Last Sunday seen the younger swimmers from Sliabh Beagh make a big splash at the first Swim Ulster Future Challengers series held in South Lakes, Craigavon. With the Future series focusing on swimmers aged U14 with four meets held through the season, this first meet was anticipated with great excitement for swimmers getting a chance to post some fast swimming times short course early season. With some thirty swimmers representing Sliabh Beagh, the club was well represented through the various age-
groups and this season the series held an extra level of intrigue with the adoption of USA swimming motivational tables that embraced a Gold, Silver and Bronze medal podium standard accolade for
swimmers in each event.
First event up was the 100 and 200 Individual Medley, were excellent bronze medal podium places were achieved by Rian Lynch, Hugh Connolly, Jacob McCabe and Lexi Ronaghan in the U10 100IM age-group, and by Sophia Vergnano and Riya George in the U12 and U13 200IM respectively. Superb Silver podium places were posted in the 100IM by Hannah McKenna (U10) and in the 200IM by Owen
Fitzpatrick and Egan Hearty (U12).
Backstroke was the second event up with wonderful bronze podium places being set by Lexi Ronaghan, Jacob McCabe, Hugh Connolly (U10), Sophia Vergnano (U11), Clodagh McCabe and Egan Hearty
(U12), Riya George (U13) in the 100 Backstroke and Eabha McMullen in the 200 Backstroke, while silver podium finishes were masterfully delivered by Hannah McKeena and Rian Lynch in the U10 100 Backstroke and by Owen Fitzpatrick in the U12 in the 200 Backstroke.
The last individual event of the meet was the Butterfly discipline were bronze podium finishes were performed by Egan Hearty and Owen Fitzpatrick in the U12 100 Butterfly. Not to be outshone, promising personal best performances achieved by Chullain Rankin, Zac Mulligan, Gracie May Davies, Adelle Fitzpatrick, Colm Duffy, Darren Gillanders, Daithi Lynch, Ridas Zelvys, Matthew Mohan, Charlie Duffy, Ellen Casey, Aofe Mullen, Aoife Duffy, Shannon McDonnell, Lily Deery, Clodagh Connolly, Clodagh McCabe, Ellie Mulligan and Millie Skeath.