February 25, 2023

Day two of the McCullagh International got off to a flying start as a new Irish Senior Club Record in the Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay was set by Ards. A team of Victoria Catterson, Ellie McCartney, Grace Davison, and Zophia Quigley clocked a combined time of 3:53.26 to take the national gold while setting a new Irish Senior Club Record. Ards knocked 2.26 seconds off a record (3:55.52) that has stood since 2013 by UCD. Sunday Wells claimed their second relay medal of the week finishing with a time of 4:03.89 to take silver, while Trojan finished third place (4:05.32).

The Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay did not disappoint as Lisburn, Limerick, and Ards battled it out for podium positions with Lisburn coming out on top. A team of Jack Fleming, Adam Colgan, Daniel Edgar, and Dylan Registe recorded a combined time of 3:36.04 to take home the national title for Lisburn. Finn McGeever, Denis O’Brien, Eoin Corby, and Diarmuid Sutton (Limerick) finished closely behind in second place, clocking 3:36.14, with Ards taking the final spot on the podium with a time of 3:37.05.

The Men’s 400m Individual Medley got evening proceedings underway on day two of the McCullagh International. Ronan Kilcoyne representing Sligo SC cruised home to secure gold with his nearest competitor, Trident’s Cormac Rynn (4:45.87) 7.35 seconds behind. In third place was Trojan’s Ronan Fahey touching in 4:47.02.

The Bangor crowd were served a thriller in the Women’s 50m Butterfly as Tokyo Olympians, Ellen Walshe (Templeogue) and Danielle Hill (Larne) battled it out for top spot on the podium. It was the Larne swimmer who came home first with a time of 26.62, a time that equalled the Irish Senior Record held by Mona McSharry. Ellen Walshe had to settle for silver tonight finished closely behind Hill in 26.80. Third and bronze went to Alana Burns-Atkin (28.15) of Banbridge.

It was another case of ‘blink and you miss it’, this time in the Men’s 50m Butterfly, as Calum Bain (Cookstown/National Centre Dublin) and Evan Bailey (New Ross) went head-to-head for the gold medal. Bain would come out on top (24.38) to take home the gold medal, with Bailey touching in 25:00. Visitor, Kieran Lennox (Scotland North) took the bronze medal with 25.14.

Ards and National Centre (Ulster) swimmers Victoria Catterson and Grace Davison went toe to toe in the Women’s 200m Freestyle, Catterson proved to be strongest this time coming home in 2:01.92 to take the top podium spot. 16 year old, Davison put on a fine performance to take silver in a time of 2:04.66, while Scarlett Orchard (Loughborough) clocked 2:05.72 to finish third place.

National Centre (Limerick) swimmers dominated the Men’s 200m IM Freestyle taking all three positions on the podium. Canadian, Jeremy Bagshaw (Limerick) came home first in 1:50.72, closely followed by Dolphin’s Jack Cassin (1:51.45) in second and Olympian Finn McGeever (Limerick) claiming bronze in 1:51.55.

Niamh Coyne (Tallaght/National Centre Dublin) and Ellie McCartney (Ards/National Centre Ulster) went stroke for stroke in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke. There was very little between both swimmers heading into the last 15 metres, Ellie McCartney (2:30.94) pipped Coyne (2:31.14) to the wall to take the gold medal. Nula Gow from Scotland North claimed the bronze medal with 2:33.71.

Following the women’s 200, there was an electric atmosphere for the Men’s 200m Breaststroke with Darragh Greene (Longford/National Centre Dublin) and Eoin Corby (Limerick/National Centre Limerick) going head to head throughout the race. It would be Olympian Greene (2:14.75) who changed it up a gear in the last 15 metres to touch first, Corby finished in 2:17.05 to take silver, while bronze went to Andrew Feenan (Sunday Wells) with 2:19.95.

There was just .2 seconds separating Maria Godden (Kilkenny/National Centre Limerick) and Danielle Hill (Larne) in the Women’s 100m Backstroke, with Godden taking gold after she touched the wall in 1:01.88, Hill clocked 1:01.90 to claim silver, while the final podium position went to Natasha Whittall (1:03.69) of Loughborough University.

John Shortt (Bluefin) came home first in the Men’s 100 Backstroke with a time of 57.54, with Adam Barnes of Ards finishing closely behind (58.85) in second place, taking the last podium position was Brandon Biss (59.16) of Swim Belfast.

The penultimate event of the evening was the Women’s 800m Freestyle with Trojan’s Grace Hodgins going sub nine minutes (8:52.70) to take home her second gold medal of the competition following her 1500m Freestyle on day one. Her Trojan teammate, Rebekah Friel finished in second place (9:09.12) with bronze going to Eve Leleux (9:18.08) of Swim Belfast.

The gruelling Men’s 1500m Freestyle brought day two of the McCullagh International to a close with Denis O’Brien (Limerick) finishing in first place with a time of 16:49.04. Ben McLaughlin (Scotland North) came home in second place (16:52.94) taking silver. It was a sprint finish between Michael McCann (17:20.72) of Ards and Patrick Ferrie (17:21.57) of Lisburn with McCann pipping third spot on the podium.

Competition continues tomorrow morning at 9am.

Notes:

 

Full Results available HERE.