Short Course (25m) Nationals 2021

This meet, held in NAC Dublin for three days from December 16 to 18, was one of the best for Sundays Well SC in recent years. While spectators were prohibited because of COVID regulations, there was a large entry and races were highly competitive, with morning heats leading to a Senior (A) final, Transition (B) final and Junior (C) final in most events in the afternoons. While several of the best Irish swimmers were at the SC World Championships in Abu Dhabi (see their great results on the Swim Ireland website), attendance of several excellent overseas teams and the NI preparation for next year’s Commonwealth Games added to the quality of the competition.

• Twenty swimmers qualified from SWSC and 15 competed. For example, Liam Custer who would have been a medal contender in several events, was unable to travel from his base in Florida.
• The team won medals in five events. Our women’s 200 freestyle relay (Sharon Semchiy, Lauren Farr, Anna Feenan, Beth Nolan) and 200 medley relay (Sharon, Lauren, Beth, Isabel Kidney) won bronze medals. Sharon was second in the 50 Fly (and incidentally had the fastest Irish 200 Fly). Andrew Feenan was third in the 200 breast stroke where the first and second swimmers recorded near world class times. Isabel was third in the 50 breast stroke, a great achievement for a 15 year old.
• Lauren Farr, another 15 year old, achieved National Squad times on the 100 and 200, and so joins Andrew as the second SWSC swimmer on this squad.
• Several club records were broken-the 200 mixed Medley Relay (James Ryan, Andrew, Sharon, Beth) and 200 mixed Freestyle Relay (Sharon, Paul Higgins, Beth , James); Andrew in the 200 breast stroke (both in the heats and again in the final); Sharon in the 50 Fly and Isabel in the 50 breast stroke.
• There were 39 Personal Best swims across the team, despite the long lockdown-the reductions of more than three seconds in their 200 backstrokes by Rory Lee and James Ryan being particularly impressive. It was also good to see fitness returning after their Leaving Cert year to Anna Feenan and Aoife O’Shea, who attend UL, and to Beth who is enrolled in UCC but travels to Limerick along with Sharon each weekend for long course training. The younger newcomers to this competition also performed impressively (Marc Galland, Michael Feenan, David O’Leary, Eva Harrington, Amy Lynch).

Well done team! You are a credit to your coaches and to the club!

Tom Cross

SWSC Chairperson