Still on a high after breaking the record at last year’s Primary School Sports Association state swimming championships, Spring Hill will again venture to Sydney with one of the youngest teams in the state to try and go back-to-back. 

Mackenzie Palazzi and Michael Stewart, in grades six and five respectively, have run the relays before, but they’re joined this year by Jacob Cox – in grade four – and eight-year-old Stella Davis, the self-confessed “baby of the group”. 

Last week’s regional trials in Dubbo were Stella’s first championship, and after coming second behind friendly rivals and winners Borenore – who Spring Hill train with and will travel with to Sydney in two weeks – Stella burst into tears. 

“I was crying after the swim… I didn’t know what to expect,” she said.

“She was so overwhelmed,” Mackenzie said. 

Stella is looking forward to going to the next level, though.

“I’m excited, but I’m very nervous because I’m racing against grade sixers,” Stella said.

The team took a phenomenal 16 seconds off their practice times when they went to Dubbo for the regional carnival, and while they didn’t finish first, they were only milliseconds behind first place, friendly rivals Borenore. 

Mackenzie – who also race in the running relay team – said her competitive nature pushed her on.

“I don’t like being behind people,” she said.

Spring Hill Public School principal Ann Marie McAnulty – known as Mrs Mac to everyone in Spring Hill – said it had been a “phenomenal effort” by the students. 

“We’ve got an eight year old and a nine year old which made it and it’s a lot of pressure on Stella with her first carnival and especially going first,” she said. 

“They don’t just race of themselves, at the end of it I rang the school and told the kids and they held the phone up and heard all the other children cheering when they made the state final so it’s very much a whole school event.”

The relay starts at 8.30am on Thursday, April 12 at Homebush in Sydney.