The South East Region’s Winter Champs is the Highlight of the Competition Calendar for the early part of the swimmer’s season. The competition had 59 clubs represented from around the South East Region and swimmers had to qualify in earlier rounds in the season to be there. The competition was a level 1 (long course) in the Portsmouth Mountbatten Centre, 50m pool. It also was the South East Region’s team selection Meet for the Flanders Cup in Antwerp, Belgium, January 20/21st 2018. 27 swimmers from COSC, qualified to compete at this prestigious competition and 5 swimmers made the SER Team for Belgium.
The competition ran over 2 days with early heats each day, selecting the fastest to go through the evening finals.
Freestyle/backstroke specialist, Dan Jenkins (16yrs) amassed no less than 9 individual Championship titles, 3 of them in the Open Age Category. Gold (100bk) Silver (200back) Bronze (50Bk). In the Jnr section (16&U) he won 4 Golds (100bk/400free/200free/200back) and 2 further Silvers (100free/50bk) These wins earned him a spot on the SER Team.
GB podium potential Swimmer, David Murphy (19yrs) took 2 Golds and Silver in the Breaststrokes (50/100brst and 200brst) in the open age group. He, too, earned a place on the team.
Also selected for Team Flanders, were 2 breaststrokers Toby Mackay-Champion (20yrs), Gold (200brst) and 2 Bronzes (50/100) and Callum Smart (17yrs) Gold in the 200IM, 2 Silvers(50/100) and Bronze in the 200brst.
Our Breaststrokers gave Oxford a clean sweep on the podium for the 50/100 and 200!
Lewis Gilchrist (17yrs) took 2 Gold titles (400IM/200back) and also earned a spot on the Flanders team.
The clean sweep came again from the junior 200 backstroke boys:
Eileen Adams (SER President) Dan Jenkins, Lewis Gilchrist, Nick Skelton.
Ellie Millington (18yrs) took 3 Championship titles in the Open, Gold (50fly) Silver (200free) Bronze (50free).
Kate Mills (19yrs) took Gold and Silver in the 100/200fly and other fly specialist Emily Ford gained Jnr Champion in the 50fly.
Chris Wood (18yrs) earned himself a Bronze place in the Open for his 200IM
Further successes in the junior section, came from Emily Ford (15yrs) who was Junior Champion and scooped Gold for the 50fly. Arnold Marton (16yrs) who won 2 titles, Silver (200IM) and Bronze (400IM). 14yr old Nick Skelton placed Bronze in the Open and Silver in the Jnr section for his 200bk. Tasha Fenton (15yrs) gained a Silver placing (200brst)
Further finalists were Connor Bryan (17yrs), who made 4 finals in the Open, 50/100/200brst and 200IM. Mimi Morely Izsatt (14yrs) 6th in Open and 4th Jnr (50bk); Maia Little (50brst)
COSC swimmer Megan Smit, (14yrs) swam 2 long distance races, In the 800free came 12 in the Open and 10 in the Jnr; she also competed in the 400free/400IM/200bk/200free.
Other Oxford swimmers representing COSC were Max Bolcato (15yrs), Delphi Little (14yrs) Chris Motha (17yrs) Tiana Porter (15yrs ) George Rudd (15yrs) Weiyi Tan (17yrs), Max Underwood (16yrs) Luke Wilby (17yrs) Freddie Wilkinson (16yrs)
Head Coach, Amanda Booth said “at this time of year we usually are in short course competitions (25m) up to Christmas. The change to long course is all about that early run up to Winter Nationals which, this year, are the Commonwealth Trials in December. Oxford have seized the long course well and this was demonstrated by some excellent skills in the water this weekend”
Full press release including pictures can found here: Winter Regionals 2017 – Oxford