As the Hancock Prospecting State Championships concludes, Day five saw a fantastic display of award winners, record-breaking relays, and the culmination of club competitions.
The club relays kicked off with Highlanders dominating the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, comprising Tex Cross, Jackson Anderson, Owen Hewitt, and Johann Szymanski (c: Ryan Steenkamp). Their performance smashed the 18 years WA Residential State and Club Record, marking an impressive start to the day.
Breakers Swim Club brought a storm of record-breaking relay performances. In the 4x200m Freestyle Relay, Charlotte Ericksen, Alyssa Burgess, Lauren Gastevich, and Elyse Weston (c: Harry Clark) set a new standard with a time of 8:24.51, breaking the open WA All Time Record and WA All Comers Club Record. The excitement continued in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay, where they clocked in at 3:47.68, breaking the open WA All Time Club Record and WA Residential State and Club Record. Iona Anderson's 100m Backstroke leg added to the triumph, setting records in 18 years WA All Comers, WA All Time, WA Residential, and in the open, WA All Time and WA Residential.
In the Women’s 4x100 Medley Relay, the Breakers team of Iona Anderson, Lauren Gastevich, Crystal Edwards, and Alyssa Burgess claimed gold, touching at 4:11.17. Their performance shattered the open WA All Comers Club, WA All Time State and Club, WA Residential State and Club Records, securing the B&G Agencies Trophy.
In the Men’s 4x100 Medley Relay, the UWA West Coast team of Lucas Wilson, Joshua Yong, Jayden Yong, and Jamie Anderson (c: Rob Palfery) secured gold and also won themselves the Peter Evans & Neil Brooks Trophy.
Alec Mander's (South Shore, c: Matt Magee) swift victory in the Men’s 100m Freestyle, clocking in at 51.04, earned him the Hicks Ive Trophy. Inez Miller's (Fenix, c: Deb Jones) win in the 100m Freestyle final at 56.66 secured her the Roy Hammond Trophy, along with the Old Court Cup and Swimming WA Life Members’ Trophy for being the most consistent Open and Age Category able-bodied performer.
Joshua Yong (UWA West Coast/WAIS) was honoured with the Hall of Fame Alumni Trophy for delivering the most outstanding performance in his breaststroke. Helen Smith (Highlanders, c: Ryan Steenkamp), Lucy Porter (St Hilda’s, c: Zoe Baker), and Sam Carmignani (Breakers, c: Harry Clark) received recognition as the most consistent performers in their respective categories, earning the Eamon Sullivan Trophy, Jack Howson Trophy, and Jennifer Reilly Trophy.
13-year-olds Kaydee Van de Venter (Highlanders, c: Ryan Steenkamp) and Brielle Dredge (Kwinana, c: Kareena Preston) shared the spotlight as joint winners of the Frank Osman Memorial Shield for their remarkable consistency throughout the competition.
Rebekah Fraser's (Riverton, c: Gemma Herrington) exceptional consistency in Multi-Class events earned her the Max Gerber Multi Class Championship Trophy.
The Metropolitan Long Course Club Shield was claimed by UWA West Coast Swimming Club, amassing an impressive 1342 points. Busselton Swimming Club secured victory in the Country Long Course Club Shield with a total of 161 points.
To all our volunteers and officials, we could never run events like this without your hard work and dedication. Thank you so much for all the support you provided to this event.
Swimming WA extends a warm and sincere thank you to our incredible sponsors, whose support propels our mission to provide swimming opportunities for all Western Australians.
Special appreciation to Hancock Prospecting, our principal partner for three decades, contributing significantly to making swimming an integral part of the Western Australia way of life. To Fuel to Go & Play, Aqua Technics, the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, New Town Toyota, BG Agencies, SwimTek, Sports Centre, Formidable Strength and Conditioning, SEN (Sports Entertainment Network), and Nexia – your generous contributions play a pivotal role in enhancing the swimming experience for our community. Your support is the driving force behind our success, creating a vibrant and thriving swimming culture in Western Australia. Thank you for being invaluable partners for the 2023 Hancock Prospecting State Championships!
With these celebrations, the Hancock Prospecting State Championships came to a successful end, leaving behind record-breaking achievements, outstanding performances, and the camaraderie of the swimming community cheering in the stands at HBF Stadium. Congratulations and thank you to all!
Thank you to Ingo Burkhardt, working for Salt Diaries, for capturing all the action. Visit the link below to view the photos.
