Superb Stingrays impress at the Speedo Sprint heats and long course area champs

Members of the Narrabri Stringrays Swimming Club travelled to Gunnedah on the weekend where they competed in Speedo Sprints qualifying heats and the Swimming New England North West Long Course Area Championships at the Gunnedah Memorial Pool.

It was a successful weekend for the club.

Five Stingrays swimmers qualified for the Swimming NSW 2020 Speedo Sprints Series finals which will be held at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Saturday, February 29.

Speedo Sprints is for swimmers aged 8-13-years and to qualify for the finals the swimmers had to place in the top four in their respective events.

The five Stingrays swimmers which secured the required finishes were Pip and Millie Collins, Johnathon Charles, and Heath and Elke Collins.

Johnathon, Heath and Elke will all travel to Sydney for the finals, with Pip and Millie opting not to attend.

Pip placed second in the girls’ 10-years 50m breaststroke and third in the girls’ 10-years 50m butterfly.

Millie placed second in the girls’ 12-years 50m freestyle.

Johnathon finished fourth in both the boys’ 12-years 50m freestyle and 50m breaststroke.

Heath finished fourth in the boys’ 10-years 50m freestyle.

Elke finished fifth in the girls’ 8-years 50m freestyle, but qualified for the Speedo Sprint finals after one of the top four swimmers pulled out.

The Swimming New England North West Long Course Area Champs saw several Stingrays swimmers earn medals and personal best times.

Narrabri Stingrays’ 13-year-old long distance gun Clare Jensen secured bronze medals in the girls’ open 800m and 1500m freestyle events. All photos supplied. Narrabri Stingrays’ 13-year-old long distance gun Clare Jensen secured bronze medals in the girls’ open 800m and 1500m freestyle events. All photos supplied.

Stingrays’ Speedo Sprint heats team - back, Sofia Perovic-Gamez, Serena Malcom, Lexi Fernance, Phoenix Malcom, Zoe Malcom, Elke, Heath and Gus Collins, front, Addison Hartog-Smith, Summer Fernance, Bella Bakhuis, Pip Collins, Clare Jensen, Elizabeth Caton, Millie Collins and Stingrays head coach Fiona Connell. Stingrays’ Speedo Sprint heats team - back, Sofia Perovic-Gamez, Serena Malcom, Lexi Fernance, Phoenix Malcom, Zoe Malcom, Elke, Heath and Gus Collins, front, Addison Hartog-Smith, Summer Fernance, Bella Bakhuis, Pip Collins, Clare Jensen, Elizabeth Caton, Millie Collins and Stingrays head coach Fiona Connell.

Narrabri Stingrays’ Area Championships team - back, Ella Tomlinson, Alex Mison, Stingrays head coach Fiona Connell, Clare Jensen,Charlotte Penberthy, Addison Hartog-Smith, front, Pip and Millie Collins, Summer Fernance, Frazer Penberthy and Sofia Perovic-Gamez. Narrabri Stingrays’ Area Championships team - back, Ella Tomlinson, Alex Mison, Stingrays head coach Fiona Connell, Clare Jensen,Charlotte Penberthy, Addison Hartog-Smith, front, Pip and Millie Collins, Summer Fernance, Frazer Penberthy and Sofia Perovic-Gamez.

Pip Collins and Frazer Penberthy both went one better, swimming state qualifying times in their respective 50m butterfly events.

One Stingray who earned two medals on the day was 13-year-old Clare Jensen. Clare is the Stingrays’ long distance gun and at the area champs she proved that, earning bronze medals in the girls’ open 800m and 1500m freestyle events.

In the 800m race she swam a personal best time of 11:09.56 which also qualified her for CHS in that event, and in the 1500m event she swam a new personal best time of 21:31.43.

Also claiming bronze medals were the Stingrays’ open relay team members who set a new club record for the girls’ open 200m freestyle relay.

That team, which included Ella Tomlinson, Charlotte Penberthy, Millie Collins and head coach Fiona Connell, finished third at the meeting with a time of 2:05.60.

A full list of Stingrays medal winners at the Swimming New England North West Long Course Area Championships is as follows:

Alex Mison, Frazer Penberthy, Clare Jensen, Ella Tomlinson, Charlotte Penberthy, Pip Collins, Millie Collins and Fiona Connell.

Millie earned the club’s only gold medal on the day when she won the girls’ 12-years 200m individual medley in a time of 2:57.87, a new personal best.

The Narrabri Stingrays Swimming Club now turns its attention to its home development carnival which it will host at the Narrabri Aquatic Centre this Sunday.