Swimming: Otumoetai swimmers dominate

Greerton's Nathan Capp is to compete in Auckland next weekend. Photo / File

Otumoetai and Greerton swim clubs are well represented in the Aquaknights senior (16 years and over) and junior (15 years and under) teams named for next month's Zonal Championships in Auckland.

Otumoetai have five of the junior team in Blake Horne (Otumoetai), Benji Rowe (Otumoetai), Thomas Chaney, Daniel Christopher Barron and Ruby Matthews, plus Joshua Pickett in the senior team.

Greerton's charge is led by long-distance specialist Nathan Capp, who will add his international racing experience to the Aquaknights swim team, and Danielle Waiari in the senior team plus Libby Bradley and Islah Kerr-Aim in the juniors.

Otumoetai's total of six swimmers is second only to Aquabladz New Plymouth who supply eight swimmers across the two teams.

The Aquaknights team comprises 12 clubs from throughout the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Hawke's Bay/Poverty Bay regions.

The exciting one-day competition comprises four zone teams with each including 20 junior and 20 senior swimmers. The competition will pit the best of each age group from throughout the country and proved an outstanding success in its debut 15 months ago.

Capp, who competed at the FINA World Short Course Championships late last year, is joined in the senior men by 2014 Junior Pan Pacific Championship team members Bradlee Ashby and Julian Weir.

Ashby had an impressive outing at the Junior Pac Pacs in August last year, collecting bronze medals in the 400m individual medley and 100m butterfly. Also providing international racing experience to the senior men's side is London 2012 Olympian and New Zealand record holder Daniel Bell. Webby, who competed in the 2014 Pan Pacific Championship open water event, will lend her experience to the senior women's team while Youth Olympic Bronze medallist Bobbi Gichard adds strength to the junior women's squad.

- The 2015 Zonal Championships are at Auckland's Westwave Aquatic Centre on Sunday, February 8 and will be live on Sky Sport 4 from 5.00pm with 160 swimmers competing.