Nine Princethorpe Pupils Qualify For National Swimming Championships
14 Oct
Nine Princethorpe College swimmers have qualified for the ISA National Championships at the London Aquatics Centre in the Olympic Park, in early December, after success in their events at the Midlands ISA Swimming Gala at Walsall Gala Baths on Thursday 13 October.
Princethorpe’s squad of 20 put in excellent performances helping the College achieve second place overall after the 52 events were completed.
The College’s team brought home an amazing haul of medals, with 13 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze medals collected and a number just missing out on top three finishes. Their amazing performance in the pool helped Princethorpe finish second overall at the regional event.
For the Year 7 girls team, Issey Cleary claimed a Gold in the 25m Breaststroke in 17.75 seconds and the 25m Butterfly in 15.38 seconds while her teammate Stephanie Bolton did just as well with Gold in the 25m Backstroke in 16.50 seconds and in the 25m Freestyle in 14.41 seconds. The Year 7 Girls also swam brilliantly to take Silver in both the Medley and Freestyle Relays. The Year 8 Girls did nearly as well with Charlotte Gower claiming Gold in the 50m Backstroke in 34.71 seconds and the 50m Freestyle in 30.18 seconds while Tara Rodgers claimed Gold in the 25m Butterfly in 15.12 seconds. Then the Year 9&10 Girls team swam steadily to claim Bronze medals in both the Medley and Freestyle Relays. For the Senior Girls (Years 11,12 and 13), Year 11 Lottie Hunter took Gold in the 50m Freestyle in 28.79 seconds and then Bronze in the 50m Breaststroke in 39.39 seconds.
For the boys, Year 8, George Fry put in a solid performance for a Bronze medal in the 50m Backstroke, completing the course in 36.11 seconds. In the Years 9&10 classes, Year 10 André Onyekwe swam well to take Gold in both the 50m Backstroke in 28.47 and in the 50m Freestyle in 25.26. His teammate Harrison Guest finished first in the 50m Breaststroke in 36.93 earning himself a Gold medal. The Years 9&10 Boys also took Silver in both the Medley and Freestyle Relays. For the Senior Boys, Connor Silvester finished first in the 50m Breaststroke in 34.64 and in the 50m Freestyle in 27.87 collecting himself two Gold medals.
Assistant Head Co-curricular, Neil McCollin commented, “These results are a great achievement, the result of many long hours of training for our pupils with their swimming clubs. The ISA Championships are a superb opportunity for our swimmers to showcase their skills in the competitive school environment. Princethorpe is always a force in the water, and I was delighted to watch the scores build over the day.”
The eight gold medalists have qualified for the Nationals with George Fry also being selected to compete in the Midlands Relay team.
Representing Princethorpe were – Year 7 pupils: Stephanie Bolton, Issey Cleary, Sophie McCormick and Harriet Mulhall. Year 8 pupils: George Fry, Charlotte Gower, Isabella Knipe, Ruth Oritsejafor and Tara Rodgers. Year 9 pupils: Sam Grindal, Sophie Henry, Alexa Holland and Ewan Pearce. Year 10 pupils: Amelia Fry, Harrison Guest, André Onyekwe and Mia Webb. Year 11 pupils: Charlotte Gledhill and Lottie Hunter. Sixth Former: Connor Silvester.