QGSSSA Swimming Championships: Here’s 60 young guns to watch
QGSSSA Swimming Championships: Here’s 60 young guns to watch, including a number of potential Aussie Dolphins when the prestigious meet is staged on Wednesday.
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The QGSSSA Swimming Championships will be staged on Wednesday, with plenty of star power headed to the Brisbane Aquatic Centre, Chandler.
Athletes representing the 10 QGSSSA Schools will dive in, vying for team points towards the illustrious Mollie Gould Cup Aggregate Championship, and the Sheena Dyason Cup, a trophy based on performance of each school relative to student population size.
This is the 88th annual instalment of the event, one of the highlights on the Queensland swimming calendar.
Records are held by Queensland swimming giants such as Ariarne Titmus, Yolane Kukla, Mollie O’Callaghan, Minna Atherton, Georgia Bohl and Ella Ramsay.
The powerful St Peters Lutheran College, coached by Olympic mentor Dean Boxall, will be aiming for a 10th consecutive win of the Aggregate Trophy.
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St Margaret’s have a new coach this year, Matt Brown, while Brown’s former swimmer, David Lush, will lead the Moreton Bay team to Chandler.
Both men have had Olympic swimmers in their squads in the past but are now enjoying being back in grass-roots swimming, ensuring the next generation develop and thrive in this sport.
Sue Pavish, Director of Sport at Moreton Bay College said “Our girls are ready for an exciting evening of competition, and have been training hard with David Lush across the summer in the hope of not having such a close finish this year.”
St Margaret’s have talented swimmer Sophie Martin as a co-captain. Fresh off the back of an international tour as a member of the Australian Junior Dolphins Swim Team. Martin said the QGSSSA swimming championship was a special event.
“I have competed at many national and now international meets, but QG swimming has always been my favourite. The electric atmosphere that is created by our St Margaret’s community and all the QG teams is truly unique.
“There is nothing better than standing on the blocks, vying to score maximum points for your team, with your school friends and family in the grandstand cheering you on.’’
The relays at QGSSSA are always a highlight and one relay not to be missed is the Open Brockway Cup which will feature an MBC quartet made up of Francesca Chitukudza, Amani Alobaidli, Rosy Ryan and Grace Gerreyn who won the 16 years 4x50m Freestyle Relay at the last Brisbane Relay Championships.
Whilst achieving gold, the MBC girls broke the Brisbane record, that had stood for 21 years - toppling a time achieved by a team that included three Australian Dolphins.
In addition to watching these athletes light up the pool, here we have a guide to the QGSSSA Swimming Championships, including swimmers to watch, links to the schedule, and how to catch the action live.
ST AIDAN’S ANGLICAN GIRLS SCHOOL
Phoebe Finlay 15 Years Multi-Class: A sporting all-rounder Phoebe is a vision impaired ulti-class athlete, and this will be her second year competing for St Aidan’s in Swimming. Phoebe had a selection of sensational swims at the Queensland School Sport Swimming Championships in late 2022, with top 10 finishes in 50m Freestyle, Breaststroke and Butterfly and the 100m Freestyle.
Charlotte Boothey 16 Years: A promising Backstroke and Freestyle Swimmer, Charlotte has made the finals across the 50’s at 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships and the Queensland School Sport Champs including picking up a bronze medal in the 100m Backstroke in a time of 1:08:61.
SOMERVILLE HOUSE
Eloise McLellan 14 Years: Take note of this name as Eloise is a star on the rise. Eloise has picked up State gold medals in all strokes, so it is unsurprising that she is also a brilliant Zndividual Medley swimmer. On Wednesday Eloise will be busy, competing across Open 100m Breaststroke; 14 Years 50m Freestyle, Div A; 50m Breaststroke; Junior Brockway Cup Relay and the 200m Freestyle Relay Div A.
Olivia Hine 15 Years: Butterfly and Freestyle are Olivia’s main strokes, and she has had sensational results at State and National level across both 50m and 100m.
Tahlia Hanson 17 Years & Over: Tahlia mixes with the best in the country in Freestyle, butterfly and the Individual Medley. A highlight of her career was a silver medal in the 200m Freestyle at the last Australian Age Championships in a time of 2:14:82.
BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Penny Bale 14 Years: Penny can cover all strokes and was a finalist in the Individual Medley at the 2022 Queensland State Championships.
Holly Fleming 15 Years: The Fleming sisters are all great swimmers, and Holly had a strong finish in the final of the 50m Backstroke at the recent 2023 Brisbane Sprint Championships. Holly is set to compete at QGSSSA in the 200m Individual Medley, 100m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke and Division A of the Freestyle Relay.
Karla Rimmington: Karla is a strong Butterfly and Freestyle swimmer, and also quick over the 200m Individual Medley. Karla will be back to strive for another podium finish to complement her 3rd place at QGSSSA in 50m Butterfly in 2022.
Ava Tran 16 Years: Ava recently clocked an impressive 50m Backstroke at the 2023 Brisbane Sprint Championships in 33.06. She will again be focusing on Backstroke on Wednesday and will be aiming to replicate her podium finish from QGSSSA 2022.
Lucy Vaughan 17 Years & Over: Lucy can log a quick 50m Backstroke and Breaststroke, and was in the Top 10 at the recent 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships.
Marina Abu Shamaleh 17 Years & Over: BGGS Swimming Captain, together with Brooke Tolhurst, Marina has a full schedule Wednesday, and has had podium finishes in Breaststroke recently at State level that she will be looking to capitalise on.
Charlotte Kennedy 17 Years & Over: A top freestyler, Charlotte is booked for the 50m Freestyle Division A, Freestyle Relay Division A and the illustrious Senior Brockway Cup relay team.
CLAYFIELD COLLEGE
Ema Costello: Ema will be striving for PB’s on Wednesday as she proudly represents her school. Ema has been a finalist at States numerous times, most recently in 50m Backstroke and 50m Butterfly.
Meghan Guthrie-Quinn 15 Years: Meghan is well known as a star Breaststroker and will be competing in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke at QGSSSA, in addition to the 100m Freestyle and 2 relay events.
Mali Schwarz 15 Years: A recent State Medallist in 50m Backstroke, Mali will be looking to swim just as quick again this week. She also holds the 12 Years & Under QGSSSA 50m Backstroke record (33.81) set in 2020.
Poppy Stephen 17 Years & Over: Poppy is an incredible swimmer, and watching her swim butterfly is poetic. The Clayfield College Swimming Captain was State Champion in 2022 across 50m, 100m and 200m Butterfly, and won Bronze medals in 100m and 200m Backstroke. Poppy is trained by Shaun Crow at Nudgee College, and it is fitting that Crow will also be assisting Clayfield at QGSSSA this year.
Laura Poon 17 Years & Over: Co-Captain with Poppy Stephen, Laura will be reaching for new heights across a full schedule of swims. She has a Bronze medal in 50m Freestyle at the 222 Queensland State Championships to her name, and came in an impressive 6th in Queensland in the 100m Freestyle at that same competition.
Hana Costello 17 Years & Over: Older sister to Ema, Hana is a gun at the Individual Medley and is among the best in Queensland in the 200m and 400m IM. Look out for Hana in the 200m IM, and also 50m Freestyle and 50m Breaststroke, plus 2 relays.
MORETON BAY COLLEGE
Elkie Athanasiov 13 Years: Elkie will be back to defend her 1st place in the 100m Freestyle that she secured at last years QGSSSA Swimming Championships. She can also extend her engine to the 200m and picked up a Silver Medal at the School Sport Australia National Championships in a time of 2:16:66 in 2022.
Annika Kobus 13 Years: The Morton Bay College 13 Years Age Group is further strengthened by Annika who is a recent State Gold Medallist over 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly. Annika will be competing in these races at QGSSSA this week and dive in for the Freestyle Relay Div A and the Junior Brockway Cup Relay.
Matilda Gava 14 Years: Another young gun across Butterfly and Freestyle Matilda features strongly in the finals line-ups at States in these strokes, she is also a handy Individual Medley Swimmer.
Siena Gibson 14 Years: Look out for this Freestyle powerhouse in the 50m Freestyle Div A and the 100m Freestyle at QGSSSA. Siena has also been the quickest in Queensland for her age in the 50m Butterfly during 2022.
Grace Gerryn 17 Years & Over: Grace was the Gold Medallist in the 16 Years 50m Freestyle at the 2022 Queensland Sprint Championships in a time of 26.83. Grace will have a full suite of Freestyle races this week, including the star-studded Senior Brockway Cup Relay.
Francesca Chitukudza 17 Years & Over: A talented Butterfly and Individual Medley swimmer in particular, Francesca made it to the podium and had a slew of top 10 finishes at the 2022 Australian Age Swimming Championships.
Kyrah Percy 17 Years & Over: Kyrah has the Breaststroke events covered for the strong MBC 17 Years & Over age group, and picked up State Medals in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke at the recent Queensland School Sport Championships. Kyrah came 5th in Australia in 50m Breaststroke with a time of 34.54.
Amani Alobaidli 17 Years & Over: Amani will be leading the MBC team this week as captain and has a busy evening booked with races in Backstroke, Freestyle and Relays. Amani in no stranger to elite competition, and represented Bahrain at the 2022 World Short Course Championships in Melbourne, finishing 34th in in the World in the 50m Backstroke and 28th in 100m Backstroke
ST MARGARET’S ANGLICAN GIRLS SCHOOL
Gloria Finselbach 13 years: An impressive Breaststroker coached by Steve Miller at Newmarket, Gloria made finals in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke at the last School Sport Australia Swimming Championships.
Ruby Gowns 14 Years: A swimmer just starting to realise her potential, Ruby came 3rd in 50m Freestyle and 50m Butterfly at the recent 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships.
Sophie Hebron 14 Years: Sophie is a fantastic open water Swimmer in addition to ccomplished pool swimmer, recently winning the 2023 Australian Open Water Championships, Girls 14 Years 5km race.
Lucy Stuart 15 Years: Lucy had a brilliant 200m Freestyle swim at the 2022 Queensland State Championships finishing 4th in 2:13:54, and a finals berth in the 2023 Brisbane Sprint Championships which will give Lucy plenty of confidence going into this weeks QGSSSA Championships.
Cosette Cooke 16 Years: Cosette is a talented swimmer and water polo player, and has had significant success particularly across Freestyle events at State and National level. Cosette will be focusing on this stroke again this Wednesday evening, aiming to pick up maximum points for St Margaret’s.
Abigail Anderson: Abigail is back to strive for the pointy end of the field in the 100m Freestyle, backing up her 2nd place at QG in 2022. She also had a cracking 7th place at the Australian Age 100m Breaststroke in 2022. Look out for Abigail in the 100m Freestyle, 50m Breaststroke and 200m Medley Relay.
Stella Stuart 17 Years & Over: Stella specialises in Breaststroke and is hard to beat winning both state and national medals in this stroke in recent times. Stella is coached by Bobby Jovanovich at Brisbane Grammar, along with her team mates Abigail Anderson, Inde Basche and younger sister Lucy Stuart.
Sienna Timms 17 Years & Over: Sienna is never far from the front of her races, and has grown into an extremely accomplished backstroke swimmer. Sienna can also perform admirably in the other strokes making her a very strong IM swimmer.
Sophie Martin 17 Years & Over: Sophie and her older sister Isabella have been swimming since they were very young, first at Brisbane Grammar for a number of years and in more recent times at Somerville House Aquatics. Sophie specialises in Breaststroke, Freestyle and Individual Medley swimming, culminating in her recent success as an Australian Junior Pan Pac representative in Hawaii in 2022. Sophie is looking forward to her final QGSSSA as a Year 12 student at St Margaret’s and is a Captain along with Charli Fahrenson.
IPSWICH GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Teagan Hanlon 12 Years: An all-rounder, Teagan can race competitively in all 4 strokes, swimming for the Met West Regional team at the School Sport State Titles in late 2022. Teagan will be swimming 2 individual events and 2 relays in her QGSSSA debut.
Isabel Joffe 13 Years: Isabel also swam for Met West at State Titles and will be competing in five events for Ipswich Girls Grammar this week.
Alexis Kerle 16 Years: The Ipswich Girls’ Grammar Swimming Co-Captain competed at Queensland School Sport state titles in 2022 and will be leading her team in 50m Butterfly, 50m Freestyle and the Medley Relay.
Charlize Goody 17 Years & Over: An athlete who can cover most sports and perform at an elite level, it is not surprising that Charlize can also swim. Breaststroke and Freestyle are her most competitive strokes and she has represented Met West in 50m and 100m Breaststroke in late 2022.
Anna Hammant 17 Years & Over: Anna came an impressive 11th in the 16 Years 400m Freestyle at the Queensland School Sport Championships in 2022, and will be utilising her fitness again in the 100m Butterfly and 100m Freestyle races at QGSSSA.
Kelsey Wall 17 Years & Over: Leading the team as the IGGS Co-Captain Kelsey has had success at a State Level in Butterfly in particular. She will be swimming 50m Butterfly and 50m Backstroke for IGGS this week.
ST HILDAS SCHOOL
Holly Warn 14 Years: Holly is a Multi-Class swimmer and one of Australia’s rising stars in the para sport space. Holly came 1st in MC 100m Backstroke and 2nd in MC 50m Backstroke at the Australian Age Championships in 2022, and has numerous Queensland titles to her name.
Holly will be competing in the four available Multi-Class races, where points contribute directly to the Aggregate Trophy. Following QGSSSA Holly is looking towards the Australian Age Championships in April, and also will compete in the Open events at the trials for the Para World Championships also in April.
St Hilda’s Coach Jon Bell said: “Whilst Holly is not yet eligible to be selected for the World Championships, the experience is sure to prove invaluable.’’
Tribeca Liu 14 Years: Tribeca took out 1st place in the School Sport Australia Swimming
Championships in 50m and 100m Freestyle and is the QGSSSA reigning champion in 50m butterfly and 100m Freestyle for her age group.
Tylah Crabtree 17 Years & Over: A top State and National Swimmer, Tylah is the St Hilda’s Swim captain this year and will be swimming in the full suite of five events for her School.
Cyra Bender 17 Years & Over: Cyra competed in the 2022 Youth Lifesaving World Championships as
part of the Australian Lifesaving Team where she won four gold medals, two silver medals and was awarded Youth World Champion in the 100m Rescue Medley. Cyra will be swimming in two individual backstroke events, and the Medley Relay and Open Brockway Cup Relay.
In addition to the above athletes St Hilda’s School has over 20 Boarding Students taking part in QGSSSA Swimming, including Lucinda and Scarlett Richards from Goondiwindi, Sarah Smith from Wee Waa, Ella Ramsay of Texas, Lilly Geddes from Upper Orara and Mackenzie Chisellett from Legana in Tasmania.
BRISBANE STATE HIGH SCHOOL
Ruri Lee 12 Years: Ruri is about to enjoy her QGSSSA debut as a 12-Year-old and is a quick across all four strokes. A highlight has been top 10 finishes in all races at the 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships, including a Gold for 50m Breaststroke in a time of 37.53.
Julia Jeffers 13 Years: Julia is a prominent competitor at a State and National level in Backstroke and Butterfly in particular. She has picked up a recent Bronze medal in the School Sport Australia Swimming Championships for 50m Butterfly in a time of 30.69.
Alexia Rissetto 13 Years: Alexia won a Silver medal at State School Sport Championships in the 50m Backstroke, and is also a very competitive contender in Butterfly and Freestyle.
Annika Silvester 13 Years: Another star on the rise a highlight of Annika’s swimming career so far is a Gold medal in 50m Butterfly at the 2022 School Sport Australia Swimming championships. At the same meet she picked up Silver for 100m Butterfly and has numerous gold hardware to her name at State level. Look out for Annika in a full suite of 5 events this week.
Ana Wright 13 Years: Ana is a top 10 State Swimmer and will be adding extra strength to an already powerful 13 years line-up for BSHS.
Manon Berson 14 Years: Manon is an excellent backstroker and is hoping to take out the 50m Backstroke event again. Manon is a sporting all-rounder and has been selected in the Brisbane State High School Open football team this year as a 14 year old, an impressive achievement for one of QGSSSA Football’s strongest teams.
Elaine Chu 16 Years: Coached at the Brisbane Grammar Club, Elaine competed in 20 events at the December State Age Championships making 7 finals. Elaine will be competing individually in Freestyle and Breaststroke events at QGSSSA.
Stevie Fisher 16 Years: Stevie is lining up to defend her 50m Butterfly title from last years QGSSSA, she will also be dangerous in the 100m Butterfly.
Hannah Allen 17 Years & Over: Hannah has been a regular Queensland representative in swimming competing in the Japan Open in Tokyo last year and recently winning the 1500m and 800m Freestyle Australian titles with a silver in 400m Freestyle.
Gemma Zaicek 17 Years & Over: Gemma’s strong suit is Backstroke and she can cover any distance from 50 to 200m mixing it with the best Queensland. Gemma will also be covering a 50m Freestyle event at QGSSSA.
ST PETERS LUTHERAN COLLEGE
Georgia Pettigrew 12 Years: In her first QGSSSA competition Georgia will be utilising her strengths in Freestyle and Butterfly in her events on Wednesday. Georgia made national finals in 50m Butterfly and Backstroke in late 2022, and also 50m and 100m Freestyle.
Olivia Galea 13 Years: The fastest in Australia at 100m and 200m Freestyle at the 2022 School Sport Australia Swimming Championships, and Bronze medallist in the 200m IM, Olivia is going to be an exceptionally strong contender at QGSSSA.
Isabella Lau 13 Years: The fastest Breaststroker in Australia over 100m in 2022, Isabella will also be competing in 50m Freestyle and 50m Breaststroke on Wednesday, along with a relay.
Kaci Curtis 15 Years: Kaci has an incredible CV of medal wins on the national stage and will be racing individual events in Freestyle and Backstroke this week.
Isabella Morris 15 Years: Isabella is particularly strong in Freestyle, Backstroke and IM Swimming, and holds the QGSSSA record for 14 Years 50m Freestyle Div B in a time of 27.81.
Ainsley Trotter 16 Years: A well known competitor in national swimming circles Ainsley had a very successful year at the Australian Age Swimming Championships in 2022 with four national medals. Ainsley holds a QGSSSA record for 15 Years 50m Backstroke in a time of 229.74.
Hannah Morton 16 Years: A national finalist in numerous events Hannah will be focusing on Freestyle events this week, and will be part of the famed St Peters Senior Brockway Cup relay team.
Amelia Weber 17 Years & Over: An impressive competitor, Amelia is an Australian Junior Dolphins Team Member of 2022. She has won recent Australian Titles across 200m, 400m and 800m Freestyle.
Jaclyn Barclay 17 Years & Over: A particularly strong Backstroker, Jaclyn is the best in Australia for her age in 50m, 100m and 200m Backstroke. Look out for her in the 50m Freestyle Div A race and the 50m Butterfly. She has been an Australian Junior Dolphins Team Member across both 2021 and 2022.
The Championships will be livestreamed featuring expert commentary from Joel Murray,
Commonwealth Games and Triathlon commentator, and Brittany Elmslie OAM, five-time Olympic medallist and St Margaret’s AGS alumni.
Brittany represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics.
Visit https://qgsssa.com.au/swimming/ for all the details.
You can also stay up to date with what is happening at the QGSSSA Swimming Championships via Instagram @qgsssa.
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