In a competition featuring the best swimmers in the lower North Island, Whanganui got off to a flying start in the first session with the first swimmer in the water, 11-year-old Sophie Young-Wilson, posting a massive five-second personal best in the first heat of the 100m IM, before the talented Aria Bannister got the first medal of the meet with a great swim to pick up silver.
It wouldn't be long before the first gold of the meet was struck when Bannister smashed out another PB in the 50m breaststroke to continue what would be a highly successful meet for her with another gold in the 100m breast, more silver medals in the 200m breast, 50m backstroke, 200m back, 200m IM and a bronze in the 200m free.
She also achieved PBs in every race she did and was Whanganui's top overall points scorer at the meet, just edged out for the individual points winner in her age group.
National development squad member Ethan Bryers (15) also picked up three silver medals in the 200m free, the 200m IM and the 400m IM as well as a bronze in the 400m free.
Most pleasing for Bryers as he prepares for the NZ Short Course Champs next month is that he swam some very good PBs and broke a Whanganui record.
Whanganui's other medal winners were the talented trio of Georgia Abraham, 13, Cheyenne Nightingale, 14 and Cayden Earles, 14, all of whom are attending the NZ Short Course Champs next month.
Nightingale swam a solid 200m fly for bronze, Abraham achieved her bronze medals in the 50m and 200m backstroke events and Earles picked up a silver in the 50m backstroke and bronzes in the 50m and 100m breast and the 400m IM.
Team spokesman Neil Forlong was impressed by members' efforts.
"In the last three months we have been relying on a group of temporary coaches while the board has been working in the background to secure a work visa for former Northern Island Commonwealth Games and Olympic Swimmer Richard Gheel," Forlong said.
"The results achieved this weekend are a huge boost for the squad and a glowing endorsement of the work and time put in by Jaimee Schimanski, Elena Forlong, Aaron Bunker, Fernando Castellanos, Lucy Newton, Marama Cameron, Ethan Bryers and Verena Nowak."
Next week a new era for the Toyota Whanganui Swim team dawns with the arrival of Gheel whose first assignment will be preparing the team of Bryers, Earles, Nightingale and Abraham for the NZ Short Course champs in Auckland in early October.