National Team in Adelaide

The Traralgon Swimming Club National Age team has returned from Adelaide with five individual medals and a silver medal winning relay team – equalling the previous best results of a Traralgon team. (Emily Beecroft has added 3 silver and 1 bronze in MD events!) The team finished in 25th place out of 258 competing teams ~ the highest ranked country-based club from any Australian state.

Caiden Gill (14) won 2 medals – bronze in the 14 years 100m freestyle (53.57 Out of Gippsland Record time) and equal silver in the 14 years 50m free (24.11) setting a new Victorian and Out of Gippsland Age record. Ellodie Reid (13) won bronze in the 12/13 years 800m freestyle with a 21 second pb (9:17.16) – one second outside the Open Out of Gippsland Record. Ellodie also placed 4th in the 400m freestyle (4:30.94) breaking the Out of Gippsland 14 years record set in 2000, and 9th in the 200m freestyle (2:10.98). Mikaela Cornelissen won bronze in the 14years 100m fly (1:01.99) – a new Country and Out of Gippsland age record, and placed 4th in the 100m back (1:05.20) – also a new Out of Gippsland age record.

Lily Collins won bronze in the 17/18 years 100m breast (1:11.25 Out of Gippsland Age record) and placed 5th in the 200m breast (2:40.34). Georgia Tsebelis (16) placed 6th in the 16 years 50m freestyle with a time of 26.51 which broke the Out of Gippsland age and open records. Annie Pepper (14) placed 8th in the 14 years 200m IM (2:24.43). Alex Tsebelis surprised the team by making a final as a 12 year old in the 12/13 years 200m IM. (2:23.44). Alex competed in 4 events – breaking the Out of Gippsland age records with all four swims (100m fly 1:04.57, 200m back 2:26.40, 100m back 1:05.89). Traralgon’s girls 14 & Under Medley relay of Annie Pepper, Fabienne Schoutens, Mikaela Cornelissen and Erin Roberts, won Silver with a time of 2:00.35. The freestyle relay team with Bridie O’Keefe, Mikaela Cornelissen, Erin Roberts and Annie Pepper, placed 5th. The girls 18 & Under 4×100 Medley team (Georgia Tsebelis, Lily Collins, Mikaela Cornelissen, Maggie O’Keefe) placed 7th (4:24.29) and the 16 & Under 4 x 100 freestyle team (Maggie O’Keefe, Mikaela Cornelissen, Georgia Tsebelis and Annie Pepper) placed 9th (4:01.07).

Though not making finals, several swimmers gained pbs or near-pb times, a terrific achievement at such a big meet. Trent Morrow showed a return to form swimming a 53.61 in the 16 years 100m freestyle. The team, including Taylah DaRos (15), Locke DeGaris (12), Jasmine Doultree (13), Brayden Haney (16), Connor O’Neill (13), Fabienne Schoutens (14) and Erin Roberts (14), are congratulated for their efforts against the best age group swimmers in Australia.

Congratulations to senior coach Ben Geard and coach Dean Gooch for their outstanding preparation and support of our swimmers for the National Age Championships. Thank you to club masseur Veronica Roberts and Team Managers (and chief cooks) Brigitte Maglen and Jane Mitchell.

The National MD competition saw Emily Beecroft (13) win 3 silver medals in the 11-14 years 50m breaststroke, 50m fly and 100m Breaststroke setting Australian records in the fly, 100m free and 100m breaststroke. Emily also won a bronze in the 50m backstroke event. Emily is also preparing to compete along with team mates Cameron Juha, Jeremy Meyer, Lily Collins, Will Lee and Mikaela Cornelissen in the Australian National Open Championships scheduled to begin in Adelaide on April 26. We wish the team continued success.