Gippsland Champions

The Traralgon Swimming Club added ‘Gippsland Champions’ to their year’s achievements when they took out the 2013 Gippsland Championships over the long weekend in Sale.  The outcome was never in doubt as the club, with a large team of 127 swimmers aged 6 to nearly 60, placed 394 finalists in the 120 event program.

Traralgon swimmers took home 82 gold medals, 67 silver medals and 37 bronze medals.  Twenty-three Gippsland records and twenty-eight event records were broken.

The final point score saw Traralgon on 2103, second placed Warragul Swimming Club on 930 points and third placed East Gippsland Water Dragons (Bairnsdale) on 441 points.

Cameron Juha (19) won the Charles Ford Memorial Trophy as the Outstanding Male Swimmer of the Championships with 114 points.  Cameron won 10 gold and one silver medals.  Annie Pepper (14) won the Jewell Family Trophy for the most outstanding performance by a female swimmer, and the Alan Harlow Trophy as the 14 & Under female champion after amassing a point score of 103.  Annie won 5 gold, 6 silver and 2 bronze medals and broke 5 Gippsland and 3 Event Records.

Consistent performer, Ben Geard (31) had an outstanding weekend to finish on 105 points just behind Cameron Juha.  Geard won 5 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals.

Twelve year old Alex Tsebelis who won the Age Champion award at the Victorian State Championships this year, followed up with the Alan Harlow Trophy as 14 & under male champion for the fifth year in a row.  Alex won 6 gold and 2 silver medals and broke 3 Gippsland and 6 Event Records.  Alex was also awarded the Noelle Brajkovic Trophy in recognition of his achievements outside of Gippsland as a swimmer 14 years and under swimmer.

Other exceptional performances came from Caiden Gill (14) who dominated the 13-14 years age group winning 4 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals and breaking 1 Gippsland and 2 Event Records.  Georgia Tsebelis (16) and Lily Collins each won 5 gold and 1 silver medals dominating the backstroke and breaststroke events respectively.  Maggie O’Keefe (16), a Traralgon Club Captain, won 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals and broke 1 Event Record.

Mikaela Cornelissen (14) won 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medal and dominated the butterfly events breaking 2 Event Records in that stroke.  Taylah Da Ros (15) won 3 silver and 4 bronze medals in backstroke and butterfly events.  Emily Beecroft (13) won 4 gold medals in the SWD category.

Other medal winners for Traralgon were:  Xavier Haberl: 3 gold, 1 silver, Ellodie Reid: 2 gold, 1 silver, Lauren Akers: 2 gold, 3 silver, Trent Morrow: 2 gold, Brayden Haney: 1 gold, 1 silver, Fabienne Schoutens: 1 gold, one bronze,  William Lee: 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze, Jasmine Doultree: 1 gold, 1 bronze, Khianna Bullen: 1 gold, Locke DeGaris: 5 silver, 1 bronze, Erin Roberts: 2 silver, 1 bronze, Sam Roberts: 2 silver, 1 bronze, Finley Peddle: 2 silver,  Scott Clare: 2 silver, Nicole Moon: 1 silver, 1 bronze, Chrley Askew: 1 silver, Georgia Moon: 1 silver, Bridget Cain: 1 silver, Elliot Shaw: 1 silver, Connor O’Neill: 1 silver, Mitch Young 1 silver, Steph Spehar 2 bronze,  Gemma Radosavljevic  1 bronze, Vincent Schoutens: 1 bronze, Matt Norwood: 1 bronze, Jessica Norwood: 1 bronze, Caroline Grasby 1 bronze, Riley Akers: 1 bronze, Sophie Fitzpatrick: 1 bronze, Sophie Waller 1 bronze.

Congratulations to the ’first time’ medal winners:  Khianna Bullen, Lauren Akers, Georgia Moon, Sophie Fitzpatrick, Steph Spehar, Vince Schoutens, Locke De Garis, Riley Akers and Fin Peddle.

Further congrats to the swimmers who made their first final at a Gippy champs – our future champions –   Zoe Dowler, Khianna Bullen, Ashleigh Mihaly, Tori Merrin, Oliver Haberl, Joshua Hamilton, Jordyn Cargill, William Pendergast, Zac Bezzina, Thomas Bouquet, Vince Schoutens, Thomas Bouquet and Riley Akers.

Club relay teams performed with usual precision with 20 gold, 67 silver and 37 bronze medals won for the weekend.  Records tumbled through the following relay combinations:

Girls 16 & U free relay: Fabienne S, Shannon O, Georgia T and Erin R: 1:55.96 Event Record.  Girls 14 years 4 x 100 Medley: Erin R , Fabienne S, Mikaela C and Emily M 4:38.60 Gippsland age and Event Record.   Girls 14 year 4 x 50 free relay – Mikaela C, Bridie O, Annie P and Erin R – 1:55.38 Gippsland Age and Event Record.  Girls 16 years 4 x 100 free: Maggie O, Taylah D, Georgia T and Shaylee W – 4:10.62 Gippsland and Event Record.  Girls 17 & Over 4 x 50 free – Charley A, Steph S, Lily C, Sarah B – 1:57.08 Gippsland and Event Record. Boys 12 years 4 x 100 free: Locke D, Oscar H, Jaycob F and Alex T – 4:31.92 Gippsland Record.  Boys 16 & U 4 x 50 Medley Relay: Will L, Brayden H, Sam R, Trent M – 1:57.25 Gippsland and Event Record.  Boys 16 years 4 x 100 Medley: Will L, Brayden H, Sam R, Trent M – 4:18.16 Gippsland record.  Boys 16 years 4 x 100 free – Caiden G, Connor O, Fin P, Mitchell O – 4:10.26 – Gippsland record.

The club not only won the Ken and Pat Hewat Trophy and Premier Gippsland Club, but also won the Ashleigh Delaney Trophy for the success of its hard working 14 & under team.

The Otto Ford & Kathleen Froud Memorial Boys Encouragement trophy went to Traralgon youngster Jaycob Fisher.  The Ann Bree Memorial Girls Encouragement Trophy was won by Traralgon swimmer Shaylee Wedlock.

Several Traralgon swimmers competed in their first Gippy Championships.  Congratulations to our new Gippy champs: Molly Cargill, Zoe Dowler, Samantha Sbaglia, Gemma Bezzina, Chiara Pistrin, Olivia Hamley, Ruby Storm, Lylana Anstee, Mia Hamley, Ashlee Tobias, Kate Abbey, Taylah Tobias, Rachael Higginson, Oliver Haberl, Callum Nix, Joshua Hamilton, Cade Hughes, Jordyn Cargill, William Pendergast, Mark Pistrin, Nicolas Pugliese and Lachlan Kelly.

The Traralgon Club wrapped up a terrific local season by also winning local shields: the Andy Barnes shield for Inter-Club Points, the Faye Staughton Shield for Open Points and the Gippsland Relay Shield.