Swimming: College team bring home top trophy

Otumoetai College swimmers Josh Pickett and Rhianna Maxwell are confident of doing well at this week's nationals in Wellington. Photo / John Borren

The Otumoetai College swim team were quietly confident ahead of the Bay of Plenty Secondary Schools Swimming Championships, held in Whakatane.

But they exceeded all expectations, to return home with the trophy for the top overall school in the Bay of Plenty.

The 18 students who competed are all members of the Otumoetai Swimming Club, next door to the school.

They swam in 52 individual races, resulting in a high percentage of 32 podium finishes, and also blitzed the eight relays, finishing with five firsts, two seconds and a fourth placing.

That sort of consistency augurs well for the 2015 NZ Age Group Championships under way in Wellington. The high-class competition at training before and after school five days a week was helping Otumoetai's top swimmers to push the boundaries.

"At training it definitely helps to have people training with you at your pace, so you know where you are at," said Josh Pickett, 16. "I was happy with how I went, especially winning the IM [individual medley] and breaststroke, which are my strengths, and to get places in the backstroke and fly was good too. The meet was good to see how fast we were and to get a gauge before nationals."

He was enjoying working under the guidance of Otumoetai head coach Mike Lee, who arrived from Hawke's Bay in February.

"He is more creative and has different ways of going about getting fast, and I think he can take us to the next level," Pickett said.

Rhianna Maxwell, 16, who won three individual titles in Whakatane, said the team performance by Otumoetai College was easily the best in her time there.

She was confident she could replicate her top form in Wellington. "My goals are to make top three, if I can, and swim as fast as I can."

Coach Lee has settled well in Tauranga and was happy with the talent he had to work with, from the age of 9 upwards.

He said: "I work with 100 different kids a week, anywhere from twice a week to nine times a week. The club looks strong and that was one of the attractions to come here."

BOP Secondary Schools Swimming

Otumoetai College:

•Junior Girls: Grace Blissett - 2nd 50m breaststroke

•Intermediate Girls: Connie Pearl Anderson - 4th overall open 200m freestyle, 2nd 100m IM, 1st 50m backstroke, 2nd 100m freestyle. Relays - 2nd 4x 50m medley

•Intermediate Boys: Tem Strickland - 2nd 50m breaststroke, 2nd 50m freestyle, 3rd 100m freestyle; Thomas Chaney - 1st 50m breaststroke, 1st 50m butterfly, 1st 100m IM, 1st 50m freestyle; George Culling - 2nd overall open 200m freestyle, 3rd 50m backstroke, 2nd 100m freestyle. Relays - 1st 4x 50m medley, 1st 4x 50m freestyle

•Senior Girls: Claudia Capp - 3rd 50m breaststroke; Rhianna Maxwell - 1st overall open 200m freestyle, 1st 50m butterfly, 1st 100m freestyle; Keeley Johns - 2nd 50m breaststroke, 2nd 50m butterfly, 1st 100m IM. Relays - 1st 4x 50m medley, 1st 4x 50m freestyle

•Senior Boys: Damion Potts - 3rd overall open 200m freestyle, 3rd 50m butterfly, 3rd 50m freestyle, 2nd 100m freestyle; Josh Pickett - 2nd 50m backstroke, 1st 100m IM, 2nd 50m butterfly, 1st 50m breaststroke; Jack Neale - 2nd 50m freestyle. Relays - 2nd 4x 50m medley, 1st 4x 50m freestyle.