Pool-ing their resources
DERWENT’S SWIMMERS MAKING A BIG SPLASH
DERWENTSIDE Amateur Swimming Club has enjoyed a splashing start to its 25th anniversary year - with more medal success in the pool.
The Stanley-based club hosted its joint home gala with Peterlee ASC - the last chance for swimmers to qualify for this year’s Northumberland and Durham County Championships.
Derwentside’s swimmers claimed an array of gold, silver and bronze medals as well as setting plenty of personal-best times.
Club members then travelled to Sheffield for their their annual Burns Meet, hosted in association with Chester-le-Street ASC.
Clubs from all over the country attended - and Derwentside finished with 27 gold, 36 silver and 20 bronze medals.
The following two weekends featured the Northumberland and Durham County Championships at Sunderland Aquatic Centre.
Derwentside entered 33 swimmers making 248 individual swims.
Six swimmers qualified for their first British Championships with the club – Sam Bajarmi, Dean McAleer, Emily Maxwell, Evie O’Halleron-Hutchinson, Abigail Evans and Grace Keady.
Derwentside recorded 158 top-10 finishes at the meeting and a 74% improvement rate from heats to finals.
The club’s final medal count secured third place overall with 18 gold, 27 silver and 23 bronze medals.
Derwentside also finished fifth in the 10-14 year-old category and registered a fantastic second place behind Newcastle Swim Team in the 15+ age group.
McAleer reached finals in his first visit to the County Championships, swam a new personal best in the 50 metres freestyle and achieved his first regional qualifying time.
First-time finalists were Keady, Evans and O’Halleron and first-time medallists O’Halleron, Mariella Bidzimou-Butler and Morgan Swirles.
Coach Paul Woodley praised all those who had competed.
He said: “That was our third successive weekend of action but we still had fantastic swimming at the County Championships.
“Our swimmers went faster again - the club looked strong from top to bottom and we won medals in every age category.”
The week after the NADC Championships, two members of the club were back in Sheffield for the British University and College Sports Nationals Championships.
Joel O’Halleron and Danielle Gilbert were competing for their respective universities Northumbria and Durham and both reached finals in their 50, 100 and 200 metres breaststroke events.
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