All Hallows and St Rita’s College fought out for the CaSSSA championship today
One of the longest winning streaks in Australian sport continued today at the CaSSSA schoolgirl swimming championship. See the list of winners and record breakers here.
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One of the longest winning streaks in Australian sporting history continued today when All Hallows’ School claimed the Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls’ Sports Association (CaSSSA) swimming championship at Chandler.
All Hallows’ School, coached by Steve Miller, have not lost a CaSSSA (The Catholic Secondary Schoolgirls’ Sports Association) championship since the association was formed in 2014. But All Hallows’ streak is actually longer than that, stretching to the mid-2000s when the competition was under a different name.
As head coach of All Hallows, Miller has now won 11 championships in a row.
St Rita’s College threw the kitchen sink at All Hallows’ and almost snapped the remarkable winning streak.
Indeed their was only one relay race between the schools, so close was the contest.
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Final points: All Hallows (1276), St Rita’s (1252), MSM (1108), Loreto College (867), Mt Alvernia College (680), Lourdes Hill College (669), Brigidine College (649).
The trophy was gleefully accepted by All Hallows’ School swimming captains Josephine Crimmins and Dana Gronbach.
The percentage trophy was won by Mt St Michael’s College.
In a dramatic meet, records were crunched by Australian world junior selection Hannah Casey (Mt St Michael’s College) and Ruby Crowther (St Rita’s College) during the championship.
Casey’s 16 years 50m freestyle swim surpassed a record set by D Rose in 1998, while Crowther (14 years, 50m sprint) went past N Marks’ time set in 1986.
There was also a powerhouse 200m freestyle performance from Lourdes Hill student Elena Staal who, although not a record time, produced a fabulous swim in the opens.
There was absolutely no doubt the championship came down to the final six, 50m freestyle relays.
St Rita’s led early, but were pegged back by All Hallows ahead of the start of the relays, with All Hallows ahead by just seven points.
It was neck and neck all the way to the winners post, with All Hallows’ wins in both 17 years relays late in the meet both absolutely critical victories.
St Rita’s College laid an early foundation by winning the freestyle sprint events – just ahead of All Hallows’ School.
When the 4x200m relays started, All Hallows were most likely still ahead after either winning or finishing second in most medley relays.
But St Rita’s threw a spanner in the works with back-to-back 200m relay wins in both the 13 years events and the chase was on.
The 50m freestyle events were a great tug of war between All Hallows’ School and St Rita’s College.
St Rita’s proved a freestyle sprint powerhouse, including wins by Matilda Canning, Tatianna, Veselova, Ruby Crowther, Aemlia Calder, Amelie Grohn, Adelaide Bowman, Emily Crowe, Caitlin Emmerson, Isabelle Langestraat, Sofia Nielson, Madeleine Crowe and Madeleine Carr.
But All Hallows also chalked up early points with a stream of placings, including by Abbie Hegarty (first), Hannah Abbs Robinson (second), Kiara Pavanello (first), Amy Vink (second), Charlotte Commins (first), Millie Gallagher (third), Jessica Harbottle (first), Grace Vidler (first), Phoebe Cervetto (second), Lauren McInally (first), Alison Tseng (first), Alice Fletcher (first), Josephine Crimmins (first), Helayna Treacy (first), Olivia Marco (first) Phoebe Cannon (second), Mali Smith, Dana Gronbach (first) and Tessa Gibbons (second).
The MSM swimming machine also challenged, with Casey winning again in the 50m 16 years, along with schoolmates Emily Draper and Audrey Dearling who burst through to win their 50m dashes while MSM’s Ruby Sterzl was second.
Loreto College’s Grace Wallace claimed victory in her sprint, while Matilda Buttini and Chloe Asquith did a grand swims for second placings – also for Lerota – before Elena Staal placed again for Lourdes Hill.
There was another boom race between All Hallows and St Rita’s in the 100m open backstroke where Phoebe Fredericks defeated Carrick, while Annabelle Creswell was third.
International swimmer Casey (MSM) kicked the championship at 9.30am by winning the high class open 100m for Mt St Michael’s from Elena Staal (Lourdes Hill) and Carrick (St Rita’s College).
In a succession of 50m freestyle sprint races, Ana Somerville (MSM) and Alexis Farrell (St Rita’s) and St Rita’s Bella Bolton had wins.
It was a close finish in the Div 1, 12 years backstroke, where Ana Somerville came through ahead of Anais Johnston (St Rita’s) and Niahm Adcock (Lourdes Hill), while Brigidine College’s Mia Alvos won her Div 2 backstroke.
Lourdes Hills’ Eloise Pattison claimed her 13 years backstroke from Lilla Ribot-de-Bresac (All Hallows, second) while Crowther was among the medals again by winning the 14 years Div 1 backstroke.
The 15 years Div 1 backstroke was claimed by Sienna Counsel (St Rita’s College) from Lana Nguyen (All Hallows), while Casey won the 16 years Div 1 backstroke.
The breaststroke events kicked off with a bang, with the big three – St Rita’s, MSM and All Hallows slugging it out. Nielson (St Rita’s) claimed victory from Somerille (MSM) and Mali Smith (All Hallows).
The 12 years 50m breaststroke Div 1 was then won by Alexis Farrell (St Rita’s) and the 13 years Div 1 claimed by a famous name in Queensland sport – Lilla Ribot-de-Bresac whose father is former rugby league international and ex-Broncos boss John Ribot. She followed that win up with another victory in the 13 years 50m Div 1 butterfly.
Conias won again for St Rita’s (14 years Div 1 breaststroke) while Dearling had another win for MSM (15 years Div 1 breaststroke), while Georgia Joosep had a big swim for second for Loreto College (14 years Div 1).
Drapar (AHS) won the Div 1 16 years, but there was a thrill for Lourdes Hill College when Kirra-Lea Cooper touched for third.
Nielson then had another win for St Rita’s in her breaststroke.
Casey’s medal haul continued in the 100m open butterfly, with the MSM swim star edging out Crimmins (All Hallows).
Kate Shield did a good job for MSM to finish second in her butterfly swim behind St Rita’s white hot Crowther, while Creswell was among the medals again for MSM in her butterfly 50m dash.
After a series of placings, Crimmins (All Hallows) then touched first in the 17 years Div 1 butterfly, while All Hallows won again in the Div 2 race (Dana Gronbach).
The relays started with the medley events, with Tseng bringing All Hallows home (4x200m open) and Ruby Harding anchoring St Rita’s in the 12 years.
Field was among the medals once more when her All hallows 13 years medley team touched first ahead of St Rita’s, while St Rita’s touched ahead of All Hallows in the 14 years.
The Lourdes Hill team (Bridie McInness, Georgia Joosep, Talia Svarc and Laurent Carlyle) were third.
MSM then broke up the All Hallows-St Rita’s relay party theme with a rousing 15 years medley win – Zaylee Spohn, Audrey Dearling, Annabelle Creswell and Chiara Fachin all victors.
All Hallows were back winning the 16 years when Laurent McInally brought home her team of Cervetto, Doolan and Harbittle.
When the 4x200m relays started, All Hallows were most likely still ahead.
St Rita’s then gained early ground in those relays by claiming 13 years 200m relays when Bolton anchored her side ahead of second placed All Hallows (Ribot, Douglas, McMeniman and Field).
Saints then won the Div 2 13 years, the Div 1 14 years (Harding, Conias, Coscarella, Crowther) but All Hallows ground their way to the winners post in the Div 2 14 years (Denny, Moore, Commins and Horton) and again in the 15 years Div 1 (Nguyen, Gallagher, Ryan and Brodie).
St Rita’s were solid 15 years Div 2 winners (Emmerson, Langestraat, Bowman and Crowe) from second place All Hallows, then Mt St Michael’s added to the tension of denying both All Hallows and St Rita’s maximum points in the 16 years Div 1 when Casey, Stewart, Mellifont and Draper speared Saints to victory.
Those wins by All Hallows’ School in both 17 years races (teams of Crimmins, Smith, Gronbach, Tseng and Cruikshank, Marco, Connors and Treacy) were gold to the school as they fought off St Rita’s.
Ironically Neither All Hallows or St Rita’s won the last event – a 6x50m relay which was claimed by the Hannah Casey inspired Mt St Michael’s College.
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