Medal magnets in the swim

By Marc McGowan
DYNAMIC duo Emily Moreton and Sam Wilkins led the Haileybury Waterlions’ weekend charge at the Victorian Age Short Course Championships.
The 15-year-olds combined for 16 medals, including seven gold, as the Waterlions finished third overall.
Such was Wilkins’ and Moreton’s dominance that they finished one-two in four events.
Haileybury coach Wayne Lawes rated their 50m freestyle battle – that ended with Moreton pipping Wilkins by one hundredth of a second – as the highlight of the meet.
“One of the biggest moments for us as a club was watching them at the end of the 50m freestyle embracing each other,” Lawes said.
“It’s about sport at the end of the day and to see that was just awesome from a team perspective to encapsulate the fact it’s about sport and they can get in there and push each other to a new level and be happy for each other.”
Eighteen-year-old Ally Woodlock, who is training just three times a week as she completes her VCE, won gold medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke.
Eleven-year-old Ben Hewitt claimed the Waterlions’ other gold in the 200m backstroke among a six-strong personal medal haul.
Other medallists included 12-year-olds Lachlan Angel (two silver) and Melanie Simpson (one silver), 14-year-olds Nick Johnson (one silver and one bronze) and Tyson Lawes (one bronze) and 17-year-olds Indra Grant (one silver and two bronze) and Sam Nixon (one silver). Lawes was competing after a six-week layoff due to a broken left wrist, while Johnson’s medals were his first at state level.
The club finally moved into its new state-of-the-art facilities at Keysborough’s Haileybury College on Monday after months of switching between its Berwick and Brighton bases.
Lawes was rapt with his swimmers’ display.
“The kids swam very well … for us to do what we did (given the training conditions) was a pretty damn good effort,” he said.
Lawes will also be the head coach of the Victorian team for the inaugural State Teams Age Short Course Championships in Canberra from 19 to 21 September.
Moreton and Wilkins are the Waterlions’ state representatives at the competition.