Swimmers from St Xavier’s and St Mary’s schools in Gunnedah were among the champions and runners-up at the recent Armidale Catholic Schools (ACS) carnival at the Inverell Aquatic Centre.
St Xavier’s Primary School and St Mary’s College were among 24 competing schools from across the Armidale Diocese, while other schools came from towns including Armidale, Inverell, Manilla, Quirindi, Tamworth and Wee Waa.
St Xavier’s had 26 swimmers qualify for the carnival, while 14 St Mary’s students attended.
There were five age champions and two-runners-up from St Xavier’s, with Jimmy Fitzgerald (junior boys), Lewis Mainey (11yrs boys), Matilda Ramien (11 girls), Pippa Wark (senior girls) and Banjo Fitzgerald (senior boys) placing first while Belle Nichols (11 girls) and Wyatt Shorter (senior boys) placed second.
Fifteen swimmers from St Xavier’s qualified for the next level, which is the NSW Catholic Primary Schools (NSWCPS) swimming championships at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre (SOPAC) on April 1.
The five age champions and two runners-up qualified, along with Thomas Beer, Archie Bergholcs, Deuk Bergholcs, Rosie Galton, Georgina Grimm, Millie Lyle, Samuel Wark and Georgie Warmoll.
St Mary’s had seven age champions: Tayla Thompson (12-13 girls), Cameron Sills (12-13 boys), Josh Spinks (14 boys), Riley Thompson (15 boys), Tahnee Steele (16 girls), Cooper Whitton (16 boys) and Lachlan Gurney (17 and over boys).
Josh also broke records in the 14 boys 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley, while St Mary’s also won the Armidale Diocesan Secondary Sports Council (ADSSC) Relay Shield after winning all three relays: open girls medley, open boys medley, and the 6 x 50m mixed freestyle relay.
The seven St Mary’s age champions qualified for the Armidale Catholic Schools Swimming team, as did five other students from the same school: Dana Campbell, Macey Dalessandro, Eugenie Goddard, Nathan Reeves and Katie Spinks.
These 12 St Mary’s students are set to compete in the NSW Combined Catholic Colleges (NSWCCC) swimming championships at SOPAC on April 1 and 2.
Pippa Wark.
St Mary’s College swimmers at Inverell. Back: Tahnee Steele, Dana Campbell, Josh Spinks, Katie Spinks, Cooper Whitton, Jake Hausfeld. Front: Eugenie Goddard, Tayla Thompson, Macey Dalessandro, Cameron Sills, Nathan Reeves. Photos: Supplied.
Wyatt Shorter.
