Derventio swimmers eXcel at Regional Championships!

Derventio eXcel continued their fine early season form at the Midland Short Course Championships in Corby held last weekend.

This competition provided some great racing, especially with the prescence of a 50+ strong team from Loughborough University, including senior international swimmers and European semi-finalists! The support that the DX squad gave to each other throughout the weekend, particularly in the finals (and the swim off hey Kane!?) was second to none and is testament to the team spirit.

The 29 DX swimmers came away with 30 medals and 20 new county records and every swimmer achieving personal best times.

MOLLY RENSHAW led the way in the medals haul. The fourteen year old won the Open/Senior final in the 200m Breaststroke in a time of 2.30.99, she also took GOLD in the Junior (15 yrs and under) championship. She also broke both Junior and Senior County records. She also won Silver in the Junior 100m Breaststroke, Bronze in the Junior 50m Breaststroke and 7th in the Open/Senior championship and SILVER in the Junior 200m I.M. She also took 18 seconds off her 400m I.M personal best.

JODIE HAWKSWORTH also 14 years old, also competed in all 3 Breaststroke finals won GOLD in the Junior 50m Breaststroke in a county record of 33.27, she also took BRONZE in the Open Senior championship. Jodie also took the Gold in the Junior 100m Breaststroke and BRONZE in the OPEN final in a time of 1.11.72/ She also took BRONZE in the Junior 200m Breaststroke and 6th in the Open/Senior final.

Chris Steeples, Zichen Liu, Kane Haggett and James Lovatt all followed on from their success the week before at the Senior/Masters National Championships by coming home with medals galore as they faced some of the best swimmers in the country:

GB International 18 year old CHRIS STEEPLES was up against the tough opposition of 21 year old Laurent Carnol the Luxenburg national record holder and European Semi-finalist from Loughborough Univeristy. Chris swam to a SILVER medal in the mens 100m Breaststroke and a BRONZE in the 50m Breaststroke both in county record times in these events he broke the nearly 7 year old records held by Jack Bates of Ilkeston back in march 2004, the only Breaststroke records that Chris has not held, he also broke his own record the 200m Breastroke.

ZICHEN LIU 18 years old also came home with a bag full of medals and personal bests. Zichen who qualified for 6 individual finals competed in 4 of them and won SILVER with only Loughborough swimmers ahead in the 50m Back, 100m Back, 200m Back and 7th in the 100m Freestyle. Zichen set 3 county records in the Backstroke events.

KANE HAGGETT (18) swam to a SILVER medal in his favourite 50m Freestyle event, only .07 of a second behind the winner. He also came 6th in the 100m Free and 50m Back, in which he had an exciting swim off against Dan Ruckwood from Birmingham, and with the whole of the DX team behind him won the swim off in a time of 26.53, Kane also broke the county record in the 50m Back.

JAMES LOVATT (21) won a BRONZE medal in a all Derventio/Loughborough Uni final, he also took a BRONZE in the 200m I.M. James also broke 4 county records in the 50m back, 200m back, 200m I.M and 100m Fly.

EVIE KEANE improved on her personal best times in nearly every event she swam in a busy schedule and broke the 3 year old county record in the 200m Freestyle in a time of 2.04.06 swimming to 6th in the Open/Senior final, the 16 year old also swam to 7th in the 100m fly and 50m Free and 4th in the 400m Free.

EMILY ALLSOPP (16) also made 4 Open/Senior finals placing 6th in the 50m Back and Fly and 7th in the 100m and 200m Backstroke events.

MATT SMITHURST (17), after qualifying for his first ever nationals and semi finals in the summer, continued his excellent form by posting numerous personal best times, including going sub 1 minute for the 1st time in the 100m Backstroke (59.66), and came 7th in the Open/Senior final of the 100m I.M.

FRANCES MARSHALL (16) swam to joint 4th in the Open/Senior 100m Free final in a lifetime best time of 58.61 and swam to a lifetime best time in the 50m Freestyle.

Flying the flag for the Junior age groups (15 years and under), alongside Molly and Jodie were KEVIN WALLBANK (14) who did personal bests time after time and won 3 Junior BRONZE medals in the 100m Fly, 200m Fly and 1500m Freestyle.

CONNOR SMITH 1(15) took GOLD in the Junior 100m Individual Medley in a time of 1.02.16.

HANNAH JONES who at 13 years old was the second youngest swimmer to make an Open/Senior final came 6th in a new personal best time of 2.21.43 to take SILVER in the Junior Championship.

JAMES LATHAM (14), who is hot on the tails of his Captain Chris steeples took the BRONZE medal in the Junior 50m Breaststroke posting a personal best time of 31.68.

BEN GOODALL (14) took the BRONZE medal in the Junior Championship by qualifying for the OPEN/SENIOR 400m I.M final by swimming a 13 second personal best time.

Derventio eXcel were also prominant in the relay team events. Derventio were the only team to have two teams in each relay event. With personal bests, county records and medals in abundance.

The Mens and Womens first teams in the Medley and Freestyle relays all took Silver medals behind Loughborough University with some swimmers competing against swimmers who were up to 10 years their senior. Most notable performances were that all 4 first teams broke the county records.

Mens 4 x 100m Medley relay team of Zichen Liu, Chris Steeples, James Lovatt and Kane Haggett in a time of 3.44.94 (some 10 seconds ahead of Bronze). The second team of Ryan Lovatt, James Latham, Matt Smithurst and Connor Smith also posted personal best times and split times.

Mens 4 x 100m Free relay team of James Lovatt, Zichen Liu, Kane Haggett and Matt Smithurst in a time of 3.28.35. The second team of Connor Smith, Ryan Lovatt, Chris Steeples and Scott Tovell-Coleman also posting personal best times or split times.

Womens 4 x 100m Medley Relay team of Eve Farnsworth (posting 1.05.51 a National Qualifying time), Jodie Hawksworth, Emily Allsopp and Evie Keane in a county record of 4.19.79 with the second team taking an awesome 4th position with Hannah Sullivan, Molly Renshaw, Hannah Jones and Fran Marshall.

Womens 4 x 100m Freestyle team of Fran Marshall, Emily Allsopp, Eve Farnsworth and Evie Keane, in a time of 3.55.65 with all 4 women going under the 1 minute mark with Evie Keane swimming the fastest split of the night swimming an awesome 56.61 to overtake Coventry for the Silver medal. The second team finished 7th with Rosie Watson swimming a lifetime best to lead off, following on to teammates Hannah Sullivan, Hannah Jones and Gina Tovell-Coleman who went under 1 minute for the 1st time.

Other notable performances by Derventio Swimmers were:

SARAH VASEY (14) coming back to form and posting a 7 second personal best time in the 400m I.M.

LUCY WOOD (14) swimming a 6 second lifetime best time in the 200m Backstroke.

HARRY WEBSTER (15) swam a 3 second personal best in the 400m I.M.

Newcomers to the squad Mischa Menzies (15) posting a 6 second personal best time in the 200m Free in 2.02.02 and Tyler-Ann Black (13) swimming to personal best times in the 100m Free 1.01.40 (making it 7 DX swimmers swimming 1.01 or under) and 100m I.M in a 3 second pb of 1.10.55.

EVE FARNSWORTH (14) swam a 7 second pb in the 200m Backstroke to go along with her national qualifying time in the 100m Backstroke.

ABBIE WOOD at 11 years of age was the youngest to compete in the Championships and swam to a personal best time in the 100m Breaststroke. The National Champion also swam to a national qualifying time for next summers nationals in the 200m Breaststroke by swimming a 10 second personal best time in 2.47.25 finishing 9th in the Junior Category.

ROSIE WATSON (16) swam another sub 1.02 second swim to match her relay lead off of 1.01.13 with a 1.01.92.

SASHA WISDISH (16) coming back into form with a 5 second personal best time in the 400m freestyle.

GINA TOVELL-COLEMAN (14) matched her relay swim with a pb in the 100m Free in 1.01.65.

SCOTT TOVELL-COLEMAN (17) swimming to 4th position in the 1500m Open/Senior Championships in a new lifetime best time.

RYAN LOVATT (17) swam to a personal best time in the 200m Backstroke, 100m Backstroke and 200m Freestyle.

KELSEY LOVATT (15) swam to personal bests in the 100m Free, 100m back, 50m back.

HANNAH SULLIVAN (17) swam to personal best times in the 100m Back, 50m Back, 50m freestyle and 200m Back.

Thanks goes to all Team Managers that helped on poolside at the weekend.

Thanks also goes to the Rykneld Coach and swimmers for their help and support on poolside.