Evolution Aquatics Tauranga's Lochlainn O'Connor in action. Photo / Simon Watts
Evolution Aquatics Tauranga's Lochlainn O'Connor in action. Photo / Simon Watts
In preparation for the national championships in April, the Evolution Aquatics Tauranga swim team tested themselves at the Auckland Age Group Championships.
The champs were held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, last weekend in a form test as part of the build-up to the national championships in April.
Coach TaiDaniela returned home more than satisfied, with the trip north resulting in two outstanding Bay of Plenty record swims and plenty more to be proud of.
The first record went to 13-year-old Isaac Williams, winning the 400m individual medley in a time of 5:01.72. He smashed the existing record by more than six seconds. Isaac also won the 200m butterfly and scored two runner's-up positions on the 100m butterfly and the 200m medley races.
The second record was a stunning swim from 18-year-old Lochlainn O'Connor in the 200m butterfly swimming 2:01.43, taking 1.82 seconds off his own Bay of Plenty record.
O'Connor, in his first year out of school, has remained in Tauranga to continue training with Daniela and youth coach Mike Lee despite temptation to study elsewhere - and it is already paying dividends.
He is now just over half a second away from his target time which would see him qualifying for the World University Games to be held in Naples, Italy in July this year. With a few more weeks of training and a taper for the national age group championships, Daniela is confident his charge can make the tough standard for New Zealand team selection.
The 200m butterfly was the club's best event, winning Auckland Age Group titles in every age group entered. Isaac won the 13 age group, Louis Fitzjohn, 14, Connor Farrell, 16, and Lochlainn, 18.
Connor also won the 100m butterfly while Louis is showing signs of his old form as he returns from a bone fracture suffered in a triathlon event, winning no less than seven runner's up positions across multiple strokes to be the club's leading points scorer.
Sixteen-year-old Travis Hudson took out the 100m breaststroke on the final day as he too nears peak fitness making the podium in three other finals. Thomas Wilkinson (15) won the 400m medley in 4:50.70 a personal best time and placed second in the 400m freestyle and third in the 200m butterfly behind Louis.
Ben Cosford, 14, swam three personal best times the pick of which being the 400m freestyle where he finished sixth in 4:37.76.
Caitlin Farrell, 13, smashed her long course 200m backstroke best time swimming to fourth in 2:36.52. Para-swimmer Amanda Lowry competed over the 50m and 100m freestyle sprint events along with the 100m backstroke. New Zealand representative Ruby Matthews, now swimming out of Auckland's North Shore, also contributed to the Evolution Aquatics Tauranga team score which placed the small team of 10 swimmers a creditable fifth ranking among the Auckland clubs.
