Swimming Update

Whilst winter is not typically the peak of the swimming season, there have been some elite level racing swimming events held both in school swimming and club swimming. Somerset students and Somerset swim club members have had numerous outstanding results from these meets.

Beginning with the School National Championships, held 16-23 August in Brisbane, Somerset College had three swimmers selected to compete with one of those athletes, Milla Jansen becoming unavailable due to being selected on the Australian Junior Pan Pac team (more on this to follow). The Somerset Swim Club also had another 7 athletes compete across the weeklong event. Congratulations to those selected and their outstanding results below:

• Olympia Pope (13-14 years) – 1st 100m Breaststroke - new School Sport Australia record in both the heat and again in the final, 1st 200m Breaststroke, 1st 200m Medley relay, 1st 200m Mixed Medley Relay in a new School Sport Australia record, 2nd 13-14 50m Breaststroke
• Holly Hembling (15-16 years) – 1st 200m Medley relay, 3rd 50m Breaststroke, 5th 200m Breaststroke
• Makyra Melo (10 years) – 3rd 50m Freestyle, 2nd 200m Freestyle Relay
• Maya Zunker (13-14) – 2nd 200m Medley Relay, 3rd 200m Freestyle Relay, 4th 50m Breaststroke
• Sebastine Du Preez (16-19) – 2nd 100m Breaststroke MC, 3rd 200m Medley Relay MC
• Koa Stotz (12 years) – 1st 50m Breaststroke, 1st 200m Medley Relay, 4th 200m Freestyle Relay
• Summer Johnston (12 years) – 7th 100m Freestyle, 10th 50m Freestyle, 1st 200m Freestyle Relay
• Leo Herbst (10 years) – 3rd 200m Freestyle Relay, 5th 50m Butterfly, 4th 100m Backstroke, 4th 200m Medley Relay, 8th 200m Individual Medley, 5th 100m Butterfly
• Max Truman (12 years) – 6th 100m Backstroke, 11th 200m Freestyle Relay

Somerset student Milla Jansen was selected onto the Australian Junior Pan Pac Games Team from her impressive results at the National Age (Swim Club) Swimming Titles earlier this year.  The Junior Pan Pac Games were held in Hawaii in August and Milla had an outstanding meet representing her country against the likes of the USA, Canada, Japan and New Zealand. 

Milla not only swam personal best times at the meet, but took home five medals from the meet: 1st 50m Freestyle, 2nd 100m Freestyle, 2nd in the 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay, 2nd in the 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay, and 3rd in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay.

Somerset Swim Club News

From an outstanding Australian Open Championships in May, Somerset Swim Club members Tom Nowakowski (Class of 2018) and Grayson Bell who placed first and second respectively in the 50m freestyle under the expert tutelage of coach Ashley Callus we selected on the Australian Team. Tom and Grayson represented Australia at the World Swimming Championships and then Commonwealth Games in August, both being finalists at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Following these events, and a very successful National Short Course meet in Sydney last month, Grayson Bell from Somerset Swim Club has continued his impressive year with selection onto the Australian Team to compete at the 2022 World Short Course Championships in Melbourne at the end of 2022.

Well done to these swimmers on their impressive performances.