Traralgon Swimmers Dominate at Major Competitions

Traralgon Swimming Club have completed an outstanding fortnight of competition in and outside Victoria in the lead up to the premier country meet this weekend in Sale – the Victorian Country Championships.

At the Victorian State Championships the Club again finished the top country club of the Meet and top 10 in Victoria overall with 38 swimmers competing in 65 finals and a total of 23 medals (8 Gold, 6 Silver, 9 Bronze).

Standout performer at the Victorian State titles was 18 year old Jeremy Saunders who, for the 7^th year in succession won his age group trophy in accumulating the most points over the meet. Winning 3 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals, breaking 3 Country records (100 metre Freestyle – 52.30, 200 metre Individual Medley – 2.06.47 then 2.05.48) and 7 Out of Gippsland records cemented Jeremy as the most dominant age swimmer and augers well for his transition to Open competition.

Dylan Wyatt (17) had an outstanding meet winning the 200 metre Butterfly (2.04.62), 200 metre Freestyle(1.54.08) and 400 metre Freestyle (4.00.08) the latter in a new Victorian record breaking Michael Klim’s 1995 time. Both 200 and 400 times were Victorian Country and Out of Gippsland records. Dylan again reduced both times at the Youth Olympics with 1.54.05 in the heat and 1.53.08 in the final of the 200 metre event, and an outstanding 3.58.60 in the 400 metre Freestyle again breaking his own Victorian record.

16 year old Stephanie Morgan again was the outstanding butterfly swimmer at the meet winning her age group 100 metre (1.02.47) and 200 metre (2.17.82) events, both Victorian Country and Out of Gippsland records and then backing up with a silver in the Open 200 metre event.

The Lieshout sisters, Kirsten and Alice, made it a family affair with both girls winning State medals. 17 year old Kirsten won silver in the Girls 17-18 years 100 metre breaststroke (1.14.63)

and 15 year old Alice won her first ever State medal with bronze in the 200 metre backstroke (2.27.35).

11 year old Georgia Tsebelis also won her first State medals at the meet. Swimming over 2.5 kilometres of racing in 2 days Georgia swam in 8 races, made 8 finals and came away with bronze medals in the 200 metre Individual Medley (2.40.30) and 100 metre Butterfly (1.15.11).

12 year old Daniel Golcic won his first State medal also with a silver in the 100 metre backstroke (1.11.78) as well as competing in 3 additional finals.

Charles Ford Scholarship holder, Jye Thompson, was the final swimmer who won a first time medal with a third in 16 years 100 metre butterfly (59.01), a National qualifying time.

In the Open program, long time swimming stalwart of the Club, 27 year old Ben Geard was one of the oldest medal winners at the Championships with a Bronze in the 50 metre breaststroke (30.14).

The Club maintained its strong relay tradition competing in 11 finals and winning 2 medals. In the Men’s 18/under 4 x 50 metre freestyle the combination of Jye Thompson (25.48), Matt Dinsmore (23.53), Dylan Wyatt (24.12), Jeremy Saunders (23.99) won a silver medal in the time of 1.37.12.

A bronze medal was won in the 4 x 50 metre Medley relay in a new Out of Gippsland record of

1.48.79 (Brayden Waltham(29.21), Jeremy Saunders(31.33), Dylan Wyatt (25.03), Matt Dinsmore(23.22).

The Club also broke a Victorian Country and Out of Gippsland record in the Men’s Open 4 x 100 metre freestyle with a heat time of 3.37.84 and further improving it with a 3.32.21 (Jeremy Saunders (52.33), Sven Eriksson (53.08), Ben Geard (53.81), Andrew O’Connor (53.00).

Two Traralgon swimmers have competed as members of National Australian teams in this past fortnight. At the Youth Olympics in Sydney 17 year old Dylan Wyatt won silver in the 400 metre freestyle (3.58.60) and at the Pan Pacific Junior Championships in Guam 17 year old Jeremy Meyer won bronze in the 200 metre Breaststroke (2.17.42).

Now with the State program complete the Club gears up for the Victorian Country Championships back in Gippsland at Sale for the first time since 2000 with the challenge of winning its 9^th title in 10 years. Head Coach, Brian Ford is confident of the Club’s chances – “Our swimmers have had an amazing month of competition with some of our best results ever at State level and 2 swimmers representing Australia both winning medals. Country Championships is the best meet in Victoria where over 600 swimmers from around regional Victoria come together in 3 days of intense and competitive racing. We again have an outstanding competitive team and will give the title of Premier Club a huge shake in our endeavours to win it for the 9^th time since it was last held in Gippsland at Bairnsdale in 2000. We will not let this prize go without an absolute fight to the last race.”

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