Waterlions rise to the challenge

By Marc McGowan
THE Haileybury Waterlions confirmed themselves as one of the country’s top swimming clubs with a stellar showing at last week’s Australian Age Championships in Sydney.
Backstroker Ally Woodlock, 17, and all-rounder Sam Wilkins, 14, returned home with individual medals as the Waterlions finished 15th out of more than 200 competing clubs.
Another six swimmers – 14-year-old Briony Johnson, 15-year-olds Emily Moreton and Gavin Scott, 16-year-old Indra Grant and 18-year-olds Roy Pearce and Tom Moreton – reached individual finals.
Both Grant and Pearce just missed medals in placing fourth in the 200m backstroke and 400m individual medley in their age groups respectively.
But Woodlock and Wilkins were the stars of the show. Woodlock won bronze in the 200m backstroke – the same event she reached her debut open national final in at last month’s Australian Swimming Championships.
Her time of 2:16.37 was eight tenths of a second quicker than her previous personal best recorded at the open national championships.
Woodlock also came fifth in the 100m backstroke.
Wilkins ended the meet with silver medals in the 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly and 200m backstroke and a bronze in the 100m backstroke. She and Haileybury team-mate Johnson also helped Victoria to two separate fourth placings in relays.
Wilkins also made individual finals in the 50m and 100m freestyle, touching sixth and eighth respectively, to cap a magnificent season in the pool.
Thirteen-year-olds Ben Dade and Leon Dong, 14-year-old Tyson Lawes and 17-year-old David Mummery managed at least one top-20 placing in their individual races.
The Waterlions recorded several strong performances in the relays, with fifth-placed finishes in the 14-and-under boys’ 4 x 50m freestyle team and 18-and-under 4 x 100m medley squad the best of the results.
Fourteen-year-old Harrison Baker, Dade, Dong and Lawes made up the former, while Tom Moreton, Mummery, Pearce and 17-year-old Sam Nixon were the 18-and-under combination.