The Queensland all-time schoolgirl female swimming super squad

Who are the top five female swimmers to emerge from the elite QGSSSA schoolgirl swimming competitions? Andrew Dawson ranks the all-time schoolgirl swimming super squad ahead of covering the association’s annual swimming carnival next week.

Shane Gould, Libby Trickett, Ariarne Titmus and Stephanie Rice — it is a swimming dream team to stand up against the best in the business — and all have origins back to local school pools within the Queensland Girls’ Secondary Schools Sports Association (QGSSSA) schoolgirl nursery.

What about these golden girls - Hayley Lewis, Emily Seebohm, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte Barratt, or Yolane Kukls and Marieke D’Cruz (nee Guehrer).

It is a world class swimming line-up, all of who emerged from beneath the QGSSSA umbrella.

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In the lead-up to the QGSSSA March 6 swimming carnival at Chandler, Andrew Dawson peers at our finest water babies and nominates the top five to come from the QGSSSA system.

1. Shane Gould (St Peters Lutheran College)

Is she Australia’s greatest ever swimmer? Dawn Fraser and Ian Thorpe may have her covered, but she is up there. Gould is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100m to 1500m, and the 200m individual medley as well. She is also the first female swimmer to win three Olympic gold medals in world record time and the first swimmer, male or female, to win Olympic medals in five individual events in a single Olympics. A living legend, Gould also has a sporting house named in her honour at St Peters Lutheran College.

Emily Seebohm out fo the pool. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

2. Emily Seebohm (St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School)

Former Australian coach Matt Brown said recently Seebohm was arguably the most consistent swimmer in the world because for 10 years she was never off the podium at major international events. And it is that consistency across a long, long period of time is what edged the David Lush-coached athlete into second position behind Gould and ahead of a white hot field. Her greatness should never be diminished.

Australian Olympian Stephanie Rice. Picture: Justin Lloyd.

3. Stephanie Rice (Clayfield College)

Like so many sporting greats, Stephanie Rice was at her best on the big stage. “The bigger the stage the better Stephanie performs,’’ was how her past coach Michael Bohl recalled Rice. The medley swimmer was a glamour girl out of the pool but a ferocious competitor in it. “She was a great athlete, very self aware and understood the relationship between hard work and success,’’ Bohl concluded.

Libby Trickett and her trademark smile. Pic Peter Wallis

4. Libby Trickett (Somerville House)

Trickett (nee Lenton) was part of the greatest women’s sprint era in Australian swimming when she jostled with the likes of Jodie Henry, Alice Mills and Petria Thomas for the podium - and that was just within her own country. A person with the biggest smile in world sport, the four-time Olympic gold medallist has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. She is a former 100m freestyle world record holder and also a 100m butterfly Olympic gold medallist and one of our greatest sportswomen.

Olympic swimmer Hayley Lewis.

5. Hayley Lewis (Brisbane State High School)

Lewis burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old to win five gold medals and a bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Tenacious to the core, the Joe King trained swimmer then climbed the mountain to become world champion (200m freestyle) at the 1991 world championships in Perth. The following year at the Barcelona Olympics, Lewis gave her all in the 400m freestyle and gruelling 400m IM events to finish with silver medals, along with a 200m IM bronze medal. Lewis is the type of person you would want swimming for your life.

The quality and proud tradition of QGSSSA swimming is also highlighted by not only these five athletes, but the names below who pushed them for top billing.

Olympians Emily Seebohm and Brittany Elmslie. Picture: Marc McCormack

Brittany Elmslie (St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School)

Her coach David Lush described Elmslie as an athlete who “embodies the ultimate racer’’.

“I’ve never seen another athlete that is capable of backing themselves completely, no matter who is next to them,’’ Lush said. “Her ability to push herself beyond limits, rise to the occasion and embrace what it means to be an Australian Dolphin is what has made her successful and why her teammates have selected her as a team leader.’’

Swimmer Ariarne Titmus at St Peters. Pics Tara Croser.

Ariarne Titmus (St Peters Lutheran College)

One of the most thrilling prospects in world female swimming. She is not only exciting for what she has achieved, but also for the potential she has. If you wrote this same article in five years, I would expect Titmus to be in the top five. She is honing her craft under Dean Boxall at St Peters Western.

Bronte Barratt went to St Margaret’s.

Bronte Barratt: (St Margaret’s Anglican Girls School)

She grew up watching a golden era of Australian swimming and became a pin-up girl herself in a new dawn of swimming. Emerged from the Albany Creek Swim Club to break a record held by the great Tracey Wickham. Three time Olympian and regular 200m medal winner in relays and individual events.

Georgia Bohl pictured during the womens open 200m breaststroke at the state titles. (AAP Image/Josh Woning)

Georgia Bohl (St Peters Lutheran College)

Raised in a swimming family, Bohl cut her teeth in her backyard swimming pool at Wilston where her father Michael would subtly leave a kick board laying around. Georgia thinks it was left in the pool deliberately not for recreation use, but to get her started into swimming training. It paid off as the diminutive breaststroker rose to be a Rio Olympian and won gold and bronze at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Maddie Groves as a 15-year-old,

Maddie Groves (St Peters Lutheran College)

From the same Brisbane suburb as Bohl, the Rio Olympic 200m butterfly silver medallist burst onto the scene as a teenager at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she claimed a bronze medal. An amazing racer even if preparation has not been perfect. Groves still has raw talent in the bank.

Lisa Curry attended Somerville House. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Lisa Curry (Somerville House).

Curry was a child prodigy who captured the imagination of the Australian sporting public by being a member of the silver medal winning 4×100m medley relay team at the 1978 Commonwealth Games. She was a Commonwealth Games golden girl who also went to three Olympic Games — 1980, 1984 and 1992.

Gemma Cooney.

Gemma Cooney (Somerville House)

Cooney’s greatness is measured both in and out of the pool by her coach David Lush at Brisbane Grammar Swim Club. “Gemma is like glue. Gemma’s enthusiasm and passion for her teammates, combined with her competitive attitude, gels our team together.

Davud Lush volunteers to help out Brisbane State High School. Read here

“Gemma is a student of the sport and can amazingly recall times, splits and results from the best athletes in the world. She is dedicated to her craft and its only a matter of when she will transition from the world junior team to national open team member.’’

St Peters Western Swimmer Michaela Ryan

Michaela Ryan (St Peters Lutheran College)

Ryan will spearhead St Peters Lutheran College at the March 6 QGSSSA carnival now that Titmus has finished year 12. Ryan is making great inroads as a butterfly exponent after gathering priceless race experience representing Australia as a junior in 2018. She is learning to beat her pre-race nerves and is now held in such high esteem that she was invited to attend an elite camp under Michael Bohl specifically designed for Australia’s top butterfly exponents.

Susie Baumer at South Bank Picture: Anthony/Weate

Susie Baumer (Brisbane State High School)

Susie Baumer was a great athlete and two-time Olympian (1984, 1988). Respected Australian coach Michael Bohl fondly remembers Baumer as a swimmer with a “very efficient technique and a great feel for the water’’. “Baumer rose to prominence very quickly and loved to work hard,’’ he said.

Jodie Clatworthy in 1988.

Jodie Clatworthy (Brisbane State High School)

Clatworthy jumped out of the box to represent Australia from BSHS as a 16-year-old at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. She was good enough to make two finals, finishing fourth in the 200m individual medley and sixth in the 400m individual medley. She has multiple Commonwealth Games medals to her name.

Lise Mackie (Brisbane State High School)

Outstanding freestyle swimmer who was good enough to make two Olympic teams in 1992 and 1996. Mackie was rewarded with an Olympic bronze medal in 1996 when she was a member of the 4×200m freestyle relay team.

Brisbane Girls Grammar School past student Minna Atherton.

Minna Atherton (Brisbane Girls Grammar School)

An Australian representative at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Atherton’s formative years were spent in a cute, four lane wide pool at Milton State School. Now she enjoys the expanse of first class facilities under David Lush at Brisbane Grammar and her performances are matching her first class surrounds. Still a teenager, she is a backstroking young gun who is an apprentice to fellow backrower Emily Seebohm who she trains alongside. Watch this space.

Judy Hundson (Somerville House)

Judith Hundson was an Olympian at both the 1972 and 1976 Games.

Sue Lewis (Somerville House)

Another Somerville House Olympian who competed in three events at the 1972 Olympic Games.

Yolane Kukla (St Peters Lutheran College)

Yolane was a schoolgirl superstar who represented, and won medals, at both the Commonwealth Games and Olympics as a schoolgirl. She blazed onto the scene, then disappeared in a hurry but some of her records still stand today. A tremendous athlete of her era.

Marieke Guehrer.

Marieke D’Cruz (nee Guehrer) Somerville House

A former world record holder in the 50 butterfly, Marieke was a slick international performer. She was initially rewarded for her work ethic at the 2009 world championships when she claimed a bronze medal as part of the 4×100m freestyle relay. Then came her stunning upset gold medal winning performance in the 50 butterfly. She also captured a silver medal and a gold medal (relay) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

Karen Van De Graf 1980 Olympics (Brisbane State High School)

Karen had an enormous workload at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games competing in the 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly and medley relay.

Quest Community Newspapers will have full online and newspaper coverage of the March 6 QGSSSA swim meet.