We had a lot of swimmers, coaches, clubs and officials to congratulate at the 2022 National Awards of Excellence!
Based out of the beautiful New Town Toyota dealership in East Victoria Park, WA's best swimmers, coaches, clubs and officials rolled in to mingle with friends and family among the fleet of impressive Toyota vehicles.
The awards showcased and recognised the amazing achievements of all swimmers, coaches, clubs and officials across the recent Australian, Age and Para Swimming Championships held in Adelaide over the past month.
WA in total had one of the most successful campaigns in history. With our WA athletes finally given the green light to freely travel interstate to race against Australia's best, 193 swimmers from 35 collective clubs made the journey across to South Australia to compete, while 15 of WA's hard-working and experienced officials also demonstrated their skills on pool deck across the Championships.
Not only were all of WA's national age and open category finalists, medallists and champions recognised, we were also proud to congratulate our dedicated coaches responsible for guiding our elite swimmers, along with the overwhelming support demonstrated by clubs and officials across the state.
We want to send a huge congratulations to everyone who was recognised across these awards, along with a huge thank you to the amazing team at New Town Toyota for their incredible ongoing support for Swimming WA and for welcoming members of the WA swimming community into their dealership with open arms.
Congratulations to all our National Championship Officials!
Despite the ongoing effects and travel limitations of the pandemic, WA is consistently a leader in producing quality experienced officials for National Championships and we were incredibly proud of the 15 officials who were selected to travel to Adelaide.
All officials listed below did a tremendous job officiating the 2022 Australian, Age & Para Championships throughout April and May and were each presented with Swimming WA branded leather travel kits for future competitions!
Kaye Bolger - Albany Swimming Club
Greg Wilson - Breakers Swim Club
Ian Arblaster - Breakers Swimming Club
Robyn Arblaster - Breakers Swimming Club
Kim Blake - Busselton
Neil Doherty - Canning Districts
Nick Short - Morowa Swim Club
Sam Coten - Perth City
Deb Doody - Riverton Aquanauts
Fiona Christie - Riverton Aquanauts
Kylie Baker - South Shore
Simon Holland - UWA West Coast
Steve Hill - UWA West Coast
Dot Harris - Waroona Swim Club
Jacqui McNamara - York Swimming Club
Awarding WA's Open Water Swimmers
While WA only had three athletes travel to Adelaide for the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships due to Covid restrictions, we were incredibly well represented by three immensely talented swimmers based out of North Coast Swimming Club.
Kyle Lee, Jack Wilson and Rosie Wilson swam superbly in Adelaide across April, bringing home four medals in emphatic style under the brilliant coaching of Ian Mills.
Jack Wilson showed tremendous resilience and stamina across the Men's 5km and 10km Open water events, finishing fourth in both races, while his younger sister Rosie Wilson claimed two bronze medals in the Girls 5km and 10km open water races in successive days to show her impressive recovery and perseverance.
It was Kyle Lee who had one of the stand out years in open water swimming across state and national level. Not only did he dominate WA's State Championship level events for the 7.5km and 10km events, he also claimed bronze in the Men's 10km and silver in the Men's 5km Open Water swimming championships, meaning he snagged his first ticket onto the Australian Dolphins Squad headed to the FINA Swimming World Championships in Budapest!
His amazing swims also won him the newly named New Town Toyota Trophy for the most outstanding performer at the Open Water Swimming Championships, with the trophy suitably named in honour of New Town Toyota's remarkable support for our open water events and swimmers.
Congratulations to Kyle, Jack, Rosie, their coach Ian Mills and to North Coast Swim Club for their astounding performances in Adelaide!
Congratulating our National Age and Open Swimmers!
For the first time since 2019, Western Australian Age Group swimmers were able to compete with the rest of the nation in person and boy, was it worth the wait.
From 193 swimmers across 35 clubs who headed across to Adelaide, we saw a staggering 143 finals, with 39 medals won in total including 12 gold. It's one of our most successful performances on the Australian stage in history and it's clear the restrictions over the past two years clearly just made our swimmers and coaches work harder!
We were very proud to present all of our National Age Finalists, Medallists and Champions with special Swimming WA caps showcasing their amazing achievements across the Championships. We hope you wear these with pride to show off how hard you've all worked! This was a very long list!
National Age & Open Finalists
Emma Stewart - Arena
Lydia Jackson - Arena
Mikayla Keenan - Arena
Tom Anderson - Breakers
Ingrid Blandford - Bunbury
Scarlett Riddle - Busselton
Delta Cross - Highlanders
Johann Szymanski - Highlanders
Xavier Smith - Highlanders
Alexey Ulupov - Kwinana
Jack Wilson - North Coast
Oliver Brehaut - Peel Aquatic
Matthew Loffler - Riverton
Fletcher Bromwell - Scarborough Beach
Alexander Sillitoe - Southlake Dolphins
Eilidh Milne - Southlake Dolphins
Hayden Ferguson - Southlake Dolphins
Owen Hewitt - Southlake Dolphins
Aidan Balfour - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Sienna Hepworth - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Charlotte Bass - St Hildas
Talara-Jade Dixon - St Hildas
Alice Massey - UWA West Coast
Bianca Petsos - UWA West Coast
Charlie Hodge - UWA West Coast
Charlotte McDermid - UWA West Coast
Georgina Gray - UWA West Coast
Jasmine Mercer - UWA West Coast
Javier Marginet - UWA West Coast
Jordan Berryman - UWA West Coast
Mia Salamone - UWA West Coast
Natalie Van Selm - UWA West Coast
Nathan Sason - UWA West Coast
Bianca Monaco - Westside Christ Church
Lachlan Wilks - Westside Christ Church
Thomas Michael - Westside Christ Church
Xavier Collins - Westside Christ Church
Our National Age & Open Medallists
Thomas Prowton - Arena
Tom Wyatt - Arena
Alyssa Burgess - Arena
Alex Saffy - Bunbury
Joel Davies - Bunbury
Sam Carmignani - Breakers
Harrison Farmer - Central Aquatic
Kieren Pollard - North Coast
Kyle Lee - North Coast
Rosie Wilson - North Coast
Alec Mander - Perth City
Sean Alcorn - Peel Aquatic
Heidi Gstaettner - Rockingham
Alessio Macri - Scarborough Beach
Daniel Boshart - Scarborough Beach
Helen Smith - South Shore
Tremayne Mould - South Shore
Jett Walker - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Tyrone Crees - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Christopher Purcell - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Harrison Hynes - Southside Penrhos Wesley
Annabelle Frederic - Southlake Dolphins
Isabel Sheldrick - St Hildas
Neeve Fasher - St Hildas
Talia Wilkinson - St Hildas
Charlotte Bass - St Hildas
Sam Coveney - UWA West Coast
Ryan Hewlett - UWA West Coast
Lucy Porter - Westside Christ Church
Kate Harrison - Westside Christ Church
Seria Hasebe - Westside Christ Church
Sahmara Kirby - Westside Christ Church
Xavier Collins - Westside Christ Church
Our National Age & Open Champions
Iona Anderson - Breakers
Lucas Fackerell - Breakers
Bel Dabic - Bunbury Swimming Club
Jackson Anderson - Highlanders
Jacob Hale - Riverton
Holly Barratt - Rockingham
Inez Miller - St Hildas
Sylvia Czajko - UWA West Coast
Tegan Reder - UWA West Coast
Samuel Hicks - Westside Christ Church
The Bob Bestman Trophy - Our Nominees & Winner
Awarded to the swimmer who returns the most outstanding achievements by a Western Australian at the 2022 Australian Age Championships, our nominees list of eight swimmers was overflowing with talent and we congratulate all of you for being nominated for this prestigious award.
Ultimately, it was Breakers Swimming Club star, Iona Anderson, coached by Harry Clark and WAIS coach, Will Scott, who walked away with the historic Bob Bestman Trophy after her remarkable clean sweep of gold medals in the Girls 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke events at the Australian Age Championships. Congratulations Iona, Harry, Will and Breakers Swimming Club on the tremendous job you are doing with this talented young woman!
Bob Bestman Trophy winner - Iona Anderson (Coached by Harry Clark at Breakers) - 3x National Champion
Nominee - Lucas Fackerell (Coached by Harry Clark at Breakers) - National Champion
Nominee - Inez Miller (Coached by Deb Jones at St Hildas) - National Champion
Nominee - Jackson Anderson (Coached by Ryan Steenkamp at Highlanders) - National Champion
Nominee - Tegan Reder (Coached by Rob Palfery at UWA West Coast) - National Champion
Nominee - Sylvia Czajko (Coached by Rob Palfery at UWA West Coast) - National Champion
Nominee - Samuel Hicks (Coached by Will Greenwood at Westside Christ Church) - National Champion
Nominee - Jacob Hale (Coached by Gemma Herrington at Riverton) - National Champion
The 2022 Aqua Technics National Travel Scholarship Winner - Sahmara Kirby from Westside Christ Church
This scholarship is made possible by the incredibly generous support of our sponsor, Aqua Technics, who have provided a huge amount of financial assistance towards Swimming WA events and athletes. The sport of swimming is thrilled that Aqua Technics has embraced this concept and is prepared to invest financially in the recognition of these athletes by once more providing a scholarship that will assist with the costs of coaching, equipment and travel.
The rationale for introducing this scholarship focused on assisting elite athletes aged between 15-16yrs for girls and 16-17yrs for boys. It was established to assist families in meeting some of the costs associated with the sport of swimming at a national level.
A pool of athletes was shortlisted by Swimming WA’s Head Coach, Mel Tantrum, with assistance from our performance staff. The award recipient was decided by Swimming WA’s CEO, Sophie Row.
Ultimately, it was Sahmara Kirby, 15, who was the rightful winner of this award. She performed remarkably well under Westside Christchurch Aquatic Head Coach, Jon Harrison, while meeting the selection criteria. She achieved at least four national times in the long course season, has competed in at least one national competition during her career, does not receive any additional support from WAIS and crucially, embraces the values and direction of Swimming WA.
As a result of her award, Sahmara will receive $500 to assist with her travel and accommodation costs. Congratulations to you Sahmara, your coach Jon Harrison and Westside Christ Church Aquatic!
Congratulating our National Age & Open Coaches
Our Western Australian coaches all across the state are dedicating long hours at the pool and at home to help guide our swimmers towards their goals. We need to send a huge thank you to all of the coaches who travelled to Adelaide for these Championships or coached their athletes from home.
Just like our swimmers who performed exceptionally well, we had numerous WA coaches who need to be congratulated and awarded for achieving national finals, medals and gold medals through their athletes!
Each of the following coaches received an insulated coffee tumbler, each engraved with their amazing level of achievements across the 2022 Para, Age and Australian Swimming Championships. We hope all of you take pride drinking from these, especially during those cold winter mornings on pool deck!
National Age & Open Finalist Coaches
Laksham 'Lucky' Weerakkody - Kwinana
Andrew Sexton - Busselton
Adam Cowie - Bunbury
Patrick Stellino - Guildford Kalamunda
Ryan Spencer - Rockingham
Brett Tongue - UWA West Coast
National Age & Open Medallist Coaches
Cam Hawthorn - Scarborough Beach Swimming Club
Jon Harrison - Westside Christ Church
Craig Murry - South Shore
Eoin Carroll - Perth City
Wayne Delacy - Central Aquatic
Ian Mills - North Coast Swim Club
Simon Redmond - Arena Swim Club
Fiona Njirich - Arena Swim Club
Nick Watkins - Southside Penrhos Wesley
National Age & Open Champion Coaches
Ryan Steenkamp - Highlanders
Harry Clark - Breakers Swim Club
Rob Palfery - UWA West Coast
Adam Cowie - Bunbury Swim Club
Gemma Herrington - Riverton
Will Greenwood - Westside Christ Church
Deb Jones - St Hildas
Will Scott - WAIS
The Kevin Duff Trophy Award - Our Nominees & Winner
This prestigious annual trophy is awarded to the highest performing coach across the 2022 Para, Age and Australian Swimming Championships based on the accumulated points of their athletes across all meets.
All of our phenomenal nominees have done a tremendous job across these Championships, with each coach either guiding a swimmer to an Australian title or team!
Overall, it was UWA West Coast's Rob Palfery who accumulated the most points and walked away with the Kevin Duff Trophy! His points tally was fuelled by several of his squad swimmers making finals, medalling and in the cases of Tegan Reder and Sylvia Czajko, claiming gold medals and national titles.
Congratulations to you Robert, UWA West Coast and to all coaches nominated below following your magnificent achievements during the 2022 Para, Age and Australian Swimming Championships!
Kevin Duff Trophy Winner - Robert Palfery - UWA West Coast
Nominee - Will Scott - WAIS - Worked alongside Australian Champions such as Iona Anderson (Breakers) and Holly Barratt (Rockingham)
Nominee - Deb Jones - St Hildas - Coached numerous national finalists, including Australia A Squad member Talara-Jade Dixon and guided Inez Miller to her first Australian Age title.
Nominee - Ian Mills - North Coast Swimming Club - Coached two of the newest members to Australia's 2022 World Championship and Commonwealth Games teams in Kyle Lee and Kieren Pollard.
The Hancock Prospecting Perpetual Trophy - Our Nominees & Winner
Our last trophy to award during the 2022 National Awards of Excellence was our prestigious Hancock Prospecting Perpetual Trophy, awarded to WA's most outstanding open age category swimmer at the 2022 Australian Swimming Championships.
This award is based on the total accumulated points of all Western Australian swimmers at these Championships and boy, did we have a close count!
Ultimately, it was Rockingham Swim Club and Australian Swimming Team veteran, Holly Barratt, who won the trophy based off making several finals at the Championships, along with an emphatic victory in the Women's 50m butterfly final, securing her ticket to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games four years after she won silver in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in the same event.
It is a testament to how hard and dedicated the 34-year-old is to performing at the highest level for such a long period of time. Congratulations to you Holly and we can't wait to see you racing in Birmingham in July and August!
We also need to congratulate our other fellow Western Australian nominees below. All of them won medals on Australia's biggest swimming stage in the open categories and worked exceptionally hard alongside their coaches. We were also thrilled to see North Coast Swimming Club star, Kieren Pollard, join Holly on the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games team squad after he won bronze in the Men's 400m Individual Medley!
Hancock Prospecting Perpetual Trophy Winner - Holly Barratt - Rockingham Swim Club & WAIS - Australian Champion and 2022 Commonwealth Games Team Member
Nominee - Alec Mander - Coached by Eoin Carroll at Perth City Swim Club - Winner of two medals in the open category in the Men's 800m and 1500m freestyle, Australia A Squad member, achieved four WAIS qualifying times.
Nominee - Kieren Pollard - Coached by Ian Mills at North Coast Swimming Club - Winner of two medals in the open category, including bronze in the Men's 400m Individual medley, securing his ticket to race at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Nominee - Tegan Reder - Coached by Robert Palfery at UWA West Coast - Made numerous finals and medalled in the open category at the 2022 Para Swimming Championships. Won two gold, one silver and one bronze at National Championships in total.
That wraps up our 2022 National Awards of Excellence! Congratulations to all nominees and winners and thank you to New Town Toyota for welcoming all our guests and allowing our event to be held within your amazing dealership!