett also gained bronze in the 100m and 50m freestyle.   Ella Osborne gold in the 200m and 100m butterfly, 200 freestyle, 200m backstroke and 50m butterfly, silver in the 400m and 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley, and bronze in the 100m medley and 50m backstroke.  Josephine Klein gold in the 400m and 200m Individual medley, 200m, 100m and 50m freestyle, and 50m butterfly, silver in the 100m backstroke and 100m individual medley, bronze in the 50m backstroke.  Keely Ware gold in 400m freestyle, 200m and 100m butterfly, silver in the 400m individual medley, and bronze in the 50m butterfly.  Amelia Ashelford gold in 50m backstroke, Silver 200m and 100m backstroke.  Enzo Robertson – Moro, gold in 400m Individual medley, 400m freestyle and 200m backstroke, silver 200m Individual medley, 200m breaststroke and 200m freestyle and bronze, 100m freestyle, 100m breaststroke and 100m Individual medley.   Luke Owen, gold 200m butterfly, bronze 200m backstroke and 100m butterfly.  Ewan Walters gold 400m Individual medley and bronze 200 breaststroke.  Will Amey gold 50m freestyle. 

Silver medals were won by Nathan Needs on the 400m Individual Medley,  and bronze in the 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.  Archie Tyers Silver in the 400m Individual medley, 400m freestyle and 200m butterfly and 50m breaststroke.    Grace James Silver, 200m backstroke.

The bronze medallists were, Alexander Fewtrell in the 200m butterfly, Liam Jordan in the 400m Individual Medley, 200m breaststroke and 100m butterfly, and Megan Kennedy Bruyneels in the 100m backstroke.

Head Coach Jo John said ‘these results show how the club is progressing in depth across all age groups which is very exciting for the future.  The next competition for these swimmers is in March where they have the Edinburgh International Festival, The Sheffield Premier Meet and the Cardiff, Tiger Bay meet’.

Pictured: Qualifiers, medalists and Devon Champions from Exeter City Swimming Club