All thing considered, Kinross had absolutely no right to match it with the 100 plus other clubs competing at last weekend’s Swimming NSW 10-12 Years Short Course State Championship at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre.
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The Orange club did just that though, in fact, it did more than just match it.
Despite having just three swimmers competing – Gabby Shilling, Lottie O’Herir-Corones and Collette Lyons – Kinross finished fifth in the overall medal tally and 12th in the pointscore competition, beating out several clubs who had more than a dozen competitors at the meet.
The Kinross trio claimed eight medals overall and another three top 10 finishes, a huge effort considering both Shilling and O’Herir-Corones were making their state-level debut.
Lyons accounted for seven of those medals on her own, winning four golds and three silvers and also finishing fourth in one of her other events too.
Shilling claimed a silver medal and also earned a fourth-placed while O’Herir-Corones, the youngest member of the team, managed a top 10 finish.
“It’s a great effort with only three swimmers. The wins and the medals are great, but the times the girls swam are just amazing as well,” Kinross coach Jo Keown said.
Of the 16 events the trio competed in, they set 11 new personal best times collectively.
Lyons set seven new marks, three of which earned her gold medals, while Shilling set one new personal record and O’Herir-Corones best three of her previous times.
Lyons claimed gold medals in the 12 and under 100 and 200 metre breaststroke along with the 200 and 400m individual medleys.
The wins and the medals are great, but the times the girls swam are just amazing as well.
- Kinross coach Jo Keown
She finished second in the 400 and 800m freestyle events and the 200m butterfly, and fourth in the 200m freestyle.
Shilling, who didn’t have an official time for the 200m backstroke in a short course pool just 12 months ago, clocked 2.25.55 to finish second by just 0.3 of a second, taking a whopping three seconds off her personal best.
O’Herir-Corones had qualified for five events after working hard throughout the winter, swimming new personal best times in three.
The highlight of her meet was the 10 and under 100m breaststroke event, where she shaved five whole seconds off her personal best and earned her maiden top 10 finish at state level.
“The team would like to thank the coaches and parents for their support, without them these results wouldn’t be achievable,” Keown said.
Matt Findlay
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
Formerly a sports specialist, I'm based at Orange and shift between wide-spread range of subjects here and, often, across the entire Central West region of NSW as well. I have almost a decade of experience in the media and marketing industries both here in Australia and internationally, along with journalism I have experience in content strategy, brand development, and digital and social media. Along the way, I've been fortunate to win a handful of media awards and be nominated for several others too.
