SWIMMING: Team Luton excel in Winter Champs

This event was swum as an open competition with everyone swimming in the same age group with one qualifying time for each individual event.

The first session saw the long distance specialists competing in the challenging 800m and 1,500m freestyle events.

The girls swam the 800m freestyle and Chantal Smith (15) hit a PB of 9.13.35mins, which qualified her for the British Winter Championships later in the year. Nicola Pasquire (17) and Abbie Barnwell (12) recorded times of 9.08.17mins and 10.02.34mins respectively.

Matthew Wright (17) and Nathan Swift (14) both competed in the 1,500m freestyle, setting PBs of 16.20.04mins and 17.21.07mins to qualify for the 2016 Summer Regional Championships.

All five swimmers are now placed in the following positions in the English rankings in their individual age groups.

Wright is ninth, Smith 12th, Swift 15th, Pasquire 17th and Barnwell 32nd. The rest of the weekend consisted of the shorter events.

In the 12-year-old age group, Lauren Young competed in the 400m freestyle with a PB of 4.45.60mins.

Breaststroke specialist Celyn Walmsley, 14, recorded PBS in all her events, clocking 37.35secs in the 50m breaststroke, 1.18.97mins in the 100m event and 2.49.24mins in the 200m.

Swift had his second PB of the meet in the 400m freestyle in 4.28.80mins.

Smith also managed times of 1.03.09mins in the 100m freestyle, 2.10.97mins in the 200m freestyle and a PB in the 400m freestyle. She also competed in the 400m IM in 5.21.77mins, qualifying for next year’s Summer Regional Championships in the 200m freestyle and 400m IM.

Ryan Jarvis, 16, clocked PBs in the 200m breaststroke and 400m freestyle with times of 2.31.09mins and 4.24.26mins.

He also competed in the 50m and 100m breaststroke and 200m freestyle and 200m individual medley.

Wright achieved a fantastic PB in the 400m freestyle in 4.09.38mins and also competed in the 100m and 200m freestyle.

Pasquire reached the final in the 200m freestyle, swimming times of 2.07.65mins in the heat and 2.07.94mins in the final, recording a PB in the 400m freestyle.

Pasquire also swam a best of 1.06.79mins in the 100m butterfly and achieved summer regional qualifying times in this and the 50m and 200m freestyle.

In the 18-year-old age group, butterfly specialist Abby Gee finished third in the 200m heat in a time of 2.22.05mins and gained entry to the final in which she finished fifth.

Gee also competed in the 50m and 100m events in times of 30.38secs and 1.06.49mins, with all times regional qualifying ones for next year.

Jamie Fowler clocked a personal best in the 100m freestyle in 56.61secs and booked his place in next year’s summer regionals in the 200m backstroke in a time of 2.14.04mins.

Alex Mason (19) swam a personal best in the 200m freestyle in 1.59.73mins and the 200m breaststroke in 2.35.27mins.

Disability swimmer Emma Cattle (27) completed in the 50m and 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke.

Team Luton are holding a development meet on Sunday, December 14 at Inspire Sports Village Luton.