RTW Monson Swimmers Shine at National Championships

RTW Monson Swimming Club made waves at the recent Swim England National Summer Meet at Ponds Forge in Sheffield, returning home with a haul of medals, a string of personal bests, and plenty of proud moments for the club. 

Despite arriving at the meet after a busy racing schedule and a weekend of illness, 16-year-old Maddie Hind showed determination in her early events, the 200m Freestyle and 400m Individual Medley. She finished on a high in the 100m Freestyle final, dipping under the one-minute mark for the first time with a time of 59.91 seconds. 

Fresh from success in the 4x200m Freestyle relay, Lilly Deller, 16, narrowly missed the 200m Freestyle final but fought back in the 50m Butterfly, improving her position in the evening’s final. Her highlight came in the 100m Butterfly final, where she smashed her personal best and won a brilliant bronze medal for Monson. 

Josh Hill, 16, made his first appearance at nationals with a remarkable debut. He opened with the 50m Backstroke, setting a new personal best in the heats and again in the final to win silver. In the 100m Backstroke, he secured a second silver, and capped off the week with another lifetime best and silver medal in the 200m Backstroke – three silvers from three events. 

Reese Huckle’s week began with the 200m Backstroke, where she reached the 16 Years final and improved on her heat time to finish 8th. She also qualified for the 50m Butterfly final and swam a personal best in the 100m Butterfly to place 4th, narrowly missing a medal. Reese closed her Nationals with the 200m Butterfly, finishing 12th. 

Chloe Edwards, 17, competed in the 200m Backstroke alongside 15 year old Bella Jones, with both girls achieving PBs. Chloe then shone in the 100m Backstroke, setting two personal bests in one day and finishing 6th in the final.

Whilst 14-year-old Julia Elvidge qualified comfortably for the 400m Freestyle. There, she delivered one of the performances of the week, taking nine seconds off her personal best to claim a gold medal. 

In her first Nationals, Billie Ballach, 14, showed great composure in the 100m Breaststroke, setting a personal best to finish 24th overall (14/15 Years) and 12th in her age group. She ended her week in the 200m Breaststroke with two more personal bests - one in the heats and another in a swim-off -cutting four seconds from her entry time. 

Jess Evans, 14, placed 15th in the 14 Years 100m Breaststroke and delivered a solid swim in the 200m Breaststroke, showing great determination in both events. 

Olivia Quiller, 14, impressed in the 200m Individual Medley, steadily moving through the field in the final to finish 4th in the 14–15 Years age group.

For 15-year-old Olivia Cooley, the highlight was qualifying for her first national final in the 50m Breaststroke. She improved on her heat time in the final to finish 5th and also swam well in the 200m Breaststroke. 

Aubry Armada Bennett’s standout swim came in the 400m Individual Medley for the 17 Years age group. After qualifying 2nd, he delivered in the final with a personal best to win silver. He also competed in the 200m Breaststroke, showing determination despite a short turnaround from his previous race. 

By the end of the meet, RTW Monson’s swimmers had secured one gold medal, four silvers and a bronze, along with dozens of personal best performances, which is a great achievement by the young athletes.