Swimming: Golden haul as Eastwood scoops pool

Ellie Eastwood brought home three golds and a bronze for her efforts at the 2015 Auckland Age Group Champs. Photo / Michael Cunningham

A big contingent of Northland swimmers found success at the 2015 Auckland Age Group Champs recently, with 13 swimmers bringing home a total of 40 medals.

Staged over three days in West Auckland, the small Northwave Swimming Club contingent was the most successful of the Northland clubs at the event bringing home 30 of the medals won by Northlanders at the champs.

The most successful swimmers were the Northwave trio of Ellie Eastwood, Hayley McIntosh and Callum Prime.

Eastwood won the most gold medals, with victory in the girls 15 years 200m and 400m individual medley events as well as the 200m breaststroke. Eastwood also won a bronze in the 100m breaststroke.

McIntosh won two gold medals, with victory in the 16 years girls 200m and 400m freestyle events as well as bronze medals in the 100m and 200m backstroke and the 100m freestyle. Her 400m freestyle time also qualified her to attend the 2016 Australian Age Group Champs.

Prime won the most medals with eight in total. He won gold in both the boys 16 years 200m and 400m individual medley, while also claiming silver medals in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke as well as the 50m and the 100m freestyle. He also brought home a bronze medal in the 400m freestyle.

The other gold medallists were Northwave's Mia Gordon (13) who won gold in the 50m and the 100m breaststroke (as well as a bronze in the 200m breaststroke), Ciara Smith (15) who won gold in the 50m breaststroke (as well as silver in the 100m breaststroke and 400m individual medley and bronze in the 200m breaststroke), Bream Bay's Paul Linton who won gold in the boys 15 years 50m backstroke (and silvers in the 100m and 200m backstroke) and Whangarei's Euan Sapwell (16) who won gold in the 50m breaststroke and bronze in the 100m breaststroke.

Rounding out the medal winners were the Northwave duo of Annabell Simpson (15), who won three silvers, and Jeremy Elliott (14) who won two silvers, and the Whangarei trio of Laura Martin (two silvers), Courtney Matich (one silver and one bronze) and Toby Lengyel (one silver). Nga Papahu's Nina Rose (13) also brought home a bronze medal.

The only Northland swimmer to win medals at the recent 2015 Auckland Junior Champs (12 years and under) was Bay of Island's Tyler Jepsen who won bronze medals in the boys 10 years 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle events.

Swimmers will now look ahead to the Douglas Logging Northland Age Group Championships in January.